WWMD: feeling lost, seeking wisdom

[JackSkier]

I am reaching out to the TGR collective, hoping people sharing my passion for skiing might better understand my dilemma than my ‘real life’ friends, and offer me some useful life advice.

Here is the background. I am 23 years old, and graduated last year from a top UK university with a BA in History, achieving first-class honours and the best mark in my year group. My life plan following graduation was to move to France/ Switzerland in order to ski as much as possible, and maybe eventually become a mountain guide. I am a German citizen and independently taught myself fluent French to permit this.

After a summer working in landscaping, I spent seven months in La Grave, skiing every day. I met some great people and skied lines I had long dreamt of, however, by April, and especially after a bit of summer working a dead-end local job, I realised that ski bumming will not fulfil me in the long-term. I have a serious passion for skiing, but began feeling that my identity was increasingly single-faceted, and that all my conversations centred on snow (or the lack thereof), the merits of a long turn radius and heavy skis, and couloirs. My ego was moreover becoming entwined with skiing, which in an environment like La Grave, led to some decisions in the mountains of which I am not proud. Not to mention, I am fed up with being poor, in a place where eligible women are counted on one hand, and working jobs I do not find intellectually stimulating. I decided, essentially, that skiing isn’t ‘enough’; blasphemous, I know.

So, I started looking for jobs in Switzerland and France, seeking to combine a fulfilling professional career with a location where I could still ski regularly. I applied primarily for Marketing and Business Strategy roles.

What I hadn’t considered is that my generalised degree is apparently useless on the European job market. Whilst in the UK a History degree from a good institution is highly employable and allows one to go into most fields, in Europe one is expected to have specialised in the domain they wish to work in. I haven’t had a single interview subsequent to over fifty applications in Europe. Comparatively, in the UK, recruiters contact me daily about opportunities, and I have had three interviews in the last week.

So I am at a crossroads. I am considering the following options:
1. Give up on the ‘dream’ and resign myself to a pay-cheque in London and limited skiing; something I had sworn I would never do. Finding a truly stimulating, challenging job in consultancy and making good money is tempting, and maybe after a few years, I will have enough relevant experience to relocate to Europe. Maybe not. But, I am not sure I can accept not skiing, and I am worried about getting trapped in the grind, chasing a lifestyle, or tied down due to other reasons.
2. Get a job in London (so that I don’t have a two year gap on my CV), which suddenly ‘doesn’t work out’ come December, ski bum, then do a masters degree in something useful in the European job market. This would be possible potentially in marketing, but it's not going to fly at a big consultancy.
3. Find a largely remote job in a UK based company. Potentially difficult as a recent grad lacking experience, also maybe not best for career progression.
4. Explore other places in the world (with skiing) where I have better employment prospects. How is a History degree viewed in the States? I am prepared to move almost anywhere to obtain the lifestyle I desire.

Any thoughts?

TLDR:
23 year old Brit suffering the TGR typical existential crisis following graduation: ski or work. Ideally I would combine both, but it seems that I am employable exclusively in a place where this isn’t possible. Do I reconcile myself with mundanity, a wife I hate and two spoiled kids?

[SumJongGuy]

Get the best job you can with your current qualifications.. Work on an advanced degree and upgrade your career path again in 3 years. I had the opposite problem out of grad school. I had the advanced degree and concentrations that were en vogue but only shitty retail management job experience. I also kicked around partying and playing in rock bands for 10 years out of undergrad school so I had to go back and earn a more recent advanced degree to go anywhere. I had like over 200 rejection letters in the year it took me to find a better job.. then another 2-3 years of experience more directly related to my education.

You're 23. You got this.

[Viva]

Is teaching an option for you? Perhaps if you gain the necessary credentials you could teach history, and maybe English and/or Kraut in a small town school at the foot of the Jungfrau, where you could ski on time off and eat goat cheese.

What about ski patrol or ski instructor? The later is a great way to meet MILFs!

Or you can do what Blurred did and give $20 blowjobs.

Good luck, Kid!

[Brownski]

Too good to bump chairs I guess?

[thedude2340]

Do what gives you joy and purpose, money, etc. will either come or you’ll navigate life with less materialistic proclivities.

I wish I had this advice at 23. I also wish I had the intelligent introspection you seem to have at 23. I’m going to venture a guess that you’re sharp. Things will find a way of working for you.

For the love of God avoid corporate life if you can.

[Mazderati]

When feeling lost, find that edit button and remove the font formatting.

[mb6f50]

You're 23.

You have lots of time. Go to grad school if you need to to get the job you'll love.

Don't settle at 23, though. Thats too young. Work some jobs to see what you like, check out some places.

Figure out whats most important to you and then figure out the best way to get it.

You're smart and 23!

[schuss]

You're young. Two immediate routes spring to mind:
1. See if you can get a UK job with your quals - after the first job, your degree matters less.
2. Get a business masters and branch out from there.

Life is what you make of it. There's no one right answer, but plenty of wrong ones. Unfortunately, very few are obvious up front.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Aimlessness is a privilege of youth.

[::: :::]

Don’t use colored fonts

[Stikki]

Get a remote job for a UK company and live in the Alps or wherever. Your stated goal is more money and intellectual stimulation and you want to ski. Do that until you have enough experience to work for a Euro company or decide to go another direction such as getting an advanced degree.

[m2711c]

Snowmaking. Work all night, ski all day.

[AdironRider]

Everyone can make it in a ski town if they are patient enough

[ghosthop]

You tried the ski bum lifestyle for a year and are disillusioned. Compromise on the lifestyle, not the the career.

If your academic standing as good as you say, I would apply to grad schools geographically close enough to the mountains to allow you some of the lifestyle you want and work on a graduate degree specializing in what is intellectually stimulating to you.

I was staring down a similar situation and chose to pursue the long term career that was exciting to me. The original job didn't work out but I met my wife, and three years later we are back near the mountains. Most likely to stay long term and significantly more financially secure. Life has a way of working out, don't compromise on your long term goals chasing a lifestyle.

[whyturn]

Maybe find a place to teach and ski. Or get a corporate job which has flexible schedule. I have corporate but we work 9/80 and every other Friday off. It’s a balance. If skiing all day paid $50 an hour we would all do that. Do you want to stay in Europe or have you looked in the US. We have great skiing too


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[XXX-er]

if you are feeling lost and seeking wisdom you are totally wasting time here at tgr

but my quick n dirty advice is to do a couple of years in canada which you are entitled as a member of the commonwealth find a canadian girl, get her pregnant and get married which gives you the landed immigrant status

those american wankers can't do this cuz they don't worship the queen

but they would all give their left nut to be able to do it

[Buster Highmen]

I am reaching out to the TGR collective, hoping people sharing my passion for skiing might better understand my dilemma than my ‘real life’ friends, and offer me some useful life advice.

Here is the background. I am 23 years old, and graduated last year from a top UK university with a BA in History, achieving first-class honours and the best mark in my year group. My life plan following graduation was to move to France/ Switzerland in order to ski as much as possible, and maybe eventually become a mountain guide. I am a German citizen and independently taught myself fluent French to permit this.

After a summer working in landscaping, I spent seven months in La Grave, skiing every day. I met some great people and skied lines I had long dreamt of, however, by April, and especially after a bit of summer working a dead-end local job, I realised that ski bumming will not fulfil me in the long-term. I have a serious passion for skiing, but began feeling that my identity was increasingly single-faceted, and that all my conversations centred on snow (or the lack thereof), the merits of a long turn radius and heavy skis, and couloirs. My ego was moreover becoming entwined with skiing, which in an environment like La Grave, led to some decisions in the mountains of which I am not proud. Not to mention, I am fed up with being poor, in a place where eligible women are counted on one hand, and working jobs I do not find intellectually stimulating. I decided, essentially, that skiing isn’t ‘enough’; blasphemous, I know.

So, I started looking for jobs in Switzerland and France, seeking to combine a fulfilling professional career with a location where I could still ski regularly. I applied primarily for Marketing and Business Strategy roles.

What I hadn’t considered is that my generalised degree is apparently useless on the European job market. Whilst in the UK a History degree from a good institution is highly employable and allows one to go into most fields, in Europe one is expected to have specialised in the domain they wish to work in. I haven’t had a single interview subsequent to over fifty applications in Europe. Comparatively, in the UK, recruiters contact me daily about opportunities, and I have had three interviews in the last week.

So I am at a crossroads. I am considering the following options:
1. Give up on the ‘dream’ and resign myself to a pay-cheque in London and limited skiing; something I had sworn I would never do. Finding a truly stimulating, challenging job in consultancy and making good money is tempting, and maybe after a few years, I will have enough relevant experience to relocate to Europe. Maybe not. But, I am not sure I can accept not skiing, and I am worried about getting trapped in the grind, chasing a lifestyle, or tied down due to other reasons.
2. Get a job in London (so that I don’t have a two year gap on my CV), which suddenly ‘doesn’t work out’ come December, ski bum, then do a masters degree in something useful in the European job market. This would be possible potentially in marketing, but it's not going to fly at a big consultancy.
3. Find a largely remote job in a UK based company. Potentially difficult as a recent grad lacking experience, also maybe not best for career progression.
4. Explore other places in the world (with skiing) where I have better employment prospects. How is a History degree viewed in the States? I am prepared to move almost anywhere to obtain the lifestyle I desire.

Any thoughts?

TLDR:
23 year old Brit suffering the TGR typical existential crisis following graduation: ski or work. Ideally I would combine both, but it seems that I am employable exclusively in a place where this isn’t possible. Do I reconcile myself with mundanity, a wife I hate and two spoiled kids?
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0) Don't use colored fonts.
1) If you're getting lots of job offers in the UK, surely several of them will allow remote work.
2) If you get a remote job, consider living in one of the larger towns close to skiing. La Grave is great but it's suffocating from several mobility points of view. Try Annecy, Chur, Innsbruck, Martigny, Luzern or Bolzano. More social mobility in those locales.
3) Never give up a dream. Keep whittling away at reality and opportunities until you can fit.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

Buster beat me to it... Get a job out of UK. Remote work.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[The Reverend Floater]

OBF? Is that you?

[BCMtnHound]

if you are feeling lost and seeking wisdom you are totally wasting time here at tgr

Heh. Case in point:

you are entitled as a member of the commonwealth

They mentioned a German citizenship. Might have to settle with sponsorship at a Mennonite community. Don’t think any of those are near good skiing [emoji12]

[jfost]

Grow up and get a job, ski a few days per year, call it a life.

[Not DJSapp]

Read the Cougar Hunting in A$$pen thread. If that doesn't give you ideas, I can't help you.

[Cono Este]

You need to fucking relax.

At 23 you are actually rich.

Wait until you have a wife/husband and kids. Then you will be locked down.

Keep skiing, go to grad school in 3-4 yrs, then take the job in London.


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[Eluder]

The last couple post in thread are best guidance .

You are 23, you don’t know shit yet, quit thinking you have to have it all figured out.

One thing is for sure, you will find your life unfulfilling many more times over. At some point you will find your reason and it will mostly make sense. For me this was 34, though at 40 I’ve lost track again but still live the dream.

[Buzzworthy]

Smoke one up and relax, you think you have anxiety now?