For many, October symbolizes leaves turning colors, the first frost, and shorter days — in general, all the signs of Fall. However, for me, October is a month of transition from one seasonal job to another. I finish my summer/fall job working in the parks, and pick up more hours working at my retail job, but not quite full-time, as I like having some extra time in winter both to pursue my two passions — skiing and writing. When I finished college, I really certainly didn’t think that this many years later, I’d be doing seasonal work, freelance work, and sort of patching things together to make money. In fact, I resisted that sort of unstable lifetime for quite awhile, even as recently as last year. Mostly, because for me I measured success by having a full-time, 40-hour a week job at a reputable business. Now, since we have moved to our mountain home, I find success is more about having a good day, and feeling fulfilled, and having enough time to have fun and relax. And seasonal work allows me to do that.
I find as I meet many people living in our mountain town and others both in Colorado and throughout the western U.S., that people working seasonal jobs, or part-time jobs is more the norm than the exception. Unless, you are one of those people who can work for home, it can pretty difficult to find a lucrative job in remote mountain locations, much less one that is stable. Also, ski resorts and parks and national forests tend to surround these remote mountain towns, making it more likely that they are seeking employees for their respective seasons. And dare I say, that many of us actually prefer the variety of seasonal work over one job 52 weeks of the year. It seems right when you reach the burnout stage, the season is over and it’s time to move on to something else. It keeps life interesting, and keeps me more motivated. I also use that transition time between the two jobs as a chance to travel, and just rest and relax for a week or two.
As I reflect back on my many years of employment since college, seasonal work while not making me rich, has provided the most enjoyment in my life and I find now, it’s something I do as a choice rather than as a fallback to something else.
