Career growth for outdoor sports

I am looking for advice on what careers are available for outdoor sports. I don’t want to sit in a closed office every day and I need to convince my parents of my career choice.

 

Would it not be wonderful if we all could take our office and work to the mountains, deserts, wilderness and oceans!  Believe me it is not as improbable as it sounds and be happy every morning going to work. The choices and opportunities to pursue outdoor activities and adventure infused careers are numerous but you need to ensure that along with the passion you have the skill sets.

 

As an economy progresses people tend to spend more money and time on leisure and adventure activities.  With the right credentials and expertise there are plenty of jobs available. Even with the economy downturn this sector saw a 5% growth. Americans spend more than $500 billion on trips and travel related costs every year.

 

Activity centers  and adventure holidays could offer variety of sports like cycling, mountaineering, water sports, safaris, skiing, wide water rafting , high altitude trekking, cross country motorcycling and countless other activities. The focus of these activities could be educational (school groups) team building and personal development (corporate) or pure leisure (adults and children) Clients would include people with little or no expertise in the particular activity and it is your responsibility to ensure their safe being.

 

To work in these jobs would require technical skills specific to that activity. Managing such centers requires training in specialized areas and managerial skills. Managers will be responsible for recruiting, overseeing housekeeping, financial management, training, ensuring facilities and equipment is safe, observing and supervising staff. You will need to constantly upgrade your own skills in tandem with current trends and technology, organize programs for groups and even lecture on related topics (history of the area, geography…) Bear in mind these activities are outdoor with safety being a very important issue. As a person you need to have leadership skills, be calm under severe and extreme conditions and have the ability to motivate people. Remember the best planned event can go awry because of the vagaries of nature.

 

Degrees in business management, outdoor education, leadership or physical education would be helpful.  There are also postgraduate degrees in outdoor education and recreation management with additional qualifications in counseling and mentoring, business management, finance or marketing. These qualifications will help you setup your own business in varied fields from winemaking to consultancies. The very nature of these activities mean that working hours would be irregular and long and work place could be in remote areas. But yes, you will not be copped in an office. It is necessary to acknowledge that having a passion for adventure or outdoor activity is not synonymous with possessing the required skill sets in this very demanding job. Try working part time during holidays and weekends to find out if you have what it takes to be an instructor.

 

Other careers which require you not to be in office all day are but also need not need require you to be an instructor  would  include – landscape design, marine biology, geology, archaeology, farming, jobs in energy and jobs related to the environment. The choice is vast.