Are you suggesting that your movie star good looks and that manly physique are from winning the genetic lottery Bruv?
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Career Dilemma
- Thread starter galen.lichterfeld
- Start date
JeffGu
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Osceola, Nebraska
Ok, you make a valid point on the incompatibility of MAGA hats and the proper use of punctuation. However, "Don't fall asleep!" is perfectly good advice. With my superior infrared vision, I can see you skulking about in the dark corners of the room, slithering about in the shadows of the night, stuffing a sausage in your pants, and spreading conspiracy theories about Artificial Stupidity experiments and the Art of Random Bullshit. Still, I forgive you, @colb.
That's actually good advice. In fact, I'd say the OP would be better off doing 50 things he enjoys, during his lifetime, to earn a living than to spend his entire life doing one thing that doesn't give him any joy. 49 failures to find the one perfect job beats the hell out of a lifetime stuck with one huge mistake.
Or, quite possibly, he just needs to slow down and not try to be a production climber right off the bat. Ease into things slowly and work around the physical limitations. Tree work doesn't have to be a fulltime job. If anybody saw my Xrays, they would think it was someone who died in a plane crash. But, I still manage to get into trees several times a year, and get them on the ground and hauled away.
Unfortunetly, it is true that there are unconcerned, under-qualified and greedy dicks in every line of work. And some very good physical therapists, as well. Don't take my warped sense of humor too seriously. I enjoy pointing out the dark side of a Happy Meal and blaming Santa Claus for global warming.
Chaplain242
Branched out member
Finding a 'good' PT is not as difficult as it sounds. Finding a PT that actually does the work in a session and realises that the targeted physical work during a PT session determines the positive outcome of the patient is another thing entirely... if your hands hurt in tree biz I am pretty sure you can talk shop with hundreds of PT many which are looking for a check without the pain and effort. Last time I needed one in my local town after looking extensively I ended up travelling 3k miles to see one that I knew would get the outcome I needed.... choose wisely...
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Yea anytime I've tried anything else I become bored out of my mind... I mostly plow snow in the winter which is alright but I'm so wound up in the winter (from lack of climbing I think), that I'm a mad man out there when the snow hits but I do like running machines.
RBJtree
Branched out member
- Location
- Pittsburgh
If you love tree work, you can find a way to do it. Pain is part of the business as a climber. Self physical therapy is the only way I stay in it. Knowledge of anatomy and body mechanics is a must unless you are much more physically gifted than I am. If you don't LOVE tree work than get out before you are in a position where you will have a very hard time doing so.
Not really. Had a hard early start, my old lady gave me up for adoption at birth. Stayed in an catholic ophanage til 3..... I am a grumpy fucker with a fairly cold disposition. I speak truth as I see it. Young people today just seem weak as fuck and collapse quickly when tested.....backboneless....but genetics does play a heavy role doing physical jobs.
School of hard knocks bro. Thats why like you so much.. That shit molds you and can make you stronger and tougher than the average person. I myself don't hang out with nice, normal, well- adjusted mutherfuckers who had happy childhoods. What would be the fun in that?
- Location
- Alabama
Exactly
RyanCafferky
Been here a while
- Location
- Hood River, Oregon
As many others have said, I think you should follow your heart. But that doesn’t mean to do what is easy (ie dropping out of PT school).
You mention how expensive school is. What are the profit margins of being a PT and that investment? What are the margins of running a tree business in your area? Earlier this year I was having a major career dilemma. I would just sit and spin out on what I should do. Should I start my own company? Should I keep contract climbing? Should I get a job in California again? I put everything in a spreadsheet listing the pros and cons of all of my options and it all came down to contract climbing being the best use of my time and the best return on investment. In the column about physical impact though contract climbing was on the high end of the spectrum. Make yourself a spreadsheet listing out your options and the pros and cons with each of them. The fulfillment column might just be the most important one.
A lot of people post the macho bs about how aches and pains are just a part of this industry and make the assumption that how you have to “make it” is by being a tree service owner or a cog in the wheel and beat your head and the rest of your body against the wall selling and/or performing work until by some miracle you feel you have enough money to retire or until Davey, Bartlett, or some other corporate giant buys your amazing company. Our industry and your place in it can be so incredibly diverse and potentially very lucrative. It doesn’t have to just be “I’m going to run a business or climb and beat the crap out of my body every day.”
Personally, if you have the passion to be a PT, have the smarts to get into PT school, and the financial burden isn’t too much to bear, I would go for it. All of us have your back and will welcome you into the trees if you decide it isn’t for you. I have worked with guys who have former careers as lawyers, mechanical engineers, CPA’s, and many other fields. All of them bring a diverse perspective and unique skillsets to the table. None of them ever made it seem like they regretted their schooling. Expanding your mind is expanding your options which is something you will never regret.
You mention how expensive school is. What are the profit margins of being a PT and that investment? What are the margins of running a tree business in your area? Earlier this year I was having a major career dilemma. I would just sit and spin out on what I should do. Should I start my own company? Should I keep contract climbing? Should I get a job in California again? I put everything in a spreadsheet listing the pros and cons of all of my options and it all came down to contract climbing being the best use of my time and the best return on investment. In the column about physical impact though contract climbing was on the high end of the spectrum. Make yourself a spreadsheet listing out your options and the pros and cons with each of them. The fulfillment column might just be the most important one.
A lot of people post the macho bs about how aches and pains are just a part of this industry and make the assumption that how you have to “make it” is by being a tree service owner or a cog in the wheel and beat your head and the rest of your body against the wall selling and/or performing work until by some miracle you feel you have enough money to retire or until Davey, Bartlett, or some other corporate giant buys your amazing company. Our industry and your place in it can be so incredibly diverse and potentially very lucrative. It doesn’t have to just be “I’m going to run a business or climb and beat the crap out of my body every day.”
Personally, if you have the passion to be a PT, have the smarts to get into PT school, and the financial burden isn’t too much to bear, I would go for it. All of us have your back and will welcome you into the trees if you decide it isn’t for you. I have worked with guys who have former careers as lawyers, mechanical engineers, CPA’s, and many other fields. All of them bring a diverse perspective and unique skillsets to the table. None of them ever made it seem like they regretted their schooling. Expanding your mind is expanding your options which is something you will never regret.
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Burrapeg
Been here a while
- Location
- Puget Sound
My brother took PT training; it was three days a week. Still kept his other work part-time on the other days and sometimes did a Saturday job if the weather was OK. Also, if you decide on the PT path, there is always rec climbing on a nice weekend to still get into the trees. If you have another income, rec'cing is a bit easier on the mind and body (no heavy saw, no gaffing out, no difficult home owners or groundies, no business paperwork or tax issues).
JeffGu
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Osceola, Nebraska
Wait.... you're supposed to pay taxes?
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
If you're looking to open your own biz, you need to stay there until you retire, in a good market, not necessarily where you live.
Preferably an area with people who have a lot of initials after their names. MD, DDS, DVM, DPT. ESQ., well, maybe not the last one.
Just worked for a retired surgeon, my old vet, a retired army general doctor big wig. These are the types who have dollars and prefer safety and precision, and can understand better between a hair-cut and a reduction pruning.
I like customers who I can't afford to be their neighbors. So many people start up businesses in their home market, because they already live there, and have contacts.
Preferably an area with people who have a lot of initials after their names. MD, DDS, DVM, DPT. ESQ., well, maybe not the last one.
Just worked for a retired surgeon, my old vet, a retired army general doctor big wig. These are the types who have dollars and prefer safety and precision, and can understand better between a hair-cut and a reduction pruning.
I like customers who I can't afford to be their neighbors. So many people start up businesses in their home market, because they already live there, and have contacts.
Reach
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Atglen, PA
Only if you make some money. If you just work for free, they let you get away without paying quite so often. If you lose money, as long as you lose enough, they’ll pay you instead!
Pain management can really help. If you're a decent climber you can contract while in school to be a PT.
I am only 5 years into my career and am feeling pain after long days, but I dont sweat it much because I'm not in chronic pain. I notice when I have long periods of time without decent sleep I have more pain. It's amazing what a good sleep schedule does for your body as a whole.
Dont worry about the older climbers saying stuff about early pain in your career. My first boss thought it was weird I was sore after rough days when I was 19. He told me I'd never be a good climber, and that the industry would chew me up and spit me out. He was 42 and a great climber, who has/had a full career. I met his original boss, and he said that guy wasnt bulletproof either. Sometimes those old bastards only remember the hard work and not how they felt after it. Especially those super badass climbers.
Oops did I call them old bastards? [emoji12][emoji1787]
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I am only 5 years into my career and am feeling pain after long days, but I dont sweat it much because I'm not in chronic pain. I notice when I have long periods of time without decent sleep I have more pain. It's amazing what a good sleep schedule does for your body as a whole.
Dont worry about the older climbers saying stuff about early pain in your career. My first boss thought it was weird I was sore after rough days when I was 19. He told me I'd never be a good climber, and that the industry would chew me up and spit me out. He was 42 and a great climber, who has/had a full career. I met his original boss, and he said that guy wasnt bulletproof either. Sometimes those old bastards only remember the hard work and not how they felt after it. Especially those super badass climbers.
Oops did I call them old bastards? [emoji12][emoji1787]
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JeffGu
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Osceola, Nebraska
That works...
As a certified old bastard, I have heard more complaints about disabling, horrible pain forcing guys to go home early than most doctors have. My favorite was a guy almost 20 years younger than I am tell me he didn't show up to work because he hadn't shit in almost an entire day.
Luckily, I'm a sentimental, caring kind of guy, so before firing him I asked him if anybody was asking him to shit out of a tree. At the time, I was just running a crew for a friend until he could hire some new people, and he hired the guy back a few days later, but put him on another crew. Within a week he was doing his no-show act, again. This time, because his mother was dying. The boss realized that he had given him time off the previous year to attend his mother's funeral, and fired him on the spot.
I suspect that attitude has a lot more to do with whether you can climb a tree than any physical limitations (other than the obvious ones, like being in a wheelchair or not having arms).
The work ethic people my age have is disturbing. But they also all want to just make youtube channels or resell on amazon. The pay for a quality arborist isnt much. And not because we arent worth it, but because theres always those companies that will work for half the cost the job should be. Limiting what companies can afford to pay the climbers.That works...
As a certified old bastard, I have heard more complaints about disabling, horrible pain forcing guys to go home early than most doctors have. My favorite was a guy almost 20 years younger than I am tell me he didn't show up to work because he hadn't shit in almost an entire day.
Luckily, I'm a sentimental, caring kind of guy, so before firing him I asked him if anybody was asking him to shit out of a tree. At the time, I was just running a crew for a friend until he could hire some new people, and he hired the guy back a few days later, but put him on another crew. Within a week he was doing his no-show act, again. This time, because his mother was dying. The boss realized that he had given him time off the previous year to attend his mother's funeral, and fired him on the spot.
I suspect that attitude has a lot more to do with whether you can climb a tree than any physical limitations (other than the obvious ones, like being in a wheelchair or not having arms).
In 10 years you will see a change in how arboriculture is done, and how the arborists are seen by the public. I have clients hire me just because I look and act professional, even if I am twice the cost of other companies. But for the average company in smaller markets that's impossible.
With respect to all of you old bastards, you made it through a huge transitional time of tree care. With SRT, manlifts, backyard access, and cranes being streamlined I'd hope us climbers now can make it to 60 on average.....so then some young punk could call me an old bastard.
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Burrapeg
Been here a while
- Location
- Puget Sound
I wish I was still 60! I am probably one of the oldest of us bastards on TreeBuzz (at 66). No way I could climb very much now if I had to hump my way up Olde School on a sodding Blakes or foot locking. But with my SAKA and foot ascender, and a modern comfy saddle, and other current bling, I can keep climbing for the foreseeable future. Of course, I just rec climb, so that makes a difference too. Not sure how long I would last handling a big saw at height.
JeffGu
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Osceola, Nebraska
Ain't that the truth. But, a slow and steady pace still gets the job done. And really, it's amazing how few times things go wrong when you're not trying to meet a tight schedule or impress the kiddies.
You got that right. Quote right work right.
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