A Curse or a Blessing?

[windthrown]

An existential thread?

I spent 20 years behind a desk as an engineer and I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I was overweight, even though I hit the gym 4 days a week. Work sucked, commuting sucked, endless meetings sucked, but it payed really really well. The high cost of living in the SF Bay Area was completely insane though. As was life in general there. Then I left the Silicon Valley after a big layoff and severance payout, I sold my house and moved back to Oregon. Since living here I have lived on several large lots of land. I have gone back to falling and chipping, as well and splitting and burning wood for heat and it is a more stress-free life. I also have had several plant and tree nurseries. I am in far better shape now than I ever was behind a desk. I do not make anything near what I did before, but I do not need to. My land, house and truck are paid for in full. I have no debt. I love being outside, even in the rain and snow and mud.

I have no regrets leaving the Silly Valley. That was a high stress death spiral. Always had to make more to pay higher taxes, buy more crap and go into even more debt.

 

[chucker]

An existential thread?

I spent 20 years behind a desk as an engineer and I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I was overweight, even though I hit the gym 4 days a week. Work sucked, commuting sucked, endless meetings sucked, but it payed really really well. The high cost of living in the SF Bay Area was completely insane though. As was life in general there. Then I left the Silicon Valley after a big layoff and severance payout, I sold my house and moved back to Oregon. Since living here I have lived on several large lots of land. I have gone back to falling and chipping, as well and splitting and burning wood for heat and it is a more stress-free life. I also have had several plant and tree nurseries. I am in far better shape now than I ever was behind a desk. I do not make anything near what I did before, but I do not need to. My land, house and truck are paid for in full. I have no debt. I love being outside, even in the rain and snow and mud.

I have no regrets leaving the Silly Valley. That was a high stress death spiral. Always had to make more to pay higher taxes, buy more crap and go into even more debt.

! "BEWARE OF THE JONE'S" !..... right on.

 

[Gypo Logger]

It took me 62 years to figure out all I really needed was a tar paper shack in the woods, with a truck, log skidder, a few saws and a dog or too. And of course my homemade hooch. Lol

 

[windthrown]

I live in a dubba wyde out in the boonies here myself. But I have electricity, a paved road my my gravel driveway, and a high speed DSL phone line too. I also have a washer/dryer, a hot tub, a big screen HD TV, a wood stove, and two shops. No dog, but a cat the size of a dog (26 pound tom). I found this place when I was 50. It was a bank foreclosure and I got it for less than the price of the land. It was a crack house and abandoned for 2 years, and it took me 6 months to clean it up before I could move in (re-wired, got the well working, replaced the back door that had a fire axe put through it, and I had to detach the illegal garage that they had added here). I could have bulldozed it and slapped a pre-fab house on it for $100 grand, but I opted to fix what was here for 1/5th of that. My ex brought my cat up here 3 months before I moved in to deal with all the mice and voles in this place. She liked this place even when I was remodeling it, but she ain't living here. I just want sex. She wants a relationship.

 

[triathlete123]

I've worked in education for 25 years but have always kept a hand in the woods with the exceptions of a few years of down time. If I had to do it all over again? I'd work for myself in the bush full-time, where I would have no "superiors/assholes" over me or even around me, even though the money would be a lot less. I've realized that I have to be in charge of myself (not necessarily of others either) and not let others dictate. Some people are meant to be followers, others need independence. Working in education was the most stressful job and it wasn't the kids, but it paid well and that is what kept me there. Nevertheless, I would trade the good money for peace and independence of working on my own.

 

[bitzer]

I've worked in education for 25 years but have always kept a hand in the woods with the exceptions of a few years of down time. If I had to do it all over again? I'd work for myself in the bush full-time, where I would have no "superiors/assholes" over me or even around me, even though the money would be a lot less. I've realized that I have to be in charge of myself (not necessarily of others either) and not let others dictate. Some people are meant to be followers, others need independence. Working in education was the most stressful job and it wasn't the kids, but it paid well and that is what kept me there. Nevertheless, I would trade the good money for peace and independence of working on my own.

Unless you were a college professor i made more last year than any teacher i know.

 

[KiwiBro]

Unless you were a college professor i made more last year than any teacher i know.

Can you match their pension/retirement payouts? In fact, I don't think many of the state funds are fully funded either. Many are just another unsustainable ponzi scheme looking for a cliff to leap off.

 

[KiwiBro]

I've worked in education for 25 years but have always kept a hand in the woods with the exceptions of a few years of down time. If I had to do it all over again? I'd work for myself in the bush full-time, where I would have no "superiors/assholes" over me or even around me, even though the money would be a lot less. I've realized that I have to be in charge of myself (not necessarily of others either) and not let others dictate. Some people are meant to be followers, others need independence. Working in education was the most stressful job and it wasn't the kids, but it paid well and that is what kept me there. Nevertheless, I would trade the good money for peace and independence of working on my own.

A darn 'conflicted' way to travel through life that many of us suffer. I'm trying to transition to the woods from IT. Almost there, but the wood work isn't paying its way yet. Very tricky juggling things.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Having no boss is nice in a way, but the stress from being your own boss isn't something everyone can do. There isn't really a "9 to 5" if you want your business to do well. I generally work around 80+ hrs a week.

 

[triathlete123]

A darn 'conflicted' way to travel through life that many of us suffer. I'm trying to transition to the woods from IT. Almost there, but the wood work isn't paying its way yet. Very tricky juggling things.

From a philosophical view, I think we need change in our life, for we know that life is about change and I think change is healthy, particularly in what we do for a living. I know that I would go mad if I had to do the same thing all my life, if I'm not there already. But I like to control that change, rather than have others control it. I am far too independent to have others control my life, whether it's a "boss", company, or wife. I know when it is time to move on from things.

 

[triathlete123]

Unless you were a college professor i made more last year than any teacher i know.

Then you must have made over $100,000 every single year for the last 25 years, in today's dollars.

 

[northmanlogging]

Teachers and their wages... do they know its public record? And every time they strike which is every time there is a contract reveiw, the papers publish how much they make and presto the strike is over...

 

[triathlete123]

Teachers and their wages... do they know its public record? And every time they strike which is every time there is a contract reveiw, the papers publish how much they make and presto the strike is over...

What people make, what they ought to make, and how you and I feel about it is another matter. The OP asked for our thoughts about working in the forestry industry and if we had any regrets. Windthrown turned the question around and I replied.

 

[northmanlogging]

Its the whining they make about being so poorly paid... so they strike to make more money, better benefits etc, then you find out they are sometimes getting 6 figures, full health care, pension etc... yet they tell everyone they make less then 40k a year?

Whether they deserve what they make isn't up to me nor do i care, its the flat out lying to everyone about being so under paid that gets me.

 

[windthrown]

Can you match their pension/retirement payouts? In fact, I don't think many of the state funds are fully funded either. Many are just another unsustainable ponzi scheme looking for a cliff to leap off.

Most states are under funded and they issue bonds to pay it out. At the federal level Social Security funds have been raided and remain unfunded. But then the fed just cranks out more fiat currency and we run a massive debt to pay it out, bankrupting the future. As long as interest rates stay low, the scheme will work. But...

 

[northmanlogging]

By the way, thanks to all you boomers, I'll never get to retire.

 

[KiwiBro]

Most states are under funded and they issue bonds to pay it out. At the federal level Social Security funds have been raided and remain unfunded. But then the fed just cranks out more fiat currency and we run a massive debt to pay it out, bankrupting the future. As long as interest rates stay low, the scheme will work. But...

Last I read it was an epic clusterphuck of $65 trillion in unfunded liabilities all up, with the largest 25 public pensions underfunded by about $2 trillion. Just how any generation can steal so much from future generations and still not be swinging from the nearest tall branches, bleeding out from pitchfork marks and bullet wounds, beats me.

 

[bitzer]

Then you must have made over $100,000 every single year for the last 25 years, in today's dollars.

My point was maybe you wouldn't be making a lot less like you're thinking. 25 years ago i was in third grade. Not sure why thats relevant to what i said about last year. I cut 1.2 million board feet last year at an average of $115 per thousand board feet. After expenses i will be sitting right around that 100k. Nearly everything i own is paid for (other than the house). No i don't have a retirement fund set up yet (i don't really plan on retiring. What else would i do?), and health insurance can be a problem, but i live on my own terms. I refuse to be a fool dancing on a string. And when its my son's turn he'll be the one to hold the string.

 

[triathlete123]

My point was maybe you wouldn't be making a lot less like you're thinking. 25 years ago i was in third grade. Not sure why thats relevant to what i said about last year. I cut 1.2 million board feet last year at an average of $115 per thousand board feet. After expenses i will be sitting right around that 100k. Nearly everything i own is paid for (other than the house). No i don't have a retirement fund set up yet (i don't really plan on retiring. What else would i do?), and health insurance can be a problem, but i live on my own terms. I refuse to be a fool dancing on a string. And when its my son's turn he'll be the one to hold the string.

I used a long term perspective (the last 25 years), for the wages in the industry can vary widely year from year and I assumed you were much older. I don't think I know of a person who works in the bush grossing a $100k/year, even in a good year. I would guess that most would be lucky to make about half of that in the long term here in Ontario. But as you point out, you are your own boss, which some people can't put a price on. I've often felt, however, that loggers are under-paid, over-worked, and highly skilled professionals.

 

[treeslayer2003]

bitz, 100,000? you gotta have more deductions brother lol.