Work for UC Berkeley grad in your ski town

Hey all, I'll be graduating with honors from UC Berkeley with a BA in Public Health/emphasis in biology/chemistry in 2 weeks. Looking to relocate somewhere close to epic skiing and work for 1-2 years before starting medical school. Would love something healthcare, biotech, or physical therapy related, but that's not critical. I read write think and talk pretty well. Any tips whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. My main interest is working with good people in an intellectually stimulating environment, in a town that's got something going as well.

From one Cal grad to another...

Most of the good jobs in those towns are tough to come by and are snatched up by people who are getting paid a lot less than they would elsewhere and are probably over-qualified. But it's a trade-off for the lifestyle / location. The degree from a great school won't make much of a difference in these places.

SLC might be an exception since it's the only "real" city that's actually close to skiing. If you want to subject your lungs to the air for a few years. Reno too, I suppose (with better air).

Physical therapy is probably your best chance close to a real ski town. Don't expect to get paid much. Don't worry about that, though - you're going to rack up a ton of debt while in med school anyway. Have fun and get your skiing time in before the huge grind begins.

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Originally Posted by TahoeJ

SLC might be an exception since it's the only "real" city that's actually close to skiing. If you want to subject your lungs to the air for a few years. Reno too, I suppose (with better air).

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Seattle...

And Seattle would work well too if you're still looking for a local culture similar to the BA.

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Originally Posted by TahoeJ

From one Cal grad to another...

Most of the good jobs in those towns are tough to come by and are snatched up by people who are getting paid a lot less than they would elsewhere and are probably over-qualified. But it's a trade-off for the lifestyle / location. The degree from a great school won't make much of a difference in these places.

SLC might be an exception since it's the only "real" city that's actually close to skiing. If you want to subject your lungs to the air for a few years. Reno too, I suppose (with better air).

Physical therapy is probably your best chance close to a real ski town. Don't expect to get paid much. Don't worry about that, though - you're going to rack up a ton of debt while in med school anyway. Have fun and get your skiing time in before the huge grind begins.

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Well said, thanks for the advice. It is definitely about the lifestyle and location right now, the debt from med school is going to wipe out anything I manage to save anyway. Would be okay with a smaller town as well, though I'm definitely considering SLC and Seattle. I'll be applying to a position at St Johns med center in Jackson if anyone has any hook ups there.

Anyone have anything for or against Denver, Co springs, Bozeman?

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Originally Posted by bennerlur

Anyone have anything for or against Denver, Co springs, Bozeman?

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Make sure to check out the Colorado I-70 bitch thread...

saw your other post on the Jackson thread and fwiw I don't think you'll need any hook ups for a job at St John's - sounds like you've got some good credentials.
There's also some smaller medical offices around JH too- any of the orthopedic offices could be an interesting places to work and seems like the people that work there are all active/ smart/ cool people to work with. shoot a pm if you decide to come to this area ...although housing is terrible here right now for renters so I imagine any place you apply to here will be asking if you have a place to live as one of their first questions

Take an OEC course and join a pro ski patrol. You get some med training and skiing too. All other med jobs will have you working not skiing.

A friend had the same plan - ski, climb, then med school. He joined Mammoth ski patrol, ended up getting a PhD in avalanche science, and now heads (or co-heads) their avy program. Other skiers I know bummed, then fulfilled their lifelong dream of lifelong debt, I mean, their dream of going to med school. Good luck and let us know what you do.

Oh yeah, move to a real mountain town - not Denver or Seattle. Those are the cities where you will want to be a resident or attend school. Now is your chance to actually live in a small ass town with no university or teaching hospital.

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Originally Posted by meter-man

Oh yeah, move to a real mountain town - not Denver or Seattle. Those are the cities where you will want to be a resident or attend school. Now is your chance to actually live in a small ass town with no university or teaching hospital.

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This....

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Originally Posted by meter-man

Take an OEC course and join a pro ski patrol. You get some med training and skiing too. All other med jobs will have you working not skiing.

A friend had the same plan - ski, climb, then med school. He joined Mammoth ski patrol, ended up getting a PhD in avalanche science, and now heads (or co-heads) their avy program. Other skiers I know bummed, then fulfilled their lifelong dream of lifelong debt, I mean, their dream of going to med school. Good luck and let us know what you do.

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Cool idea, thank you! With that OEC course completed are those jobs pretty plentiful at the great(ish) resorts? I would probably rather bum/work in an office than ski somewhere flat every day.

And agreed about living in a ski town- I grew up in Tahoe City and it was great for so many reasons. May just end up staying there, but that drought.....

Has anyone done coaching for freeride programs? I understand they don't pay well, but often don't require PSIA certification which would be great. And leading a bunch of rippers around the mountain to jump jib and slash everything in sight barely sounds like work to me.

Lots of ski schools don't require psia so I'm sure there must be some programs like those u describe. I can't see psia being any benefit for most of those.

Unless you're certified as an instructor or have prior ski coaching experience, it's probably gonna take a few years to get the freeride coach job. That's a pretty cherry gig, and there are comparatively few positions at any given mountain. It usually takes knowing the right people and being a great skier and have ski coaching experience/be certified. But you're from Tahoe city so you probably know people.

As to patrol, all mountains with significant avy terrain have large patrol staffs, and they usually hire (wild ass guess) 5-10 new patrollers a year. Think Mammoth, Jackson, Snowbird, etc. Assuming you have the skills, certs, capacity for suffering and hard work, and people skills, you should be able to find a job. Call and inquire now - after you do your research and have a plan.

Mammoth has a great orthopedic clinic.

I have a couple of contacts with copper ski patrol if you pm me.