the paths presneted to us in life

[mtbakerskier]

God damn its amazing the oportunites one is presented in life. Entering my 7th and final year pursuing a 4 year degree in plastics engineering, I am faced with one of the most complex delimas that I have ever faced. After I finish up with my degree this spring, do I imediatly dive into full time work in the field of plastics engineering, or do I take on the gargatuane challnege of opening my own camera shop. Both options have positivies and negatives. Working for someone else, meens no financial risk, making decent money, and paying off my school debt etc.etc. Opening my own shop meens taking on even more debt, and is a hudge gamble on being either extremly successfull or becoming extremly poor. Working for my self, if sucessfull meens getting to set my own hours, and ski and travel when I fell the time is right, but it means a life long job that can be extremly rewarding, but at the same time can be extremly stressful, and a constant gable on whether or not it will be successful. I have debated this situation back and forth in my mind a million times over the last severall years, and as it gets closer and closser to the last few months before I must make the ultimate decision that directs me down the path that will determin my way of life and a sucess or failure, the Y in this path of life is becomming even more confusing.

Damn what a long rant but shit, its finally starting to soak in that I gota make a big as decission in a very short time. Fuck time for a beer and some whiskey shots

[phUnk]

That's quite a delima!

[Arty50]

b ur 0wn boz, but wt t fck do I kno. Let the whsky ansr ur prob....

[G]

Take the chance.

[truth]

Consult the Dali Dilema.

[Spamhelmet]

Work in plastics for a year, pay your debts, start a freelancer photographer career.
MBS, you truly have the talent to become
THE rockstar of skiingphotography.

And having to work around the world for different clients aint
that bad either.

Go photography.

http://geology.cwru.edu/~ansmet/fina...otographer.jpg

[mtbakerskier]

Originally posted by Spamhelmet
Work in plastics for a year, pay your debts, start a freelancer photographer career.
MBS, you truly have the talent to become
THE rockstar of skiingphotography.

And having to work around the world for different clients aint
that bad either.

Go photography.

http://geology.cwru.edu/~ansmet/fina...otographer.jpg

Bwahawhahaaa. The litle that I have dabled in ski photography hast taught me that no mater how much i love it, and how much effort I put into it, its near impossible to make a living soley off of it unless your markewitz. there fore I need a cash cow job that pays well egnough for me to pursue ski photograhy and keep shooting it for the love of the sport and the challenges it produces.

[thommy21]

I'd take a job in Plastics that allows you some travel. This way you get to go to spots that will allow you to ski/shoot yet pay off your debt at the same time. You can always do the freelance thing on the side and if it works out then you can cut out and go on your own.

PM me because our Technical Service Engineer for So.Cal just quit. We would be looking for someone to cover the west coast...... if that is where you want to stay. You could locate yourself pretty much anywhere up or down the coast. the only thing they look for is being near a major airport.

[Spamhelmet]

Originally posted by mtbakerskier
...its near impossible to make a living soley off of it unless your markewitz...

So true...
BUT there are the markwitzs,hadics,lang-wyllars,fredrikssons and others.There´ll be room for one Gunderson.

And yes.Living by skiphotography alone is...next to impossible.
But getting to shoot advertisements to companies is where the money is.

Just go for it, dude.
At least you wont be stuck in the cubicle..

[midget]

ummm.....yaaaaa..........did you read the memo?

Fuck the memo. Start a shop. You'll kill it. You already are killing it for someone else. Find a little camera geek that's in high school to help you out in the shop.

The last thing I want to hear is that you aren't shooting.......at least as much as you have been the past few years. Yer too damn good to not try and get to where Markewitz is. At least give it a few more years.

[PeachesN'Cream]

follow your dreams grant.

you have huge skills man, it'd be sad to see you hang it up and go for the safe route so early. follow your passion and you can't go wrong.

quoting my old ski coach, "it's better to be a has been, than a never was."

[AH]

Like others stated, follow your dream/heart.

When opening up a shop, also think about using something webbased, which weakens the initial investment (no overhead) and gives you a bit more slack and less risk when doing those 1st time things..

Heck you could even combine the two and when you start making enough money on your own business, quit your job.

But always, always remember why the heck you're doing the things you're doing..

[Bum Z]

Unless you can find an engineering job with flexible hours and plenty of travel time, forget about it. Of course, I have no idea how much debt you have. You will be unhappy if you don't get to ski enough, no matter how much money you are making. As someone with an engineering degree that hasn't used it a bit, I feel obligated to provide some insight. Many will question why you aren't an engineer. You'll happily tell them that you need to ski a lot, and engineers don't ski a lot.

[White Chocolate]

you are majoring in plastics engineering? wow, i was unaware and i have known you since you were a wee freshmen partying with us in the baby blues every friday night

Dude, you are not going to do shit with your major. You have never talked about doing anything with it, nor have i ever heard you talk about it in ways that would lead us to believe you enjoy it.

You want to ski and take photos, so get out there and do it and see what happens. If it doesn't pan out, well goddamn it you have a degree in a field where you may make some money to fall back on. I only see one path for you gunder, and it envolves a lot of white powder and blue skies (and i am not talking about coke!)

[rtp]

I have a degree in Engineering and use it. As long as I can fit the 60 hrs per week that I work between Monday and Friday I have plenty of time to ski on the weekends, but damn it sucks sometimes. It Saturday morning and I am working (from home, but work none the less).

My advice, go ski, take pictures, and if it does not work out in a couple years you've still got the degree to fall back on.

[Schmear]

A good friend of mine is an electrical engineer and a successful freelance sports photographer. He's done this for a number of years and is now finally ready to start taking photos full time. One job pays the bills, the other satisfies the creative side.

I have no doubt that you can open a successful camera shop, but keep in mind that there is a ton of competition out there at the malls and online from volume retailers who will slash prices to win over customers. A lot of people visit camera shops for product information and to play with the cameras, and then go and buy the camera online where it's $75 cheaper.

It's a tough market from what little I know.

[summit]

camera shop
hook me up with gear at cost!

[EPSkis]

Originally posted by Schmear
A good friend of mine is an electrical engineer and a successful freelance sports photographer. He's done this for a number of years and is now finally ready to start taking photos full time. One job pays the bills, the other satisfies the creative side.

I have no doubt that you can open a successful camera shop, but keep in mind that there is a ton of competition out there at the malls and online from volume retailers who will slash prices to win over customers. A lot of people visit camera shops for product information and to play with the cameras, and then go and buy the camera online where it's $75 cheaper.

It's a tough market from what little I know.

Ding, ding, ding!

Initially, I thought: "Can't you do BOTH?"
But working full time (+) doesn't leave a ton of time for you OR your passions. Trust me. A college education & 2 kids later, it doesn't get any easier to pursue your passions, whatever they may be.

White Chocolate also brought up an interesting point: I don't think ANY of us here on the board knew that about you. (Of course, all of our lives are a lot bigger than the personas we display HERE, but...)

Your passion seems to be in your photography. And it's something anyone can see you're quite good at - likely BECAUSE of your passion for it.

As mentioned, opening a shop presents it's own challenges, and to compete with internet sales of big-ticket items like cameras & photog. equipment - your potential profit margin has to shrink considerably if you're going to be competitive. The COST of such equipment (I would think)....makes it a truly risky venture.

Looking at things through something OTHER than rose-colored glasses: What is the possibility that you could get into the field (engineering), test the waters & see how you feel about it - at the same time, continue with your photography on a limited basis & see how it works for you?

[The AD]

I would consider taking an engineering job for a few years to get on a good financial footing, then think about opening that camera store.

One thing you might be mistaken about is having MORE flexibility by owning your own business. Yes, since you're the boss technically you can set your own hours, schedule vacations when you want, etc. But remember a lot of business owners have to put in lots of hours. You may end up getting more skiing in as an engineer.

[dude_le_skibum]

drop everything and go ride.
seriously. i think a shop will be nice and all but ya think its going to work ? you think that you will have the time to actually go ride. a shop is a life.
engeneering degree is full time work. forget ridding. unless you find contractual / seasonnal work that will give you time to ride.
take time off. work more at that ski shop, ride. take time to think. shit will fall all together in the right time

[The AD]

Originally posted by dude_le_skibum
engeneering degree is full time work. forget ridding. unless you find contractual / seasonnal work that will give you time to ride.

True, you aren't going to get in 100 days per year. You aren't going to hit every powder day. But, you can get in a good amount of skiing with the right job. Look for a job that offers alternate schedules. A lot of people I work with do a 4x10 schedule, so you at least get in that one weekday of skiing per week. Of course if you have to work a ton of overtime, which can happen, you're screwed.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Why not use your engineering degree to help us (PMG) design skis? (we could pay you in beer!) And we'll give you plenty of time to shoot photos, ski, and well, drink the beer that we'll be paying you

[White Chocolate]

Originally posted by dude_le_skibum
drop everything and go ride.
seriously. i think a shop will be nice and all but ya think its going to work ? you think that you will have the time to actually go ride. a shop is a life.
engeneering degree is full time work. forget ridding. unless you find contractual / seasonnal work that will give you time to ride.
take time off. work more at that ski shop, ride. take time to think. shit will fall all together in the right time

I think that you need to go out and get a real job you lazy bum No more slumming!

[Rusty Nails]

Photo development/marketing is much bigger business than just having a camera shop (maybe that is what you are thinking). My cousin has made a few millions with his photo business. Whatever you decide will work out for you, so don't worry about it. Just pick what you want to try and give it your best shot.

[freshie247]

With the benefit of hindsight,if I were you,I'd try & do both until I got my finances better sorted out.You might have to bite the bullet so to speak for a few years,but it'll be better & easier to do it now,than when you become heavily entrenched in your ways & addictions.

As one who followed their dream & dropped out of the mainstream,I'd have to say that the duality of the situation is hard to balance.I gave my half of the company I owned in ST.Louis to my brother & became a lowly peon,peasant ,surf, minimum wage slave at Keystone/A-Basin.This was a great decision.

Becoming a full time musician & spending enough money on my CD that I could've used for a down payment on a house was a good decision spiritually ,creatively ,& for scoring with the ladies,the best decision ever.Financially it was an unmitigated disaster.

You're a young man, & therefore don't feel the weight of many years gone by while having a blast,but struggling to get by.Every year it gets harder to stay the course & I get farther away from the world most others inhabit.It's like a bag filled with water that has a hole in it that keeps getting larger;the same amount of water will no longer keep it full.I'm a hopeless ,vagabond,powder addict,I can't be tied down to anything ,cause I might miss the cycle.Don't get me wrong ,I love my lifestyle,but it doesn't sync up too well with the basics one needs in life.

I live life like I inherited millions,only without the money!On average ,about 85% of my ski days are powder days.I own 10 pairs of skis,2 bikes,several guitars,& a POS car thats a maintenance hassle.I haven't had health insurance in 11 years.I dropped out of college,& even though I'm exceptionally intelligent,I'm not accredited to get most jobs I could breeze through.The women I hook up with love who I am for about 3 months,& then the reality of my situation hits home & they freak out & split.

I'm at the point of introspection,where I'm questioning the validity of my dream while unable to detach myself from the addiction to it.

I can't seem to correlate my desire to be free & my desire to have some of the things in life that I've finally started to miss.I've paid $ 34,000 (half of the $68,000 my roommate & I paid) in rent to my Slumlord in the last 4 years alone.I'm thinking of the 14 years of ski bum rent I've paid ,it's well over $100,000 .Doubling that with roommates payments is a misunderestimate to quote our fearless leader.

I wish I had put that money into my equity rather than someone else's.
I don't advocate being an office space style corporate stooge,but rather to think about the future & examine all the possibilities.I think you can make it work!