Those Who Have Left the Industry …

[fallingupwards]

@mutambo Thank you so much, you have no idea how happy this makes me and how grateful I am to you for sharing it with me! I'm going to look now, and hopefully we can move forward (and north ) without my crazy anxiety making it a miserable time.

 

[ulrichgood]

@mutambo I always dreamed of moving and working in Alaska when I was younger but I had no money saved up. Maybe I’ll make a goal out of it. Just pack my pups up and start a new job up there.

 

[mutambo]

@ulrichgood I accidentally stumbled upon this job, I kinda laughed at how wild it would be, and a week later, I had the job. It was pretty impulsive, but I've made impulsive cross-country moves a few times. Most of these jobs get posted online in winter (January and February had a ton of new job listings for Alaska). The state practically shuts down in the winter, so you won't find many jobs for winter months. They scout people in winter to make sure they have a team by spring when things open back up. If you get out there for spring/summer jobs, it opens up more opportunities for permanent positions, though. I had another friend who got an apprenticeship up there to learn to brew beer, and I even got offered a job in a greenhouse there. These businesses are desperate to get people up there, so they are generally willing to train people in something new.

 

[superdan]

@mutambo Good luck! This sounds amazing. I am in no position to do such a move, but if it was 20 yeara ago, I would had totally done it.
Have fun!

 

[ulrichgood]

@mutambo Thanks for the info! Sincerely! I hope you enjoy yourself up there

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@mutambo

The state practically shuts down in the winter

I'm sorry what? The winter here is 9 months long. In no way does anything in Alaska "shut down" in winter aside from the tourist season.

No the businesses are not "desperate to get people up there," they are keen to take advantage of people who....well, people who think Alaska is what you think it is.

You need to rethink this. You are in for a rude awakening.

 

[mutambo]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I've been thinking about it for over 4 months, and I literally start in a few days, so I'm not going to rethink it. I've talked to people I know who have gone to Alaska for jobs like this, and they're honest about their experiences. I never said it would be fun or easy, but I'd rather do this than groom dogs. If I hate it and come home, who cares? I tried something new.

The state itself doesn't shut down, but major highways aren't really usable in the winter, and hundreds of tourists based jobs disappear for the winter. That's something to take note of.

I'm not dumb enough to go work for some random dude with dogs in the woods. This is a company with a lot of employees based in town.

Finally, you don't know me or my experiences, and you're making a lot of assumptions. Alaskans seem to have a big attitude about people coming there, but you guys should be thankful for the people who come in and make your tourist season a success.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@mutambo Based "in town?"

There are zero dog mushing operations "in town" of any type.

Just the fact that you said that is a bit of a yikes. Did you visit ahead of time? have you ever been to Alaska? Seen a dog mushing yard? Anything?

major highways aren't really usable in the winter

Uh, no? That's just not true.

The "Denali Highway" closes to cars in the winter but it's not a "major highway" it's a dirt road used to access hunting. In the winter it's heavily used by snowmachiners, it's even mechanically groomed.

All the actual major roads in Alaska are open and accessible all year round.