Want to chat?

During December, we added a new and improved Chat feature to our social network, My CoolWorks. This means that at any given time when you and your seasonal friends are logged into the network, you can have a real time conversation. We're pretty excited about the possibilities including the ability to host chats on specific topics. So far, we have hosted two of them - one on Yellowstone National Park and one on Alaska. In 2009, we will host many more on other national parks and topics you have expressed interest in learning more about.


And speaking of about, we are pleased to announce today that CoolWorks.com has been recognized as a top job site by About.com. You can review the whole list of job sites here. We're also glad that our friends at MyFirstPaycheck.com were recognized as another top niche job site.


Happy Holidays to everyone and Thank You for using Cool Works and sharing your knowledge and stories with us! We're so glad you're here!

The Tribe Has Spoken

About a year ago Cool Works made a move away from the Forums on CoolWorks.com to a social network on a platform created by Ning. We called our network My CoolWorks and had humble hopes for it to become a fertile ground for like minded individuals to share stories, wisdom, photos, and advice about where to work, what to do and the like. Now, one year later, we could not be happier about the response and the participation.

Like anything though, it is one thing to be happy with what one has created, but when people unprovoked say nice things about it too, well, that is the highest form of flattery.

Brian, one of our My CoolWorks members, did just that. You can read his blog post here. He titled the blog post "Why I LOVE MyCoolWorks...." We love the sentiment and are proud that we have created something useful for people living the seasonal life.

So, if you have yet to check it out, what are you waiting for?

My CoolWorks is waiting for you. : )

What If...?

It's that time of the year when many decisions are made and "what ifs" are front and center. I am starting to see a lot of action on our social network, My CoolWorks, regarding questions from job seekers about whether or not they are making the right choice for the summer of 2008. Have I chosen the right summer job? Will I hate it? Will I love it? Which location is better? Is anyone else going there too? AM I MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE? I've been around the block long enough to know that no one wants to make a bad choice, but sometimes, well really all the time, you've still got to make a decision based on the information that's in front of you right here and now. No one has a crystal ball to be able to tell you that everything will be okay. It's a leap of faith that we all make every day of our lives.

A few times recently and several times over my lifetime, I have been presented with the "What if" scenario and I must admit it really sucks to go through the thought process of "What could've been" and the realization that "I guess it wasn't meant to be." Usually these thoughts are full of regret, anger, sadness, the lure of "the road not taken," and other doubting thoughts. But, if one has faith, and I do, the upside is perhaps that maybe that person, opportunity, job, you name it, wasn't the right "road" to go down, and the many decisions that I made along the way and other events which sent me on a different path were done for a very good reason.

A couple of quotes come to mind.


"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." - Kierkegaard

"Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are,
Ha ha ha bless your soul
You really think you're in control?" - From "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley


Why am I writing this to you right now? Well, 1) the experience of the "what if" is fresh in my mind and it is cathartic to write about it and know that I am not alone in these thoughts. 2) Whatever decision you make about your summer job for 2008, it's not the end of the world. This job will last 3-6 months and then you can move on from it if you wish or you may find that it is the best decision that you ever made. Just make it and move on with your life.


Parting quote:
"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." - James B. Conant


Good luck with your decisions folks!

Summer in Seattle?

Last time when I wrote about summer in Seattle, it was just after the 4th and life (i.e. summer) had just begun. It seems now that we're in a bit of a funk where it looks and acts like early spring or late fall. We've had lots of rain and few blue skies. And if we have them at all, it is fleeting and wait ten minutes before it changes back to clouds.

Cool Works' headquarters in Gardiner, Montana, on the other hand, is having the opposite weather right now. If you believe in rain dancing, do it for Yellowstone. If so inclined there will be a meeting tonight in Gardiner regarding the Owl Fire. Get details here.

Personally, I'm having a mellow summer by not really taking any trips and staying at home trying to get organized. So, when I ask the members of our social network, My CoolWorks, to share their stories and photos, I mean it. I love to know that there are people out there doing their thing and seeing the world. Let me live vicariously through you. Share, share, share. In fact, a woman who recently joined our social network just won a camera by being the 100th person to add a photo to their profile. Come and see what it's all about.

So, for those of you still looking for some working fun or fun working, check out our list of Stretch Your Summer opportunities. Many employers' seasons run into late fall so you have not missed the summer job boat yet.

Lastly, I've had an incredible time posting jobs recently. It seems that this is the summer for adventures beyond my wildest dreams. First, I posted a series of jobs for the Nature Conservancy on the Palmyra Atoll, 1000 miles south of Hawaii and then last week, I posted a job for an opportunity like no other to see the world as a personal and research assistant for an Author preparing for his book called Mankind's Destiny.

There are lots of cool opportunities out there this summer. To learn more about these summer jobs, take a peak at CoolWorks.com.