Oregon
The six of us that make up team CoolWorks have all had our lives changed by taking a chance on the road less traveled. Since 1995, legions of adventurers have used our site to find their new path. And as a part of that journey, they often discover new courage, new passion, new love, new family, a new home – a fork in the road to a future that they never expected as the result of a seasonal job.
We’ve created these journals with the belief that storytelling cheers, emboldens and encourages us to tell and create our own stories. We built this venue in the hopes that learning about other people’s experiences might help some dreamers work up the courage to take the plunge themselves. Has a seasonal job changed your life? We would love to hear about it!
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The road of life is full of ups, downs, and all-arounds. Most people tend to stick to the highway, flying past the exits, focused on getting quickly to the destination. And then there are those living the seasonal life. We tend to take the scenic route: enjoying the sights, meeting the locals, and embarking on adventures along the way.
After work, on my weekends – sometimes during breaks – I get to splash around in glacial lakes, explore caves, roam some of the most gorgeous canyons ever carved into this hard earth and sound my barbaric yawp anywhere I please. I come back to my cabin on Jackson Lake, change out of my smelly backpacking gear and serve pizza to people from all over the world experiencing the home I’ve come to know for the first time ever.
In this season of my life I learned what it means to really discover a path you enjoy and follow it instead of doing what’s expected. To take adventures, make mistakes, and discover who you are apart from school life and before jumping into career life. Instead of jumping into doing something I didn’t really want to do, I gained the courage needed to reflect on my desires and dreams and then follow them.