They Call This Work? 12 Amazing Careers in the Outdoors!

If you’ve dreamed of a career in the outdoors, now’s the time to make it real.

- Sarah L. Stewart

WITH ECONOMISTS DECLARING that job openings and hires have returned to pre-recession levels, now’s the best time in about a decade to seriously consider ditching your desk job. We’ve identified a dozen different outdoor gigs to help you do just that, and gleaned insights from people who are already living the dream. Some of these jobs pay well, some are in high demand, and some are just so drool-worthy we couldn’t resist. What constitutes the perfect job? That’s up to you.

How We Chose We crunched numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to figure out which careers are the most promising, based on an average growth of 11 percent by the year 2022. Unless otherwise noted, salaries cited are 2014 median annual income as reported by the BLS; job outlooks are based on 2012 BLS figures, the most recent data available.

POWER PLAYERS

Pull forth the energy that lights our lives.

Wind Turbine Technician  - Harrison Gatos, 24 UpWind Solutions / Burlington, VT

­ This could be the quickest cure for the common desk job: Demand for wind techs is high, pay is decent, technical school can get you on the job in as little as two years, and, unlike excavating fossil fuels, it’s the future of sustainable energy. This niche industry will add about 800 new jobs in the next decade, mostly in windy states like Texas, California, and Wyoming, as well as the Midwest. The catch: Your office will be 300 feet above the ground on exposed platforms, in mechanical compartments, or even dangling in midair.