Our budget requires Jett and I to earn about $2,200 per month, on average, to keep us living in the style to which we are not yet accustomed. This sum, though a small fraction of what we earn now, is daunting in that the source is unknown. And will continue to be unknown. While finding work will not be a daily activity, it will be an ongoing one. Even if we stay in one place for several months we will have to start the job search anew when we pull up stakes and move on.<\/p>\n
But that is part of the adventure.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, both Jett and I have acquired a number of skills that we can market.\u00a0 Jett, though not a CPA, is very experienced in accounting in general and accounts receivable in particular.\u00a0 In previous working incarnations she worked in retail and is experienced both in clerking and managing operations.\u00a0 My degree is in Civil Engineering, but I never practiced in that area; my expertise is in software.\u00a0 I could take short-term programming contracts or train people in a variety of different technologies.\u00a0 I could even help other RVers with IT problems.\u00a0 When I was much younger I helped my Dad run his Mom-and-Pop grocery store.\u00a0 I am also very handy with tools and love doing maintenance work.\u00a0 And both Jett and I are very experienced as landlords, both in terms of dealing with emergency maintenance issues and tenant turmoil.\u00a0 I have to believe that many of those skills could be useful in an RV park.<\/p>\n
Which brings me to workcamping.<\/p>\n
“Workcamping” is working while camping.\u00a0 In the context of an RV fulltimer, it means finding work while you are on the road, which is what I am talking about here.\u00a0 There are several web sites that exist solely to match campers with jobs.\u00a0 One of the best is www.workkamper.com<\/a>. The job listings are by subscription, but the annual cost is nominal ($42). A free one which I just discovered is www.work-for-rvers-and-campers.com<\/a>. Both sites, in addition to providing job listings, also provide forums and articles of interest to workcampers. The typical workcamper job is one that employs a couple (or “team” as some call it – reminds me of two horses hooked to a buggy) in some combination of office work\/campground maintenance\/cleaning tasks for 15 to 20 hours per week each in return for a full hook-up and possibly some cash. Sometimes large corporations seek out workcampers for seasonal labor. Two of the biggest, most ardent workcamper employers are Amazon and Disney. There are also a lot of other Christmas season jobs available, including a lot of Christmas tree sales jobs, for those who are drawn to pine pitch.<\/p>\n The problem that I have with many of these positions is the timing.\u00a0 They are either too short (Christmas) or too long (some campsite jobs look for a 6-month commitment).\u00a0 But the campsite work appeals to us.\u00a0 The office work – taking reservations and greeting guests – would be perfect for Jett and I love the maintenance stuff.\u00a0 I think we will try to get one of these next winter, if possible.<\/p>\n There are many other possibilities.\u00a0 Jett is going to take a dog grooming\/training course.\u00a0 Dogsitting\/walking jobs are available and, of course, part-time bookkeeping.\u00a0 I could tutor or become a certified umpire.\u00a0 Buy and sell on eBay.\u00a0 My preference, though, is to find short-term handyman work.\u00a0 Don’t tell the authorities, but I *love* to do electrical work.<\/p>\n Or I could be a clown.<\/p>\n No – too Gacy-ish.<\/p>\n One other possibility: blog consulting.\u00a0 One of the reasons that I started this blog so far in advance of the start of our wandering was to build up expertise in blogging in general and the use of WordPress in particular.\u00a0 In browsing Craigslist, it appears that there is some demand for WordPress expertise everywhere.<\/p>\n So I really do need to figure out how to customize my theme.\u00a0 It’s not just aesthetics; it’s economics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our budget requires Jett and I to earn about $2,200 per month, on average, to keep us living in the style to which we are not yet accustomed. This sum, though a small fraction of what we earn now, is daunting in that the source is unknown. And will continue to be unknown. While finding … Continue reading