Jobs That Support Riding and Showing Without Going Broke

[Texarkana]

I recently listened to a Major League Eventing interview with upper level eventer Leah Lang-Gluscic that was somewhat related to this topic. Out of college, she said she took a 6 figure job in finance. But she worked 100 hours a week and had no time for competition or a horse of her own. It wasn’t very long before she decided to make a career change back to horses. You can listen here:

Major League Eventing Podcast

If I were making this decision right now, I would factor the ability to work remotely into the equation. That would be a big bonus for someone seriously competing because you could do things like winter in Florida or travel for week long shows.

[Mersidoats]

Another thought - have you started looking for internships in some of these fields? An internship will give you an idea of the type of work you would be doing in a full-time position, plus you can talk to some of the professionals and get a sense of how they manage their work-life balance. Then you can see if you actually like that industry. Plus, many internships lead to full-time offers.

Look at median salaries for the jobs you are considering. Averages are often skewed by outliers. And look at median salaries for early and mid-career, so you can see the growth potential. College Scorecard has a tool where you can search by field of study, degree, and narrow in by median starting salary range. The salary data comes from tax returns instead of reported on surveys, so it is more trustworthy. It will give you a baseline of what grads are earning after college in your chosen degree.

[clanter]

@Mersidoats

Plus, many internships lead to full-time offers.

that is how it worked for our son, the offer presented was just one that could not be refused

[Feathered_Feet]

I totally agree with you - 95% of the jobs I’ve interviewed for (and 100% of the jobs I’ve received job offers for) have been through my own cold-call applications and resume/CV. Even with some of my truly remarkable connections (important people doing important work in sectors I would be interested in and qualified for), I have had far greater success on my own. I get the impression that this is not true for everyone (or most people, based on how much people talk about the importance of networking), but I tell my introvert mentees (I still do a fair bit of grad school mentorship) to rest assured that you absolutely can get a great job based on your skills and resume without having to schmooze.

But there’s no doubt that knowing the right people will always help (that’s how my husband’s career has worked).

[Scribbler]

The more a job relies on specific qualifications, the less personal networks matter. The more general or on the job the qualifications, or for jobs with an overt political component, the more personal networks count.

Even today, personal networks may work better for men than for women because of the historical preponderence of men at higher levels of many professions.

Also, some fields and some groups and some colleges are more conscious about building networks.

I feel like the men ( and some women) that I was in college with who ended up in journalism, media, communications, PR, and as political operatives or consultants, have networked for 40 years, and mostly learned on the job.

I switched to academia, and the credentialing there is far more formal. All my jobs have been from either cold call enquiries or responding to formal job postings. The way an academic hiring committee is structured, even if a good buddy was on it, the size of the committee makes it hard for that to carry so much weight.

[Weezer]

I suggest government. The pay may not be as high as some private sector jobs but the benefits are great and it’s pretty secure once you get in - it’s hard to fire a unionized government employee. But, you have to be patient and willing to put up with inefficient management, etc. So public policy and administration, etc would be a good area of study.

[appendix100]

So, there are no jobs right out of college w/ a 4 year degree & no experience that are going to give you 6 figures & enough time off to go to shows.

If that is what you want to do, you are going to have to get off your a$$, work 50-70hrs/wk & then go to ride after you are finished with work. You are the newbie, without experience, & shouldn’t be expecting to get paid top dollar & have your workplace accommodate your needs for horses. That’s not their problem.

[Haliburton]

@afjordlife

So many adult amateurs, myself included, have to take a break for basically all of our twenties to get careers off the ground and then return once we’ve either made money or married someone who did.

I was about to object, as I am career motivated & recently got my first horse since my late teens that I balance quite successfully with my work schedule…and then I realized I’m in my 30s

So I agree, there’s no harm in taking a break through your 20s to focus on a career. I often mucked stalls on weekends all through my 20s just to keep the horse bug around. It was great! I did casual lessons here and there as well (often at a discount because I was staff), sometimes rode depending on the BO/BM, definitely got lots of horse cuddles in (made me slow as molasses but no one seemed to mind) and had some extra cash to get treats in my high cost of living city. Overall I’m satisfied that horses are a luxury & should be pursued with disposable income (which to the average person comes by using your 20s to focus on your career).

Keeping in mind my only experience is with the Canadian job market (USA may differ!) but my other piece of advice is don’t be afraid of trades and other non-conventional jobs. I did a 3 year diploma at a college (comparable to a trades school for American folks), minimal debt & decent salaries. Although most of my jobs have been predominately in the office w/ only a bit of field work, many trades can pull in six figures from strictly field work.

[hillary_again]

Lot of great advice here!
I agree with the suggestion to investigate engineering. I say investigate, because lots of students don’t know anything about it. It’s not so much “are you good at this” or “what’s your interest”. For many of these fields, young people have never heard of the jobs, and haven’t ever thought about “could I do that kind of work?”
I too wanted a high paying job to support my riding hobby. I looked into engineering, coming out of high school, discovered manufacturing, and never looked back: I worked in multiple manufacturing operations in different industries as an engineer. I too spent 15 years away from riding, to build my career (not advocating that, just agreeing with those who did similar).
The suggestion about pharmacy is a great one: high pay, and you work on shift, so that lightens your workload a lot, compared to some other roles. I have a friend who is a doctor and works on shift in urgent care clinics, for the same reason - predictable work times.
Good luck to you! Smart to ask for some advice at this point.

[Nova2000]

Another thought is to do relief work in the medical field. It’s more school, but can be high pay and flexible. I have a friend who is a small animal relief vet. She is hired by clinics to fill in when their employees are on vacation, maternity leave, etc. She sets her own schedule in that she accepts only the jobs she wants and turns down those she doesn’t. My SIL is a nurse, she works 2 days a month that are assigned, and then picks dates on a monthly calendar for shifts that are needed. She can chose to work as little or as many days as she wants. Usually in relief work it helps to have a spouse that can carry you for health insurance though.

[Weezer]

Yes, urban planning is a high-demand area. My dad did that and is living a very comfortable retirement.

[Roni4444]

Employee benefits or property/casualty insurance broker, executive benefits broker, health insurance consultant for employers, to name a few very well paying job if you are good at them

[Ruth0552]

I think this is highly dependent on what kind of time you want to put in. I mean, you want the money to afford a horse, but do you want the time to ride? Are you ok with not having time to do much riding until you are in your 30’s, at least? Or are you looking for a well-paying job that will support a horse but also leaves you time to ride?

[MsJump21]

I’m talking about working up to a job that I can make 6 figs with a 4 yr degree, not getting that job right out of college lol. I’m just asking for job suggestions and advice as something to look into.

[MsJump21]

Aerospace engineering is so cool!! Did you get a 4yr degree to do that? I definitely understand that the majority of my time spent in my 20s will be building a career.

[MsJump21]

Thank you everyone for the great advice! I’m not looking to make 6 figs right out of college (although that would be great, it’s not realistic) but I’m looking for a career that I can eventually make 6 figs with enough time to ride and show. I thought I had the job I wanted all figured out but slowly realized I would never have enough time to ride and show on a consistent schedule so hence why I am changing plans.

Ideally, I’d like to live in the midwest or closer to a rural area. I’m not very interested in living in a big city or urban area.

[ClassyJumper]

I would strongly recommend getting in a 4+1 program. It will save you a lot of time and money in the long run (speaking from experience). I would pursue an MBA or if you like accounting at all, I went back for my masters in accounting. As soon as you hit CPA eligibility you are at 60k and companies are pretty much clamoring to hire you (A good GPA is important though, like 3.5+). It can come with a lot of overtime during certain periods but also very generous vacation time.

[soloudinhere]

This is how I started my career. After a few years, with quarterly bonuses, I was making well over $200k.

I quit because I hated the travel and wanted to have a life/family. My husband was traveling full time as well then (we weren’t married yet) and we would meet for dinner dates in airports when we passed each other, him going one way and me the other.

I had basically no expenses, the worlds crappiest car to leave in airport parking, a room share in an apartment I was never at except maybe 1 night a week, absolute tops. I took all that money I made and now I have a six-figure management job working from home with all the flexibility I could want, and 2 nice horses. But I’m in my 30s now, and the only way I got here was to be a slave until I was about 27.

[clanter]

@ClassyJumper

As soon as you hit CPA eligibility you are at 60k

I would not do hand carts for that, a person can enter teaching here out of college starting at nearly $60K working for 187 days a year (most of the summer is off, all holidays are off, Spring Breaks and Fall Breaks)…and 10 days of PTO that can be used to attend shows if you wanted

[ClassyJumper]

Where? Not here. The growth potential is also not even comparable. We need teachers everywhere so if you want time off for sure thats the way to go. Never heard of a public school teacher making 6 figures.