[three_fins_out]

Being a university professor (in an area near enough to decent waves) is a pretty good situation. Flexible schedule during the week, winter break free and summer recess for travel to better waves and working with creative, engaged, and talented people. I scored a ton of water time until I had a baby!

My experience has been that balancing the family stuff is way harder then the career stuff. If you can pick a career you really like and become good at it and you'll be in demand ie call your hours and salary. But once you have the whole
house/kids going it seems your time and dollar priories shift unless you were already in a v good position, which most surfers are not lol

Even the guys I know who have the ideal setup (live in LB/rock) good jobs with home and kids still don't surf all the time because of the other demands...

[three_fins_out]

That being said I think some great jobs are:

Anything related to surfing or water related issues where the bosses will support water time (these jobs often don't pay)

Teaching - lots of summer water time, great benefits, decent salary

Self employed - ideal for water time and salary, benefits suck

Service industry - got my most water time during years on evening dinner shifts, not too family friendly though and pay is not too good

Anyone in real estate sales? Wonder what those hours are like... Maybe mornings free?

[Dan S]

A lot of jobs/careers work...where theres a will theres a way.
Some of the best surf careers I know of are things I never would've thought of (ex: I know a CPA who logs an insane amout of water/travel time, and a high tension electrical powerline equipment salesman who surfs lots and makes bank..etc). These surfers just went out and through trial and error found a niche or took a standard gig and customized it to fit their needs over time(with a lot of hard work and some luck). As with a good surf adventure, such is life. And like a surf trip where you find a sick set-up, you may not be keen on broadcasting it to the general public once you have it. At the end of the day career happiness comes from not what you do, but how you do it and if you learn to get good at somthing and work with people you like, you will have a good work life. Real surfers are a creative bunch and will find a way to make it work, sometimes with amazing results.
BE STOKED...the rest is details

Many likes to this one!

[money4coffeeman]

Being a university professor (in an area near enough to decent waves) is a pretty good situation. Flexible schedule during the week, winter break free and summer recess for travel to better waves and working with creative, engaged, and talented people. I scored a ton of water time until I had a baby!

My experience has been that balancing the family stuff is way harder then the career stuff. If you can pick a career you really like and become good at it and you'll be in demand ie call your hours and salary. But once you have the whole
house/kids going it seems your time and dollar priories shift unless you were already in a v good position, which most surfers are not lol

Even the guys I know who have the ideal setup (live in LB/rock) good jobs with home and kids still don't surf all the time because of the other demands...

True- Hope to start having kids in the next few years but honestly if I lose water time because of that, I wont care at all. Thats a great trade off. Anyway, Im finding that as I get older, surf quality is more important to me than quantity. A real good session can last me for weeks before I feel a jones again, sometimes longer. Ive never had to make this decision, but Ive often wondered if I could or would take a higher paying gig in a totally landlocked, lower cost of living location if I could take 3-4 quality surf trips a year... I think I might do it if the opportunity came up to bank some serious $..potentially retire early to a surfy place, etc.. Its an interesting question to ponder and one that in light of current economic conditions a lot of surfers probably are.
Three fins out's post highlights the fact that if the goal is lifestyle, you better remember that even more important than choice of career is choice of spouse. If momma aint happy... aint nobody happy. Im lucky to have a wife that surfs and although not as passionate about it as I am, she respects my need to not let my gills dry out, and encourages me to enjoy what makes me "me". In turn, I dont abuse that like a selfish f---.
Anyday of the week, in the surf/happiness equation, choice of spouse> choice of career
Unless maybe youre a trust fund kid

[three_fins_out]

Being a university professor (in an area near enough to decent waves) is a pretty good situation. Flexible schedule during the week, winter break free and summer recess for travel to better waves and working with creative, engaged, and talented people. I scored a ton of water time until I had a baby!

My experience has been that balancing the family stuff is way harder then the career stuff. If you can pick a career you really like and become good at it and you'll be in demand ie call your hours and salary. But once you have the whole
house/kids going it seems your time and dollar priories shift unless you were already in a v good position, which most surfers are not lol

Even the guys I know who have the ideal setup (live in LB/rock) good jobs with home and kids still don't surf all the time because of the other demands...

True- Hope to start having kids in the next few years but honestly if I lose water time because of that, I wont care at all. Thats a great trade off. Anyway, Im finding that as I get older, surf quality is more important to me than quantity. A real good session can last me for weeks before I feel a jones again, sometimes longer. Ive never had to make this decision, but Ive often wondered if I could or would take a higher paying gig in a totally landlocked, lower cost of living location if I could take 3-4 quality surf trips a year... I think I might do it if the opportunity came up to bank some serious $..potentially retire early to a surfy place, etc.. Its an interesting question to ponder and one that in light of current economic conditions a lot of surfers probably are.
Three fins out's post highlights the fact that if the goal is lifestyle, you better remember that even more important than choice of career is choice of spouse. If momma aint happy... aint nobody happy. Im lucky to have a wife that surfs and although not as passionate about it as I am, she respects my need to not let my gills dry out, and encourages me to enjoy what makes me "me". In turn, I dont abuse that like a selfish f---.
Anyday of the week, in the surf/happiness equation, choice of spouse> choice of career
Unless maybe youre a trust fund kid

Totally agree with the quality vs quantity comment. Probably surf half of what I did ten years ago but the quality has gone way up. My surfing is in between somewhere so I think I need little nasty to crunch a total surfn satisfaction formula

[Kdropin]

Being a university professor (in an area near enough to decent waves) is a pretty good situation. Flexible schedule during the week, winter break free and summer recess for travel to better waves and working with creative, engaged, and talented people. I scored a ton of water time until I had a baby!

Being a tenured faculty member. Completely different story trying to patch together classes from various universities to make ends meet.

can't complain 

[uncutproducts]

I used to surf as much as I wanted prekids. Work in advertising but they were cool with me rolling in at 11-12 if there were waves. I haven't dp'd on a weekday since my daughter started pre-k.

I'd say ideal job for surfing (with no kids) would be travel writer/blogger, fashion/stock photographer or freelance web developer. You'd just have to live really accessible to a major air hub. You'd have no health insurance or security but that wasn't the point of this.

[HydroGlide]

prostitution (just avoid the Gilgo area)

[Harry Balzsac]

prostitution (just avoid the Gilgo area)

Who you kidding? We're all whores in one way or another. Just because you don't suck dick, doesn't mean you're not a prostitute. Still, avoid the Gilgo area is good advice.

[Crackie Onassis]

I still say investment banker.
Work hard, make a ton of dough, retire young.

[The Lone Surfer]

I still say investment banker.
Work hard, make a ton of dough, retire young.

except how many do that?

[NJ Longboarder]

have super rich parents, marry rich, or win the lotto.  i'm 0 for 3. 

[N.F. Ee]

prostitution (just avoid the Gilgo area)

Who you kidding? We're all whores in one way or another. Just because you don't suck dick, doesn't mean you're not a prostitute. Still, avoid the Gilgo area is good advice.

Na, man. You eitha a pimp, o you a ho.

[snaggletooth]

I still say investment banker.
Work hard, make a ton of dough, retire young.

not anymore. banker pay is less than half what it was a few years ago. and then most of it is in stock that has lost, oh, close to 50% in the last year, but you can't touch it anyway because it doesn't vest for 5 years, but your career won't last that much longer anyway, and then you don't get to keep the stock when you 1) are either squeezed out or 2) decide the stress isn't for you. but you still have to payback the $150k you spent on your stupid Wharton MBA where you really don't learn anything anyway. my vote is for fireman.

[Dorado]

FDNY pretty good deal if you don't get hurt , killed burnt etc ..... Pluses great schedule , enabling adequate surf and family time with good flexibility . Minuses potential to get hurt , burned or killed , exposure to tons of toxins def taking years off your life . Pretty much a fixed income if you don't apply your self as promotion is solely based upon Civil Service promotional exam given only every 3-5 years .
I can't complain get to surf , get to travel , spend a lot of time with the family , generally work in a fun/ exciting at times environment .....but as plenty of people I know your only as good or as safe as your last fire , generally things go well but when they go bad they go bad .
Also the new pension tier is going to suck compared to what the old tie guys get ...... STILL THE GREATEST JOB IN TH WORLD .... but the powers that be are trying to change that .