Here in Seattle the sun is finally out thank goodness. What a long, wet, cold winter and spring it has been! Anyway, the sun has us all thinking that we should be outdoors sucking up the warmth – regenerating our batteries. For job hunters there’s a tremendous opportunity to spend maximum time outdoors this summer. Livin’ life. Take a look around the free JobMonkey website. You’ll see that we have an extensive outdoor jobs section where you can learn about park ranger jobs, opportunities with dozens of park concessionaires, seasonal government jobs…and so on. ...

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last 18 months, you know that our country is in a major recession. What that means for you, whether you are 16 or 66, is that your job is less secure — and a new job is going to be harder to come by. For teenagers looking for a summer job, the pressure is especially intense. There are fewer jobs than normal, and each one is being fought over by a far greater number of applicants. There is some good news in this whole mess: There are a growing number of programs, many of which are funded by the federal government, to aid 14 to 24 year olds ...

Apropos to my post yesterday about following your dreams despite the recession, the USA Today just ran a review of a new book about the very same topic. Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields is a guide to teach you how to make money while doing what you love. After you figure out what you want to do (i.e. what you love doing), you have to work out the finances. Fields says you do not need to earn top dollars, but there is no reason that following your heart should leave you destitute. The book is filled with personal vignettes from others who have left the rat race to follow their dreams ̵...

This recession is doing funny things to people’s career goals. On the one hand, it is forcing us to reevaluate our plans and think practically about our futures. That’s mostly a good thing. If our heads had been in the clouds, they are not any more. Of course, the flip side is that people are abandoning their career dreams to focus on what they think (hope?) is a “sure thing”. Things like recession proof careers, steady paychecks and stable 9-5 jobs. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that living your life responsibly and paying down your mortgage are...

Does the thought of punching a clock at a 9-5 job make your heart shrivel up? Would you always rather be outside than behind a desk? Spending time in the great outdoors doesn’t have to be just on the weekend. You can enjoy a rewarding career (with incomparable views from your "office") working for the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, private park concessionaire companies, and environmental organizations. In addition to a growing number of year-round positions, many of these employers also offer seasonal jobs that are perf...