Staying Psyched
Hey Steph-
Been a big fan of your’s since I started climbing! I’ve always felt a connection with your story, because though we’ve never met each other, I’m in a very similar place that you have been in. I’m 19, in school pursuing an English degree and have in the past few years really found my passion for climbing. I get out to Yosemite almost every weekend, and as most young ambitious kids I have some very exciting and audacious aspirations for my future climbing life. However, my obsession with climbing has overlapped other parts of my life, and I find myself more and more wanting to drop out of school to pursue what I think to be the biggest passion I have. I’m sure that in the past as both a motivated student and climber you wrestled with wanting to drop it all and throw yourself headfirst into climbing, which I read that you did end up doing by quitting law school. I’ve got similarly bold dreams of being a writer, but as I see it now, there will be plenty of time for writing and studies as I get older and the flame for climbing isn’t as obsessively intense. What I am afraid of is, however, that dropping school and being a full-time climber will be too enticing of a lifestyle to ever want to go back to the academic world, which I would definitely not like to give up indefinitely. Was it difficult for you to settle down after living on the road for a while, or did it just feel natural? I guess what this long-winded message is asking is how to keep the psyche for getting an education when the enticing and mystical world of the dirtbag lifestyle awaits me in my Jeep.
Best,
Nate
Hi Nate,
I’m afraid I come across as a role model for tossing it all because of my famous decision to quit law school after a week….but what people should also remember is that I got both an undergrad and a master’s degree first. I loved university and being a student. I actually always imagined myself becoming a lit professor, and would have loved to do that. Unfortunately I came to see through the master’s experience that my generation was semi doomed compared to the generation that was the tenured professors who were my teachers. When they graduated in the 60s, they could get on a tenure track almost anywhere. My generation was going to have to fight tooth and nail to get an associate professorship anywhere they could (i.e., possibly Nebraska….), and tenure was a pipe dream, much less in anyplace I’d like to live. It was with sadness and reluctance that I let go of the idea of staying ensconced in academia forever. However, I would not trade my higher education for anything. A friend of mine got a geology degree because it was her passion, and is now being courted by umpteen gold mining operations, and is even being put through grad school with a stipend with no post-grad commitment whatsoever by the mining industry. She is 24.
I am a huge advocate of education, and especially of finding a way to reach a balance with all of your passions. I think it’s possible. At the same time, I believe in following your heart and making sure you are doing what’s right for you. I think the ultimate dream is to have it all.
🙂 Steph
