Great outdoor jobs are rare for kids marooned in suburbia. Climbing trees in a harness with a chainsaw? An exception.
Prereqs: A willingness to get dirty鈥攖hink feeding branches into a chipper鈥攁nd hang out in high places. 鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of rope work, so rock-climbing skills translate well,鈥 says Nicholas Dankers, of Seattle鈥檚 Tree Cycle.
How to Break In: Find a local arborist who needs an assistant and will teach you to use a chainsaw. You鈥檒l do the menial stuff鈥攄ebris, work the chipper鈥攂efore getting in the harness. 鈥淚 ran the chipper for three weeks, until my boss realized I wasn鈥檛 an idiot,鈥 says Calgary, Alberta, arborist Mike Bedard. 鈥淏ut I thought the chipper was awesome!鈥
Pay: Varies from $10 per hour in Ohio to $14 in Seattle.
Romance Potential: Extremely poor, unless you’re female. It鈥檚 a male-dominated (and wood-chip-covered) field.
R茅sum茅 Skills: Teamwork, belaying, safe operation of heavy machinery.