Not sure if this is an old topic, but I am curious how many of you folks find climbing and that kind of mentality help in your daily jobs/careers?

Um, maybe a little tiny bit.

My current job sure as hell doesnt help my climbing.

Someone told me that climbing is some kind of mental training in being focus and presistent. On top of that, courage is significant too. I think a lot of jobs out there do need you to have one of these three thigns to get a task done.

It gives me something to think about when I'm zoning out.

For me, the mental and emotional aspects relate directly.

When I am climbing well, I am "zoned out," where my focus is outside of myself and my mind is quiet. This also happens when I am skiing -- more often, in fact. Perhaps strangely, my mind is in the same place when I am working on a math problem.

Generally no. But I once surprised a geomorphologist in a deposition by having my co-counsel ask him if he was aware of the "mass wasting" at Cob Rock.

Climbing, or more likely my answer to why I climb, was at least partially responsible for my current job, so yes.

Alpine climbing and working construction seem to both involve a fair bit of drinking, so yes, there are some parallels...

my last job was a great training tool for climbing. not only is post frame construction hard larbor, i got to climb all over the buildings building strength and endurance. and some of the buildings the trusses were 35-40' in the air, and i got to climb all over them. oh, and we grabbed a 12 pack every dayon the way home, so its like post climbing beverages. since loosing that job my climbing has gone way down(lack of funds) and my endurance has too. damn, i need a good paying job again!!

Yup. I used my ropes, pulleys, jumars etc. to teach simple machines, mechanical advantage and 'mountain rescue' with my 7-8th graders for years. We attached ropes about 30 ft. up to auditorium roof and hauled kids up and down via pulley systems. I did it for many years in the mid 90's until they just wouldn't let us have fun anymore in teaching/;-( sucks now.

Pretty sure my boss wishes I didn't climb so I wouldn't always asking for time off to go do it.

Edited to add: On second thought though... it has created a strong desire to improve efficiency so I can get out more, which has caused me to learn some new skills. This has allowed me to get my work done faster (via programming), which in the big pictures has had several other unintended benefits. So I guess it has and in a positive way, somewhat.

Absolutely - I'm a photog and covering live events and can often get the leg up on competition by climbing trees, buildings, pillars, chimney-ing up in between pillars, hanging from rafters...

I have found myself working with sharp tools repairing someone else's $30,000 guitar and felt the same pucker factor that comes with a good runout.

I'm a home inspector, so climbing definitely has me more confident when walking on a roof.... just like soloing loose, gritty slabs.

When attic access is through a ceiling hatch 8' above the ground, none of my fatty colleagues can even conceive of doing a pull-up into the hatch, mantle above the rim, hand foot match on the hatch framing, then reach up into the attic cavity, pinch a rafter, and "top out." Sweet beta.

Interesting question! I work as a paramedic, and I would say that climbing has tought me a lot about how to make critical decisions under stress.

That's a good quesion. I sit a a desk most of my day as I am a Mortgage Banker, but the photos on my wall almost always open up a conversation between my clients and myself. But I can generally find something that applies in life. Metaphorically speaking, the crux can be like the difficult areas in life. They can be really hard to get through and then (sometimes) you look back on the experience and say "WOW! I made that out to be a lot harder than it should have been."

Climbing definitely helps your learn how to take risks, instead of always playing it safe. If you don't think you can achieve a goal, you probably won't try and find out.

Dealing with testy parents of students in my school is like negotiating a lichen-covered slab on a hot July day at Cathedral Ledge. So to answer your question--yes, it does apply sometimes.

Wow..that really IS a good question. And some pretty cool answers too.
I have worked in many fields, and have found that climbing related advantages have applied to practically all of them.

Balance (Physical,Emotional,Spirtual)-Strength (of Mind,Body,Will)-Fearlessness (of Pain, Failure, Death)

All of them seem to have, at one time or another, applied to my professional life. . . . who said climbing was pointless?


This actually brings up a tough question that's been torturing me lately-----
(sorry to Bang Nhan for droppin' in on your question)
But,
I just recently got offered 'the job I've always wanted'...as a rock climbing guide/instructor.
But, now i'm getting all these warnings from people saying that it's going to "burn me out", or "take the love away" from it, once I turn it into a job.

What's your thoughts on Rock Guiding as a Career?
Any Guides out there with some Job-As-A-Climber(5.8+) beta?

I rapelled down the side of a 8 story hotel anchoring gas pipe to the wall, got a new rope from my employer as part of negotiating that. Then I got another new rope once having to lead climb the roof of all 14 Envirotest centers in Denver to rig up fall protection for everyone else. I was granted special authority for this by Hensel Phelps. Another time I had to demo out a lot of 3-4" steel pipe 25' up in a Qwest Bldg., and instead of taking a month by setting up scaffolding for each section I rigged up bolts in the ceiling and basically grigri soloed up and did the work suspended in my harness. Lots of time climbing around rafters and steel framing, holding lock-offs to wrench on a bolt......

My climbing experience makes me worse at my job, because I spend all my time and energy climbing or planning to climb, all the while fantasizing about quitting and living out of my car.

I'm not exactly captain motivated.

I am excited to see so many different and interesting answers to my question! I really appreciate for you inputs! Can't wait to read more cool stuff!