Finding Solace in Wilderness: How a 24-Year-Old Left the Corporate Grind to Find Her True Calling
We hear both success and failure stories of people who quit their jobs and took the leap of faith to pursue their passions. For 24-year-old Hanna Beatty, her corporate job was just a materialistic necessity. She used to work as an assistant for a small Escrow firm in Redding when out of the blue she received an awakening call one day.
Here's how she reset her life goals and lived a different life after leaving her job.
What led to Beatty's decision to quit
Beatty was carrying out her duties as usual when she received a random call from a customer complaining about her firm's bad services. "This person was just not happy and decided to take it out on me," Beatty said, per CNBC Make It. Following the call, Beatty decided, "I deserve more than this." She also said that she was burned out and exhausted from working the usual grind and wanted to seek better opportunities.
Beatty asked her company to let her go and to sack her first if the firm was to ever consider laying off staff. A week later, she was on the market for hire again. While others may sulk about losing their respective jobs, Beatty did the opposite. She investigated this opportunity to explore better prospects and finally work on her dream of living and working in the wilderness of her country.
Beatty's inspirational journey of finding her calling
Beatty was out in the wild looking for something simple when she came across the concept of seasonal jobs on a friend's recommendation. She applied for many seasonal jobs, focusing on areas near Redding. "If you’re like me and you’ve spent your whole life in the same spot, it can be intimidating to leave everything you know behind," Beatty told CNBC.
Beatty knew the consequences of leaving a perfect city job and the salary cuts that would come her way. However, Beatty was confident in her search and craved a simple, sedentary style of living. Within a few months, she landed a job at Heavenly Ski Resort that paid $18 an hour with nine-hour shifts starting from Wednesday to Sunday.
The timing was impeccable considering her job started in December, and the same time, her apartment lease was up. She was paying $1200 a month in rent while living in Redding, with additional bills that took away the majority of her salary.
The stars truly aligned when Beatty's boyfriend, Justin Olsen, a freelance photographer, also landed a job at Heavenly Ski Resort as a freelance ski instructor, making it easier for both to start a fresh life.
Reducing her monthly rent from $1200 to $88 a month
After working her shifts at Heavenly Ski Resort at Lake Tahoe, Beatty was now proficient in the concepts of how seasonal jobs worked. A few months later, Beatty was already looking for better prospects and a warmer climate to work and bask in. After her contract with the resort was over, she and her boyfriend, Olsen, moved towards another seasonal gig as bike attendants in Yosemite. The gig paid $16.95 an hour with four 10-hour shifts per week to begin with — a lucrative deal the couple said yes to.
Soon Beatty was on her way to explore Yosemite with Olsen and rent a small bedroom cabin in the wilderness for $88 a month.
"It’s basically the size of a large tool shed," says Beatty. "But it’s insulated and comfortable, and our bed is lofted, so we have plenty of storage," Beatty told CNBC.
When asked about how the change of lifestyle and seasonal gigs have affected the couple, Beatty responded that a liberal attitude towards the setting can be a game changer here. "But if you have a good attitude about it and agree to keep the space clean, it’s really not bad at all," she said.
"Especially for how affordable our rent is," Beatty told CNBC.
