Spring/Summer seasonal jobs in the US (that allow some solitude)

January 4, 2017 9:53 AM

I need a change I'm looking for seasonal (/not career) jobs in the US that are not as people-heavy as being a camp counselor or tour guide. (Something like working at an information desk is OK.) Anywhere is OK as long as it's fairly easy to find housing, or housing is provided.

Other details:
-I would kind of love the equivalent of being a lighthouse keeper or something that would let me be pretty alone for a few months, but being around people is OK too as long as I can go home after 8 hours and have my own space.
-I have customer service experience (currently work as a barista)
-I don't want to have to market anything or be outgoing. It's easy for me to be friendly to people who ask questions, need something, etc, but I don't want to have to be the one to reach out.
-The job doesn't need to be super lucrative, I just need to be able to pay for my own living expenses without subsisting on ramen
-I want something more formal than WWOOFing. Unless it's something I really really love I don't want the open-endedness of "work until this is done today."
-I have a bachelors degree (biology, but no related experience)
-I don't want to work on a boat because I get seasick
-Needs to be a safe place for a queer female person

posted by needs more cowbell to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Response by poster: Argh, there should be a period or some other punctuation after "I need a change."
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:54 AM on January 4, 2017

It sounds like you're great with solitude, and judging by your location, jobs are available in your state. Look into being a fire lookout for the NPS, BLM or USFS. A profile, and previously on the blue.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 10:04 AM on January 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: For what it's worth I'm not specifically looking for jobs in California! I would actually love to get out of California.
And now I will stop commenting 'cause I realize AskMe is not supposed to be a back and forth.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:07 AM on January 4, 2017

If you have a bachelor's in biology, seasonal wildlife monitoring might be a good fit. For instance, out here in New England I know people who work April- September monitoring piping plovers through the nature conservancy or other nonprofits or through DEM.
posted by geegollygosh at 10:28 AM on January 4, 2017

Seasonal biological technician jobs are pretty available, as are seasonal archaeological jobs. Housing tends to be "here, all cram into this shack" though people do understand to leave each other in peace pretty quickly. Arch jobs in the desert consist of essentially walking in straight lines all day and occasionally stopping to pick something up or dig a hole. There is nothing but solitude, although the nightlife can be excessive and annoying. Bio jobs are typically more work and more interacting during the day but a much more chill group.
posted by fshgrl at 10:43 AM on January 4, 2017

A friend of mine worked at Yellowstone for a summer. I assume US national parks will get you some solitude. He was helping to maintain campsites, so there were definitely people around. But he was able to do a lot of hiking on his off time. It might be worth a look.

Work at a US National Park
posted by teabag at 10:55 AM on January 4, 2017

The National Park Service has many seasonal jobs.
posted by mareli at 10:56 AM on January 4, 2017

I worked for an amusement park as a ride operator. Even though I was among so many people it was for such brief time that I basically was "alone".
posted by waving at 12:07 PM on January 4, 2017