If You Love the Outdoors, Crane Operation May Be For You
Finding the perfect career is something most people struggle with throughout their entire professional lives. Many never achieve the dream: a well-paying, enjoyable job that places them in an environment they love.
Certainly, very few individuals would consider an office cubicle to be the perfect job site for them. On the other hand, who wouldn’t want a career that surrounds them with trees, sunshine, and wildlife?
If you’re a lover of the outdoors, you might have resigned yourself to the idea that there’s no way you’ll find a well-paying job that also gives you the opportunity to enjoy your preferred environment. However, the right job just might be out there.
Here are a few reasons why, if you love the outdoors, crane operation may be for you:
You’ll travel
If you consider spending time outdoors to be a crucial part of a happy life, then chances are you are also gripped by unshakeable wanderlust. You don’t just want to be outside, you want to be outside in a variety of different environments. Being surrounded by the same old scenery for too long may cause you to feel stagnant. That’s why getting yourself certified at a crane training school is a great career move.
Once you’re a professional crane operator, each job you take will see you working on a different site. One day, you might be enjoying an ocean view as you perform work on an offshore oil rig; the next year, you might find yourself deep in the woods working on a project in the heart of the Pacific Northwest.
It’s a Job For a Special Type of Person
Crane training school isn’t for everyone. Many people prefer easy jobs that don’t bring a lot of challenges to the table, but the type of people who love the outdoors usually aren’t ones to become complacent. They also don’t shy away from tasks that might scare others.
As a crane operator, you’ll be expected to work in high places – something many people would prefer not to do – and you’ll also be required to keep a cool head even when things seem to be going wrong.
Of course, you won’t be expected to do these things without the proper training; the right school will instill you with the confidence you need to get the job done. At West Coast Training, experienced instructors will teach you everything you need to know to do the job safely and effectively.
You’ll Solve Problems in a Unique Environment
Crane operators are the type of people who want to change things up; unique problems to solve in a variety of different environments. You’ll have to familiarize yourself with a variety of different types of equipment; for example, both large hydraulic and small hydraulic cranes that are mounted to fixed cabs, lattice booms, and other setups.
At crane operator school, you will learn both how to operate the cranes and how to work with other operators as a signaller. Sometimes you may have to attempt construction on a project you can’t see from the crane itself. In that case, working closely with a signaler will allow you to essentially do the job blindly.
Since you’re looking for a job that will take you into the great outdoors, you’ll also need to become adept at handling all of your equipment and performing all of your assigned tasks in any weather conditions. Sometimes, you’ll have to carry out a construction project in heavy wind, rain, or sleet. You will have to learn how to always be aware of safety on the job during both the bitter cold of winter and the blazing heat of summer.
You’ll Never Stop Learning
Another thing many outdoors enthusiasts share is a love of learning. When you start West Coast Training’s mobile crane training course, you’ll learn an incredible amount in only eight short weeks. You’ll be closely supervised by highly experienced instructors and work with small groups in order to maximize your time with the actual equipment.
You’ll spend a certain amount of your time at crane training school in the classroom; while there, you’ll study the ASME Standards and OSHA regulations and learn how to set up cranes and operate them properly.
The rest of the time you’ll stay in the field and work outdoors; it’s important for people who are learning how to operate cranes to actually handle them as they will on the job. At West Coast Training’s school, you’ll practice rigging and operating mobile cranes and performing the sorts of tasks you’ll do on the job.
Even after you collect your certifications and graduate, the opportunities to learn will not end. As a certified crane operator, you’ll always be picking up new skills and learning new ways of solving problems throughout your career. For a person with a lifelong passion for the outdoors, this may be enough of a reason on its own to consider becoming a crane operator.
You’ll Have a Dynamic Career & Earn Enough to Spend Even More Time Outdoors
Of course, your love of the outdoors doesn’t end when you hang up your hard hat and go home for the day. You’ll want to spend your free time taking your family on road trips, traveling to nature’s most beautiful places, and enjoying as much time as you can surrounded by nature.
This can be difficult when you don’t have enough of an income to support that type of lifestyle, and often jobs with outdoor worksites just don’t pay that much. But crane operation is a great career; the average salary is around $24 per hour across the U.S. with the possibility of multiple increases as you gain experience.
Attending crane training school and becoming a certified crane operator may be the best thing you can do for yourself if you really do harbor an affinity for the outdoors.