Wednesday, April 15, 2020
This 29-Year-Old Data Scientist Quit Her Job to Rock Climb
This 29-Year-Old Data Scientist Quit Her Job to Rock Climb Like most millennials, Lauren Ford counts housing as her biggest monthly expense. But her housing money goes straight into her gas tank. Thatâs because Ford, 29, lives out of her 2003 Chevy Astro van, currently in Yosemite, Calif. âItâs got my whole life in it,â she says. No, Fordâs not down on her luck. Far from it: sheâs living her dream. In August, she quit her job as a quantitative analyst for real estate firm Trulia and began rock climbing full-time. Sheâs got enough money saved for at least six months of full-time climbing, maybe more. Hereâs how this millennial made her dream a reality: She Traded Rent for Gas Ford grew up in the Bay Area and spent several years in San Francisco after graduating from college. She earned a good salary as a quantitative analyst but she also paid high, Bay Area rents. In 2015, she moved to Truckee, California, near Lake Tahoe. She worked remotely for Trulia, still making her Silicon Valley salary but now paying just $650 a month to live in a 4-bedroom home with four roommates. She pocketed her savings and is now living off those funds. Her monthly expenses run about $1,500 for gas, groceries, campsite fees and gear purchases. The specialized climbing shoes she wears retail for about $185, and the metal stoppers that she puts into cracks in the rock cost about $75 each. She Embraced the Analog Ford quickly learned the cardinal rule for living in a tight space: keep only items that you use every day. While she has storage space underneath her mattress, thereâs only room for essentials. Ford ditched the cute outfits she brought when she realized she lived exclusively in her climbing clothes. Out went the extra spatula she packed: Ford needs just one to make the nutritious lentil meals that she cooks on the Coleman two-burner stove in the back of her van. One item she canât live without: her bicycle, which is crucial for accessing hard-to-reach climbing locations and for bypassing car traffic in national parks. Her entertainment is simple. The Internet connection where she spends most of her time isnât strong enough for streaming Netflix or Spotify. (She can check email and keeps her laptop charged with a solar-powered adapter.) Most evenings she hangs out with fellow camping friends. The extra effort that her lifestyle entails is more than worth it, Ford says: âBeing able to go wherever I want, whenever I want, is amazing and the downsizing and minor frustrations are worth it to have that freedom.â Sheâs Not Freaking Her Family Out Ford isnât worried about taking a break from work. After all, as a data scientist sheâs got one of the most in-demand skills in todayâs economy. Not only that, but her job is one that can frequently be done remotely. If her savings run low, she could likely find a remote, part-time job that allows her to keep climbing. While sheâs no longer earning a paycheck, Fordâs not dipping into her 401(k) to fund her adventures. If she did that, sheâd have to pay an early-withdrawal penalty to the Internal Revenue Serviceâ"not to mention that sheâd be draining her future savings. Unlike many full-time rock climbers, who enter the lifestyle just out of college, Ford established herself in her career before she started climbing. Thatâs one reason why her family was so supportive of her plans. âMy family was pretty excited about it,â Ford says. âTheyâre not freaked out that Iâll retire and live in a ditch.â View this post on Instagram Awesome and weird last pitch of a silly and crusher day with @whatrobertsdoing #squamish #moresquamish #squamisheveryday ??? . . . . . #climbing #rockclimbing #girlswhoclimb #tradclimbing #outdoorwomen #climbingisbliss #getoutstayout #tradgirls #climbing_pictures_of_instagram #exploremore #optoutside #mountaingirls #aacgram #liveoutdoors #meetthemoment #climblikeagirl #getoutside A post shared by Lauren Ford (@laurenford88) on Aug 24, 2017 at 9:44pm PDT
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.