My summer job was a little unorthodox compared to most young people my age. I spent a summer in the mountains of Montana, free of phone service, the normal hustle and bustle, and well civilization to put it simple. And to put top if off, I was dealing with full grown bison… and you thought cattle were tough?! Before I began I thought of my job as JUST a ranch hand, nothing more. As my summer went on, I began to realize that I was much more than a ranch hand, and the misconceptions we have about job titles and salaries and their importance, truly came to light. We are told when we arrive in college that we are putting ourselves through college to better ourselves. It is expected that because we go to college we will get high paying, “important” jobs, and that’s what will make you happy and successful in the eyes of those around you. I believed this whole heartedly until this summer. I thought that if I didn’t get a high paying job at a well known company my quest to obtain a college degree would have been ill spent. I’m here to tell you that Success and Happiness CANNOT be measured by a dollar sign, job title, or by the material things that accompany them. In addition, no matter where you go in life, your college education will do nothing but help you and show you didn’t give up for four entire years on a goal. That in itself says a lot about your character, and no matter what you choose to pursue in life, it will only help distinguish you. A college degree in my opinion is the best thing you can do for yourself, no matter if you want to work hands on, or in an office afterwards. Each morning over the summer as I heated up my coffee and walked outside in the clean mountain air, I smiled. This wasn’t just any kind of smile, it was the kind that only can happen when you are genuinely excited for what is to proceed in your day. No my job was not always fun, fencing in the heat or placing irrigation dams were not high on my list. However, I loved every single day I got to work there because of the purpose behind it. I, like generations before me, was going to be a small part in feeding the world, even though I may be JUST a ranch hand. But what is so wrong with being just a ranch hand, just a cowboy, or just a rancher? Living a simple life, working hard, and wearing a cowboy hat should not be taken for granted. I rarely used my phone the entire time there, never watched much TV, and went to town maybe once a week. Those things we considered to be crucial in our daily lives, but are really not necessary at all. In fact, I was happier without all these distractions. Crazy for a twenty year old to say they don’t want TV or a cell phone right?? There is no other job where you get to wake up in the early hours of the morning, saddle a good horse, and ride into the sagebrush as the sun meets the horizon. So despite how many people will tell me I’m just plain silly for wanting to work on ranches when I graduate from college, there is no other way I can imagine spending my days. I don’t want to have fancy cars, a TV that can talk to you, or to sit behind a desk 8-5 on weekdays. Montana taught me that living a simple life does not mean you are uneducated, in fact maybe those who love what they do are the smart ones. My overall goal is to eventually become a ranch manager, and I know that I could not do so right out of college. I need experience, life lessons, and failures on a smaller scale before I feel comfortable enough to manage livestock and people. I think we are often focused on the end goal, mine being a ranch manager of a large cow-calf operation. In the midst of striving for this, I have found myself wanting to skip the middle parts, the not so fun stuff. The part where you have to work your way up, get experience, have failures, and learn for years beforehand. I understand now more than ever that those learning years are so important to your future success, that I am perfectly happy with being “just a ranch hand.” I want to have calluses on my hands from a hard day’s work, and know what it’s like to be tired when I come home. I know that this life is not for everyone and that I could “make more money somewhere else.” My biggest lesson from this summer is that you don’t have to make a lot of money to be successful, you don’t have to have a large job title, and you don’t have to be well known. To be successful, you just need to work hard, show up every day knowing that the job you are doing has a bigger purpose, and love what you do. That simple!! Don’t let those around you tell you that you cannot do something because of the wage. Wage does not define your success, the difficulty of your job, or your happiness. Wage is just a number, and I know we all have bills to pay, but if you love what you do, the sacrifices you make will be more than worth it. I want to live this simple way on a cowboy’s wage because there is no other calling louder than that.
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AuthorThis is a blog to share many stories, laughs, adventures and lessons learned by yours truly, Haley Potter. Archives
July 2023
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