I took the option of slower summer months to learn a new skill – Tree climbing.
Why?
Working on Beaver Codes is fantastic. I love coding, so building software keeps me mentally fulfilled. At the same time, the software products scale very well, so it is a great way to pay the bills.
On the other hand, sitting behind a computer all the time is not the healthiest thing ever. I usually go for morning runs to clear my head and combat that lack of movement, but I wanted to step that up a bit.
One day, I saw a guy with a chainsaw in a tree, and it looked really cool! So I was hooked.
How?
As this is a pretty niche thing to do, there are no tutorials on how to start. After some searching and some cold calling I found out there are some courses one can do. So I started with basic chainsaw AB course which is a legal requirement to work on somebody else’s property with a saw.
Next up, I needed to get some climbing experience. I watched a ton of YouTube videos, started to get equipment slowly and signed up for the course in arboristskola (Which I have mixed feelings about, ask me if you are thinking about it).
What was most helpful was that I started to talk about it with anyone who would listen! That led to many more connections, and after a few more cold calls, I scored an internship at the amazing Kuddby.
Result?
I have now taken down a couple of trees, climbed a ton. It is such a nice feeling to be total beginner at something, the pace of improvement is really stark.
What’s next?
I enjoy the arborist’s work. It is precisely what I thought it would be and more. One thing I didn’t expect is the close touch with customers. As an online business, I never had that, but if you cut a tree looming over somebody’s house, they are very grateful, and it feels incrediblee to be able to see the result of your work in such a short loop.
Next, I need to find a balance between running Beaver Codes and living an active life. I’ve built a new brand, Beaver Climbs, and a website. Check the fun animations there.
I realise this is not very tech-related, but hey, it is my blog. Don’t worry, though. I’ll probably return to more tech posts soon.