This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Douglas Craig, a 58-year-old ski instructor in Silverthorne, Colorado. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I worked in media for more than 30 years for a lot of different companies, including Discovery Communications. I helped launch Animal Planet, then switched to the digital side and worked for Roku and Comcast.
My most recent position was senior vice president of content strategy for Paramount+ on the international side. I worked across teams from eight different regions for almost five years. It was a very enjoyable role. I had a great team of people — very high-paced with lots of energy. Getting to build and launch the Paramount+ platform was incredibly rewarding.
Last June, my position was eliminated, and I was laid off. I was caught up in the transition period before the Skydance deal to acquire Paramount was finalized.
Although I considered getting another job in media, I decided to take on seasonal work in Colorado because of my love for skiing and my desire for a better work-life balance. I wanted to take more time to enjoy life.
I was sad when my position was eliminated
I had a terrific run at Paramount, but as I approached my mid-50s, I realized the lifestyle wasn’t aligned with what I wanted to do with the rest of my career. I wanted to find something with more meaning, fulfillment, and a sense of community.
My family is filled with educators, including my wife, so I’ve at times felt a lack of purpose while working in media. Something that had always been in the back of my mind was what I could do to make a larger contribution.
My initial instinct when my job was eliminated was to find a new job in media
I’ve bounced back and forth between the NYC area, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. I was open to moving for my next job. There were several positions I was a finalist for that I was interested in, but over time, my wife and I felt our definition of enough had changed.
We have three kids, but they’re all out of the house. We didn’t need the same lifestyle we had before. We wanted more time for health and purpose. We thought a lot about what it would be like not to have the salary I had and what it would look like to be somewhere else.
About a year and a half ago, we bought a townhouse in Colorado, and we planned to retire there. We were in Colorado in the townhouse all last summer.
In the fall, my wife went back to the East Coast for a teaching job, and I stayed and continued looking for work.
I’ve always joked that I would love to be a liftie or a ski instructor when I retire
I landed a position at Arapahoe Basin. The pay is about one-tenth of what I previously made. We’ve been very diligent about saving for retirement, but even so, we’ve cut down on spending and are keeping a much closer eye on where our money goes.
I started this job in December, and it felt right. I was super happy to be outdoors all the time, not be attached to emails, have a sense of freedom, and feel like I was resetting.
When we decided to make this recent transition, we already had a place to land, so it wasn’t like we were uprooting everything. It was really more a matter of how we make this adjustment full-time.
My wife joined me in Colorado full-time in January and quickly found a job in the local school system.
I had never formally taught skiing before
I taught my kids to ski, so it’s something I’ve always felt I would enjoy. Arapahoe Basin has a vibe very similar to mine: it’s authentic and laid-back. It’s very down-to-earth, and it’s a challenging mountain, but it’s one that I had already spent a lot of time on.
What surprised me about being a ski instructor was how rewarding it was. I loved to see someone so proud about what they had accomplished after a lesson and how much fun it was, especially kids.
I worked as an instructor at Keystone Science School for the spring season. It turned out to be really fun and rewarding. I also got a lot out of working with other counselors. I’m near their parents’ age, but they were super inspiring to work with because they had college degrees yet were choosing to live a life of bouncing from seasonal job to seasonal job, doing what they love.
This summer, I’ll be a ranger at an aerial adventure park
It has zip lines, ropes courses, and the like. The team I worked with for ski instructing is the same team that runs this operation in the summer. You’re coaching kids and adults to go through these different courses.
I’m really excited. I’ve done some climbing before, and spending the entire day outside in the woods will be a plus.
We’re still getting adjusted to this life change
I took a significant pay cut, but my wife, who is making about the same as she did before, and I saw it as an opportunity to live the life we want to live, rather than as a shock. My father died at a young age, so it’s always in the back of my mind: “Let’s do things we can do now when we can.”
I’m a humble and modest person. I always felt like people might think I failed because I had a great job at a major media company, and what did this next step look like on the outside? Then I started realizing, why do I care what other people think?
My wife and my family were incredibly supportive, and as I’ve begun to tell some close friends, they have been, too. When I explained why we were doing this, to have a healthier rhythm to our life, a lot of people said, “Wow, that sounds awesome. I wish I could do that.”
Just live your life
We recently took a quick trip after my wife’s school year ended. In the past, when we would drive or fly home from vacation, I always had this rotten feeling in my gut like, “Oh, vacation is over. I have to go back to work.”
This time, that didn’t happen because I thought, “We’re going back home, and I’m going back to work, but we’re just living a simpler life.” The pressure that I don’t feel anymore is terrific.
If anyone out there is considering a career pivot, be honest with yourself about what you want. Everyone is wired differently, but if someone feels they want to do something, craving something different, they shouldn’t ignore it.
I really do miss working with the people in media. I miss the sense of team in working collaboratively, but I don’t miss the crazy pace and all the travel. Looking back, I’ve always thought, “Wow, wouldn’t it be great to do something different that’s more aligned with my lifestyle,” and I finally did it.
Did you make a career pivot or a major life change? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.
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