I was in college back in 2010 studying software development and for the first year I really enjoyed the course, but when the second year came around and the workload increased I realised I only enjoyed it because it was a new experience and it was exciting. I decided to drop out of college and do something different with my life. I had always loved the outdoors and I had been a member of the reserve defence forces(Part-time Military) for a couple of years so I decided to look for something that was more in line with that.
“I really didnt know what to do when i left college, I felt like a failure”
I really didn’t know what to do when I left college, I felt like a failure, I felt like I had let my family down, it was not a nice place to be in. I knew I had to pull myself out of this pit and just move on with life so I started looking at what to do next.
“I knew this was the course for me, I had to get on this course”
Thank god for Google, I spent the next few weeks researching potential jobs and courses when I stumbled upon a course that taught outdoor activities. I knew this was the course for me, I had to get on this course. the course was almost a year-long and it involved learning how to kayak, Hill walk and rock climb. this was like a dream come through. this is exactly what I needed.
The course was the best year of my life, it was life-changing. it taught me skills I never knew I was capable of and by the end, I was a different person, the course had moulded me and had given me an identity and purpose. I cannot praise the people who ran the course enough, we had some of the best instructors in the county teaching us and they were just brilliant.
from this course, I gained many qualifications and I was able to get jobs in France, England, Wales, Sweden, Finland and Norway teaching many outdoor activities.
Snorkelling in Mayo 
Snowdonia 
Coasteering 
Walking In Mayo 
Fjords of Norway 
Carving in Sweden 
Sea Kayaking in Galway
I absolutely loved doing this job, it brought me to different countries and I had some awesome experiences but over time the job can wear on you. The pay is not very good which I could handle but add that with the long hours, no weekends off and the lack of work in the Winter and you can get a little fed up with the job after a couple of years.
“I felt like I went from one extreme to another”
So in 2016 I Left the Outdoors and changed jobs and I started working in a school driving a minibus. I did this job for a year and a half and it was an OK job but it was very boring. I felt like I went from one extreme to another. I was going through a tough transitional period in my life. I felt like I knew who I was when I worked in the outdoors and I had a strong identity but when I left I started to lose my identity and I fell apart at the seams. I felt like I was shedding my skin and becoming something I didn’t want to become, a version of myself I did not like.
I was living in the UK when I had a big shake-up of my life and I realised I wasn’t in a good place so I made the decision to come back to Ireland for a while and try and work things out. I ended up getting a job in construction and while I was happier being back in Ireland and closer to friends and family I was still not happy in my job.
That is why I have started this website. I want to share my experiences with a community of like-minded people and hopefully bring some positivity into the world.
I hope that I can make a little difference and we can grow and learn from each other.
Shane