Four More Rules for Working in the Fishing Industry
I’ve previously written about how to target, train for and obtain a job in the fishing industry. If you love to fish and love everything about the sport, this can become a path to a very fulfilling life. Like anything else, however, there are pitfalls, hurdles and “unwritten rules” that can turn the best of things into a turd sandwich.
I’ve been fortunate to have mostly good experiences on this side of the fence, but I’ve stepped on a few landmines and narrowly avoided a few others. To help you travel more smoothly, here are four more rules you should consider:
Remember, this is a SMALL industry – I’m not talking about the size of the industry in dollar amounts, because there’s plenty of revenue, plenty of opportunity and plenty of money to be made. While the number of people working in and around the fishing industry may be large, many of the key players seem to be everywhere. They’re like NFL field goal kickers, going from team to team to team, so the guy who represented a rod company last year may be your editor this year, a lure company’s pro staff coordinator the year after that, and a sales manager for a boat company the following year. If you piss someone off today, you’re going to have to deal with them for a long time, so it just about never pays to make enemies or start battles. It’s not good for anyone.
Don’t absorb the worst norms of the business – I’ve worked in a number of industries in a number of different formats, from a big law firm to freelancing to hourly employee to civil servant and in every one of them EXCEPT FISHING I would have been fired if I’d engaged in behavior that I now see every day. There are plenty of uber-professional individuals in this business, but there is also a sizeable segment that doesn’t return phone calls or emails in a timely fashion, consistently misses deadlines, and fails to use correct English in their written communications. No matter how much it seems acceptable or even advisable, don’t fall into that trap. Treat every transaction and interaction like they’re the most important ones you’ll ever make.
Don’t let it burn you out on fishing – Assumedly a big part of the reason you took a job in the fishing industry is because you deeply care about the sport. Sure, there are plenty of people who work in and around the business who don’t even know how to properly hold a fishing rod, but nevertheless are effective in their roles, and some who are avid anglers but suck in their respective professions. Most of us, though, work in this sphere because we want to turn the avocation into a vocation, and we’re willing to put in the sweat equity (and possibly even take a slight salary haircut) to do it. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get burned out on a job, a workplace, co-workers or even an entire industry. If that happens, it can affect other parts of your life – and you don’t want to have any negative associations with the love of fishing that brought you there in the first place. If you find that you’re starting to resent fishing, find a less stressful gig – Wal-Mart greeter, brain surgeon, cat groomer – and retain your passion for the game.
Treat it like a business (and then some) – If you work in the fishing industry, there will be times (hopefully many of them) when you say to yourself, “I can’t believe that someone is paying me to do this.” In the best possible scenario, you’re working your ass off and still feel like you’re stealing because you’d do it for much, much less. Just because it’s fun doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it like a business, though. In fact, because other people (including the IRS) might see it as fun, you need to go to extra lengths to make sure that everything is by the books. Maintain a second bank account and a separate credit card, as well us meticulous records of everything that you do. Furthermore, put money and time into additional training and business development – your passion alone will go a long way, but it won’t sustain or propel you forward. You have to constantly keep on going and growing.
