11-24-2013, 06:43 PM
AK - I'm probably the person you're thinking off when you say "I remember that someone here works on the summit" although these days I don't spend much time up there, unfortunately. I'm a little puzzled by your request for non-technical jobs on the mountain as I imagine you have many qualifications that may (or may not) be relevant to some positions that involve work on the summit, but of course I don't have all the facts. I suspect the plane spotting positions that come up from time to time might not be what you're really looking for, but of course I don't know you. They aren't jobs I'd be interested in, for instance, and they basically involve looking for aircraft at night in a specific area and reporting them to the observatories so they can shut down laser operations. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me but everyone's different.
Many summit jobs require expertise in certain areas (e.g., technical expertise in electronics or mechanical work) although not always at a very high level, and many observatories will consider equivalent experience rather than actual qualifications in the area. Positions such as telescope operators come up from time to time and these often require a 4-year degree but not necessarily in astronomy, physics or a physical science, and again, equivalent experience is often considered (I know we have employed operators in the past whose experience in other areas more than outweighed academic qualifications).
If you want, and it's completely up to you, feel free to drop me a line (pm via punaweb ought to work) and let me know what qualifications you have and your experience. I might be able to offer some more specific advice if a mountain job is really on your mind. Bear in mind the TMT might start operations in a few years and they will be looking for staff, but that may be too far in the future for you.
Sorry I didn't reply earlier to this thread - have only just got back to the islands and am not yet back on the Big Island!
(Edited for the odd "long-day" induced typos)
Many summit jobs require expertise in certain areas (e.g., technical expertise in electronics or mechanical work) although not always at a very high level, and many observatories will consider equivalent experience rather than actual qualifications in the area. Positions such as telescope operators come up from time to time and these often require a 4-year degree but not necessarily in astronomy, physics or a physical science, and again, equivalent experience is often considered (I know we have employed operators in the past whose experience in other areas more than outweighed academic qualifications).
If you want, and it's completely up to you, feel free to drop me a line (pm via punaweb ought to work) and let me know what qualifications you have and your experience. I might be able to offer some more specific advice if a mountain job is really on your mind. Bear in mind the TMT might start operations in a few years and they will be looking for staff, but that may be too far in the future for you.
Sorry I didn't reply earlier to this thread - have only just got back to the islands and am not yet back on the Big Island!
(Edited for the odd "long-day" induced typos)