If you sit down to contemplate a future career, perhaps you should consider that to be the last time sitting and job are part of your employment mindset. While desk jobs can take you down a stable job path, you may find many outdoor, active careers will offer other significant benefits—whether they fall under the recreational, scientific, emergency response or another highly mobile category. These jobs are not for everyone, both physically and mentally, but if you want to look for an alternative to being chained to a desk all day, here are the reasons to explore an outdoor, adventurous career.

Healthful Lifestyle

Simply being active is healthier than sitting all day. While you can employ tricks for adding movement to a sitting job, those add-ons are difficult to maintain and do not substitute for jobs that embrace continual activity as a matter of course. In fact, studies show that movement has a positive impact on mental health as well as your physical health.

Community Involvement

Many outdoor workers enhance the quality of life for those whom their jobs touch. Consider the following examples: Attendees of a Texas firefighting school will likely save lives on a continual basis; outdoor scientists may make disease-curing discoveries; recreational specialists will encourage others to pursue outdoor activities, or park rangers might spark the nature flame in young children.

Variety

Several of those job scenarios lead to one overriding quality: Your outdoor job means you will rarely face the same experiences more than once. In fact, you will likely not know how your day will unfold once you climb out of bed. This uncertainty can be stressful; however, if you relish the challenges that unforeseen obstacles can present, you will thrill to the feelings of success that come with overcoming them.

Camaraderie

Many outdoor jobs involve teamwork. For example, you will coordinate with your peers to put out that wildfire threatening a neighborhood; you must lead with skill when supervising a crew in construction; or you have to focus intently with other members of your paramedic team when responding to a medical crisis. Sure, some careers include solo working conditions, but for the most part outdoor ones involve connecting at least in part with others — whether coworkers or public audiences.

Several benefits await anyone seeking an adventurous, active outdoor career. Your first have to decide where you want to focus your pursuit. After that, your research can help you get the most out of whatever direction your movement takes you.