I Went to School for Rock Climbing

I've got two degrees and both of them have everything to do with rock climbing

Rock climbing is a relatively social sport. If you’ve ever been rock climbing, you know that when you are not actively climbing, you are likely chatting and spending time with your friends. In fact, for a lot of people, it’s the quality time spent with friends that attracts them to climbing even more than the climbing itself.

This is also true when I am guiding. From the moment I meet the client in the morning to when we return to the parking lot in the afternoon, we chat.

Sure, there is some quiet time, mostly during the actual act of climbing or while slowly meandering through the woods looking for a climb to do. But for the most part, I talk a lot with my clients.

Most of the time, it’s typical “small talk.” We talk about their work, where they live, their pets, and, obviously, why they like climbing. Occasionally, we get into juicier topics. For example, recently, I’ve been asking for homeowners advice because Whitney and I just bought a home.

The best I’ve heard so far is, “Don’t let the little things languish.”

I like the small talk that comes with my job. I find it interesting to learn about other people and listen to how they talk about themselves, what they choose to share, and how they describe things.

While small talking, I often share about myself. Folks are always curious about where I’ve lived and traveled (especially if they saw our van) and about my personal life, like what else I do besides climbing. (For those of you who are wondering, the answer is: write about climbing.)

While sharing about myself, clients and I almost always get on the topic of my educational background. I share that I got a B.S. in sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.S. in sociology from Illinois State University.

After this, the follow-up question is almost always, “What sort of things do people use a sociology degree for?” or “Do you ever use your degree?”

The Short and Long Answers

First, what does it even mean to “use a degree?” It’s not like your degree is a tool you carry around to do stuff with. Right? Regardless, I keep this reflection to myself and answer.

The short answer to this question is,

“Yes, I use my sociology degree every single day. I am using my degree right now, as we speak.”

This response normally gets a giggle. Behind the giggle, I can only suspect they’re thinking,

“How could a climbing guide who lived in a van be using his Master’s degree in sociology?”

And, “Wait– what even is sociology?”

But my answer is far from facetious.

The long answer is still “yes,” but with additional details.

The rabbit hole I choose to go down to explain my academic background and how it impacts my work as a climbing guide depends on who is asking. By this point, I’ve gathered a hefty amount of information from our initial conversations that guide me in how I interact and what I share.

Besides that, talking about these things verbally and in person also affects my explanation. But since we are here on Substack, I’ll explain it as such.

The additional details

When I first began studying sociology, I loved it so much that I wanted to teach it. Hence, I returned to school to get a Master’s degree. Originally, that stage of my life was supposed to be a stepping stone toward a Ph.D and a career in academia.

However, a lot changed for me when I finished my second degree and got home from the Peace Corps. I was no longer interested in pursuing academia. Instead, I wanted to lean on my sociology degree to get into non-profit work.

At first, my career focused immensely on youth development. I directed before- and after-school and summer programs for the YMCA. I even got a job directing programming for the Parks and Recreation Department in Urbana, Illinois. (But then COVID ended that.) I also did a lot of competitive club soccer coaching.

Eventually, my more generic youth development work and non-profit programming experience shifted specifically into rock guiding. On the surface, the transition looks rather simple– I reworked my sports coaching background for the new sport of climbing.

However, I like to think it’s more nuanced than that.

The reason I say I use my degree every single day is because I truly do think my education directly impacts not only how I live off the clock but also how I guide.

Despite not directly being employed in academia, social work, or some other field that correlates with sociology, my academic background impacts how I guide in more ways than one.

Specifically, my academic background in sociology has…

• …taught me about social facts like race, ethnicity, socio-economic class, gender, and sexuality.
  
  Understanding these concepts from a social constructivist perspective allows me to ebb and flow with the diverse backgrounds of my clientele while remaining nonjudgmental.
  

• …helped me unpack my own personal shortcomings and expanded my worldview.
  
  Here, I am specifically referring to shortcomings that arise from my whiteness, like the explicit and implicit biases I’ve been socialized to possess, and my male privilege, like problematic toxic masculinity.
  

• …educated me about social issues, specifically around injustice and marginalized identities.
  

  Historically, outdoor spaces and recreation were largely for white men. As a result, rock climbing has developed with vast race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic class inequalities.
  

• …taught me about leadership styles, pedagogical tactics, and mentoring.
  
  The easy part of my job is managing risk, equipment, and rope systems. The hard part (and the exponentially more rewarding part) is instructing climbing from a client-centric perspective that’s empathetic, welcoming of different ages, body types, abilities, and backgrounds, and accommodating of different learning styles.

Sociology has Nothing to do with Rock Climbing (Except Everything)

I may be biased (I am definitely biased), but I firmly believe sociology is one of the most important topics one can study. When it comes to learning about being human and interacting with other humans, no topic is more potent and groundbreaking than sociology.

I am so glad and grateful that the 18-year-old me who is going to college declared sociology as my degree.

The various light-bulb moments I experienced throughout my education illuminated the dark recesses of my worldview, like the sunrise through my bedroom window.

It woke me up, warmed me up, and motivated me to move through the world with a kinder, more cunning, empathetic, and deeper understanding of myself and society.

All of which I try to do when I am at the cliff, teaching you how to rock climb.