What You Should Know About Daring To Work In Antarctica

There are some crazy opportunites in Antartica for people willing to travel the distance, be somewhat isolated from the rest of the world, and can handle the temperatures and occasional extreme weather. It’s definitely not for the weak at heart. But, for that six figure salary, an assignment to the southern pole area of our planet might be worth it to some, and an adventure to others.

The USAP (United States Antarctic Program)

Who’s running a program in one of the more desolate, and harsh, places in the world? The U.S. Antarctic Program is run by the National Science Foundation. There are members of the Office of Polar Programs that review ideas for grants, run the U.S. operated research stations, and they act as oversight for other aspects of the programs down there.

Much of what goes in in the Antarctic is scientific, but like any other research facility, particularly in isolated places around the globe, there are support personnel required to keep things running smoothly.

With all of the different programs operating in Antarctica, would you want to spend a year or two there? There’s even a program that includes artists and writers. Imagine writing about your year in the Antarctic, and all of the people you might encounter.

Why would anybody want to work in Antarctica?

There’s the need for adventure. The human spirit thrives on adventure, at least in some people. In Antarctica, you may find yourself writing about the harsh environment. The views. The changes in the landscape due to climate change. Or, you may find yourself at the heart of a disputed area, as there are many countries and corporations striving to find rare earth minerals in the less explored places of our world.

Imagine the people you miight encounter. The most noted countries with research stations in the Antarctic include:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Belgium
• Chile
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• South Africa
• Pakistan
• Bulgaria
• The United Kingdom
• The United States
• Ukraine
• Brazil
• Norway
• Russia
• China
• India
• New Zealand, and
• South Korea

What’s the most dangerous thing that can come up working in Antarctica?

There’s dehydration, because of your body attempting to keep you warm, you’ll go through fluids easier. Extreme cold can lead to frostbite, meaning that your body tissue has frozen. Hypothermia is a real threat, as your body loses heat faster than it can make it, so being properly attired is always important.

While you’d have to have an advanced degree, and be a senior researcher to likely reach the top pays, many people are able to put away the salaries they earn due to the low expenses. This makes jobs like this more attractive, and the competition is high, mostly because of the limited number of spots and people worldwide are interested.

Private companies often are able to pay contractors more for an assignment in Antarctica, particularly in specialized skills.

Well, with the danger of being in such a harsh environment, the isolation and distance between you and home, would you work in Antarctica if the opportunity presented itself.

Thoughts?

We’ve all had jobs that we hated, or most of us, anyway. When looking for different opportunities, one doesn’t know what they’ll find if they’ve been confined to one geographical area. So, there are some crazy, but high paying opportunities out there.

The question is, would you consider something different like an opportunity in a place like Antarctica? There are crazy opportunities that pay into the six figures, have half the year off, and allow you to save most of your salary because everything is provided by the jobsite, or the expedition. Securing an Antarctic communications and research facility that’s privately owned by a corporation might be an exciting chance to see something never seen before, and 100,000.00 a year might be a boost, but is it worth the risk?

How far are you willing to go to enjoy that level of financial security? What would you do if offered the adventure of a lifetime, working in some crazy part of the world? Drop a comment and let us know!