How do I turn Detecting into a career?

[Cfmct]

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but to all of you who think that it cannot be done, you need to check out this thread.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=40460

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Those are not typical finds especially on the mainland...

 

[thuderle]

That's $14,000 in a year's time...great extra income money.

 

[gtoast99]

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but to all of you who think that it cannot be done, you need to check out this thread.

An interesting bit from that thread:

The book idea is intriguing but I'm not so sure my style of hunting can be applied in all areas...it requires really clear water, very little wave action and alot of bottom time.

I don't use a screen on my scoop and in fact leave my MD & scoop at home 50% of the time

So again, treasure hunting, yes, metal detecting, no.

 

[Iron Patch]

Here's my two cents that nobody asked for. The following is one man's opinion, only.

Is it possible to be a professional metal detectorist? No. I mean, yes, you can probably detect all day long and sleep in your van at the beach make enough to eat. But I don't call that professional, I call it homeless. You can probably make it work if you have no responsibilities, no bills, no mortgage, no family and intrest on your previous savings to pay your property taxes etc., using MD money to buy basic food and the occasional treat. But I don't call that professional, I call that retired.

Is it possible to be a professional *TREASURE HUNTER* on the other hand? Sure it is! There are plenty of examples of professional treasure hunting companies. For starters, you could try to get a job with one of them. If they aren't hiring or you just want to go it alone, it's still possible (with enough startup capitol) to be a professional treasure hunter and live quite comfortably. I don't mean picking up the occasional totlot gold or rings from the beach. There are certainly enough lost caches of hidden wealth (mostly shipwrecks, but I'm sure there are places on land, too) that you can make it work with one or two big scores.

But, as scoundrel points out by saying that selling detectors doesn't make you a professional metal detectorist, being a successful treasure hunter doesn't make you a professional metal detectorist, either. That's because to be successful, you're going to need to do a LOT of work that isn't remotely similar to swinging a detector. You're going to be doing 90% research, and 10% "hunting", if that. To find enough to make it worth your while, you're going to need to track down the big scores, and you're not going to find them by swinging aimlessly. In fact, I'd say the chances of you using a metal detector at all are slim - you'll likely need to do underwater salvage on a large scale OR use something akin to GPR to make the kind of finds to be profitable.

So being a professional treasre hunter is possible, although it is also risky and extremely expensive. What it is not, however, is "professional metal detecting". Personally, I just don't think that's realistic.

There it is right there! One year about 9 years ago I didn't have a job and actually made more money from detecting than I did working and did that make me a professional treasure hunter? Maybe yes, but certainly not in a good way.

BTW... It's actually a lot easier to be a professional 'treasure hunter' if you consider all forms of finds.... Detecting, but also antiques, coin flipping, storage units, garage sales and the list goes on and on. Many people make a living doing this these days so it is possible to be a professional treasure hunter, it's just a matter of perspective and definition.

 

[pulltabMiner]

Anyone want to buy a genuine treasure map? You'll have to wait until the ink dries. My mistake, I guess this should have been in the classifieds.

LOL! My idea of living off metal detecting is to sneak up behind people and bonk them over the head with my md (here's where the heaviest mds would work better) and then metal detect their pockets. JUST KIDDING!!!

 

[PokerShark]

I was in places that I normally wouldn't have been it so I got to see places, meet people, and taste foods that were unique to me. I guess it falls under "making the best of a situation." I knew a man who had a 3 year tour in Germany and never left the base. He'd get up, go to work, get off work and go to the NCO club until it closed and go to bed. He said, "if I want to see the sights I'll just buy a postcard." To each their own. If I had to do it again I'd probably pick another field (photography/journalism) but I'd still see the sights, meet new people, and eat the local cuisine. My recruiter wrote to me after basic and tech school and said, "now that you're in the real Air Force, let me show you some of the ropes" and told me how to make rank, how to call home for free, and where to find more girls (even in small farming communities) than I could possibly handle. Remember that tantalizing meal supplement, SOS? I hated it when I first went in but by the time I got out I wanted it on my entire breakfast. I didn't want to be in the military but I was lucky to make it work for me.

As I stated before, when it comes to my decision to leave the USAF after 10 good years - I have zero regrets. But it was a great time while I was in, and there were some bad times as well. All in all I thought it was great and would recommend/advise it for anyone just getting started after school.

As far as jackass bosses are concerned....they are everywhere. The military does not have exclusive rights on them it seems. Although it seems you can get farther with less education and common sense in the military than you can in the real world. Being honest I have to admit I did have some total idiot bosses in the military, where they are a pain on the outside I could not call them totally incompetent. It seemed as long as you did things the military way you could get by, but anything outside of the norm would drive the weaker minded pukes batty. They just could not think outside of the box and it was fun to watch them try.

The Shark

 

[PokerShark]

Oh I am sure you can make a living with a metal detector, of that I have no doubt. I think the real question is - what kind of a living would you have? I for one am not willing to lower my standard of living to prove or disprove anything. If you can reasonably live on the meager income from detecting, God bless you, and have at it. Unfortunately I have become spoiled by things like a home, running water, electricity, heating/cooling, multiple vehicles and so on.

Folks are quick to point out the exceptions, but they are far from the norm. Just ask yourself this question. What do I have to show for my detecting efforts today? I have x amount of value for y hours spent finding it. x/y = hourly rate of return. Yes there are those that discover valuable rings and other items from time to time and it helps the average, but they are bumps in what is a much more linear progression and will eventually average out in time. I am willing to bet the over whelming majority of us out there swinging do not even approach minimum wage in the long run -and that is a tough way to live. Been there, done that, bought the shirt, I keep it in a drawer at home to remind me I am never going back!!!

Enjoy the hobby, it is fun and provides great exersize. If you make it a j-o-b it will become one, and you will eventually hate it like every other job you don't have now or want to leave.

The Shark

 

[Sultan of Sand]

Did you ever see a new product or service that you had the idea for, invented, and tell your friends, hey, I thought of that first? If you have, and who hasn't, the difference between you and the person who brought it to market was that they took the next step. That person took the risk and made it happen. You may have thought of it and maybe you were first, but with you the new product died as only a dream.

I say go for it. When it comes to employment, most of the people in this country play it safe. That is they go and work for someone else. Most never try to grab for the brass ring because, afterall, they could fail! Sadly, many of these people have great ideas and great dreams but are afraid to risk the secure lifestyle of working for a paycheck. And, who are they working for? Those who dare to be great, those who follow the dream and take the risk.

If most people in this country took the risk, most would be rich. Most aren't rich. Yet, they will tell you, you are crazy for taking the risk.

Take the risk. Sitting in the rocker on the porch at 80 years old is the wrong time to say Shoulda. Time spend following your dream, regardless of outcome, is time well spent.

 

[PokerShark]

I'm not sure if this is a dream or an escape. It certainly is not anything genuine like a new invention or a new idea so I think there is plenty of evidence out there what the outcome "should" be. And by the way - I have personally owned 3 businesses (2 highly successful) so I am well aware of what striking out on your own is like......well aware.

There is a huge difference between playing it safe and being hopeful, yet careless. If you have only YOU to rely on then have fun and try. If a family depends on you then you may need to opt for plan B - a real job and supplement it with detecting until you can go full-time. It is a pretty safe bet which will win. Once again, there are exceptions and they call them exceptions for a reason. Remember the topic is - How do I turn DETECTING into a career. Didn't say anything about anything else as may others are suggesting - just (metal) detecting.

Pull out a history book - take a long hard look at the gold rush in the 1800's. I have done plenty of prospecting myself since I live in California gold country. The overwhelming majority of the miners eked out a horrible living, or eventually ended up working for someone else. Those that actually "got rich" you could probably count on your fingers and toes. But at least it accelerated the growth of the western states somewhat.

The Shark

 

[dan]

If most people in this country took the risk, most would be rich. Most aren't rich. Yet, they will tell you, you are crazy for taking the risk.

Take the risk. Sitting in the rocker on the porch at 80 years old is the wrong time to say Shoulda. Time spend following your dream, regardless of outcome, is time well spent.

A recipe for tragedy here.

Telling someone to "take the risk" is easy advice to give, but there's a lot more to it if that risk is to be successful. Planning, preparation, research, and common sense, for starters.

What about the guy whose dream is to win the lottery? To "take the risk" he sells everything he owns, empties his bank account, cashes in his IRAs, and buys a truckload of lottery tickets. And loses. Now what?

Before I threw away all I had for a life of metal detecting, I would like to find one person - just one - who is successfully doing this.

Do you know how many people "take the risk" by opening a restaurant, for example, and then lose everything within a year? It has probably happened many times over in your own town, wherever you live. I have a high school classmate whose husband did just that. His sports bar closed after 14 months. That was four years ago, and he is still buried in bills he accumulated while he was open. It was his life's passion, his friends encouraged him to Take the Risk, and it ruined his life.

Look around you at the relatively new businesses that have closed just in the past year. These were all opened by people who followed their dream, and lost.

Hate to say it, but there are a lot of people who do not have the genes to succeed in self-employment. They are fine when working for someone else and being told what to do, but they are lost without instructions from the boss.

Drop it all and follow your dream?

Will you be there to pick up the pieces after they follow your advice and it all falls apart?

 

[Metal Kiwi]

A full time detectorist - Oh yeah - sure would be a great lifestyle.
Outdoors, beaches, in your own time, meeting people, great finds, etc.
Most of us would love to try and some will succeed.

Two things to consider.
1) Can your arm (s) handle 5,6 or 7 hours swinging 6 days a week every week?
2) You can only find a find once so if you do find a sweet spot how long has it taken to become that sweet spot and what is the likely re depositing rate. In other words will it be a sweet spot again next week, next month, next Summer,next 5 years?

But dont listen to this twaddle - go on have a go. You wont be happy till you have tried. Lifes too short.

 

[gtoast99]

Well put, Dan.

Encouraging someone to "take the risk" and "have a go" is all well and good. I'm self employed, and my wife and I do make a living doing what we love (despite numerous naysayers). I'm all for the entrepreneurial spirit. I too would encourage you to take risks.

But it has to be a managed risk. If someone said they wanted to go base jumping, I wouldn't tell them not to do it just because it's risky. But neither would I encourage them to find the nearest tall cliff, hop off the edge, and hope for the best. Do your homework, study the sport, understand the risks, invest in proper equipment, talk to the experts, know what you're doing before you do it. Eventually, after all that, you can take the risk and go base jumping and fulfill your dream. It's still risky, but it's a managed risk. Taking a leap without a parachute isn't fulfilling your dream, it's just stupid.

So by all means, take the risk, do what you love. But be smart about it, do your homework, manage your expectations, and make sure you have something to fall back on. Anything less is just jumping without a parachute.

 

[dan]

Well put, Dan.

Encouraging someone to "take the risk" and "have a go" is all well and good. I'm self employed, and my wife and I do make a living doing what we love (despite numerous naysayers). I'm all for the entrepreneurial spirit. I too would encourage you to take risks.

But it has to be a managed risk. If someone said they wanted to go base jumping, I wouldn't tell them not to do it just because it's risky. But neither would I encourage them to find the nearest tall cliff, hop off the edge, and hope for the best. Do your homework, study the sport, understand the risks, invest in proper equipment, talk to the experts, know what you're doing before you do it. Eventually, after all that, you can take the risk and go base jumping and fulfill your dream. It's still risky, but it's a managed risk. Taking a leap without a parachute isn't fulfilling your dream, it's just stupid.

So by all means, take the risk, do what you love. But be smart about it, do your homework, manage your expectations, and make sure you have something to fall back on. Anything less is just jumping without a parachute.

Thanks for filling in the blanks I left. Perhaps I was TOO pessimistic - I know a lot of people who have succeeded with self-employment - but I know many more who have failed, too, and not for lack of desire.

And most of the ones who succeed put in 80 or more hours a week to make it, at least for the first several years.

Gtoast, if you don't mind my asking, what is your business, and how many hours were you working at start-up? How long did it take before you could slow down? Or have you slowed down yet?

 

[zeemang]

If you looked at metal detecting seriously, like a job, you might not like it as much...The thought of HAVING to find something would take the fun away for me...

 

[Dustyloins]

If you looked at metal detecting seriously, like a job, you might not like it as much...The thought of HAVING to find something would take the fun away for me...

Not when you get payment in advance.......

Dusty

 

[radiotalent]

I'm a pretty cautious person in the area of career and finance, but I'll say a qualified go for it. I'd echo make a plan. We all know what will happen if you CAN make a go at it, but you have to decide if you CANNOT make a go at it at what point you are willing to try something else and secondarily if you can withstand the potential for financial hardship over that period of time as well as transition into something that would enable you to "pay the bills" as it were.

Basically, if you're not giving up a good job, family situation, etc. (and that's not in any way saying you have a poor job/family situation/etc.) and it is a dream or goal, do the legwork it takes to figure out what you'll consider success, and if you do not achieve that level of success what your next move is. Depending on who is depending on you, a period of time where you follow your dreams is a safe guard against sitting around at 70 having been bitter your whole life for not trying. And really, we'll all be hoping you can pull it off.

 

[dan]

Yo radiotalent - WJBD? Or where?

I taught broadcasting for 26 years at Parkland College in Champaign. (Retired four years ago).

Radio sure ain't the same anymore!

 

[Xaquin]

Go for it Scoundrel!

If you don't make it, you don't make it.

If you do, you become an inspiration to us all ....

Plus, you can never succeed if you don't try.

 

[Silversmith45]

Taking a leap without a parachute isn't fulfilling your dream, it's just stupid.
QUOTE]

You can do it once.

 

[BAGoonie]

People with passion can pull off some amazing things. With the right amount of research, and high end finds, I believe it could be done. You would have to be very intelligent and resourceful though. You can make money on metal detecting videos on Youtube if you can get enough people to watch them. I'm definetley not going to get on here and say its impossible.Think outside the box!

I say go for it Scoundrel, You don't have nothing to lose.....Goonie From Va.