Today I am interviewing a retired Air Force officer from Texas who RVs part-time, but still manages his business from his RV while traveling.

Don Gleason is not a full-time RVer, yet, but he and his wife, Karen, frequently use their 19-foot Gulfstream Vintage Cruiser to visit relatives and to engage in a one of their favorite hobbies, which is bird watching. It’s a wholesome activity that ensures they spend plenty of time outdoors.

A retired colonel who served in the U.S. Air Force, today Don runs his own company helping men and women transition into different careers and enhancing their leaderships skills.

He attained a degree in civil engineering in the early 1980s, when the economy wasn’t doing very well. Don joined the Air Force after receiving 454 rejection letters from various companies to which he applied for a job. Intended to be a short-term solution to unemployment, Don enjoyed military life so much that he stayed for 27 years.

Today, he helps people find jobs for which they not only have the skills necessary to do the work, but a desire to be involved in that type of work. He believes too many people wanting to change careers simply jump into hunting for jobs without giving much consideration as to whether those are the right jobs for them. That’s good advice applicable to Workampers, too.

As a career transition coach, Don guides people through a process to identify not only the skills and talents his clients possess, but their passion and calling as well.

When evaluating a job opportunity, Don said it is important to not just ask yourself whether you can do the job, but whether you want to do it. You’ll get far more enjoyment out of working at jobs you want to do than simply performing tasks just because you’re capable of doing them.

Having good internet connections when traveling is essential for the type of coaching Don does with his clients. He mentioned the Phonetone cell phone signal booster, which works with all cell providers to increase signal strength. It has an outside antenna, which captures signals and transmits it to an inside antenna capable of supporting 40 connected devices.

Don also uses a Jackery portable power station to provide power to his laptop and the cell phone booster, even when he is in a remote part of the wilderness. The device can be charged when electricity is available, then used to power equipment when boondocking. Portable solar panels can also be attached to charge the Jackery device to keep it charged.

Another app Don and Karen use frequently when birdwatching is the Merlin Bird ID, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It features sounds of more than 1,050 bird calls as well as information to help people identify specific birds. The app is available for Android and Apple devices.

Finally, Don encourages people to get out and enjoy their RVs, even if it is just for long weekends and two-week vacations. The most important thing to do is schedule the time. Too many people try to live their dreams by squeezing adventures into available time. However, when you put it on the calendar for a specific time, it becomes a priority.

To connect with Don, look for Don L. Gleason on LinkedIn and Facebook.

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That’s all I have for this week’s show. I will have another interesting interview on the next episode of The Workamper Show. If you like these interviews, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes. Thanks for listening!