I was laid off from HP after 30 years. At 59, I moved to Antarctica for work — and the wildest adventure of my life.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch May Lee, a 59-year-old seasonal worker successful Antarctica and erstwhile trading and communications head astatine HP. It has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I joined Hewlett-Packard successful 1987 arsenic a package technologist intern. As a graduate, I wanted to motion connected for life pinch a bully institution that I knew I could beryllium loyal to and would beryllium arsenic loyal arsenic a institution could be.

I didn't want to climb the firm ladder aliases jump from institution to company. If I hadn't been downsized past February, I would ne'er person left.

There were signs that the penning was connected the wall, specified arsenic a hiring freeze and a impermanent simplification successful my activity hours, but successful the end, it came arsenic a surprise. I had hoped to activity location for astir apt different five-something years.

I felt a operation of disappointment and sadness. This was the institution I've devoted my full profession to and had hoped to discontinue from.

Now looking back, if I could speak to that type of myself who had conscionable been fto go, I would show her: Don't interest astir it. You're getting fresh for the wildest thrust of your life — 1 that will alteration you forever.
And that's precisely what happened.

I had the financial groundwork successful place

The period aft the layoff, I was successful aggravated job-hunting mode. I applied for jobs astatine different tech companies, but contempt having an extensive network and receiving referrals, I was not getting immoderate offers.

Then 1 of my really bully friends from HP gave maine immoderate awesome advice. She said, "May, you've already paid disconnected your house. You don't request the high-tech salary. You person truthful galore things that you're willing in. You should look into possibly moving successful immoderate of those areas."

I had been to Antarctica doubly earlier connected picnic and loved it. I didn't cognize whether you could activity there, truthful I looked into it and, to my amazement, recovered that you can.

Getting a job successful Antarctica is competitive. After a lengthy exertion process that included an extended inheritance cheque and a beingness qualification, I sewage a occupation arsenic a proviso technician astatine Amentum.

The only downside was the highly debased pay. However, my dada raised maine to understand the value of redeeming and not spending money you don't have. So, I had the luxury of having a financial groundwork successful spot and did not person to interest astir paying a owe aliases affording bills.

McMurdo Station is for illustration a assemblage town

Deploying down location successful 2025 was a crazy escapade successful itself. We flew to Auckland, and past to Christchurch, earlier being flown connected the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III to Antarctica.

Most group astatine McMurdo Station activity six days a week betwixt 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. I was responsible for Warehouse 120, which was the IT and communications warehouse.

I'd forklift cargo into the storage and cheque we had the correct amount of each bid against the database. There was a batch of beingness outdoor work, specified arsenic lifting boxes, successful my role. This was caller to maine arsenic personification who had ever worked a table job.

From a societal standpoint, moving successful Antarctica is for illustration being astatine a miniature assemblage town. It's very aged schoolhouse because there's not overmuch net entree down there. Everybody gets done their information allotment very quickly.

This was refreshing because it meant cipher was on their phones. Everybody sits and talks pinch each different astatine repast times.

You wouldn't judge really galore activities location are. There's everything from creation shows to statement dancing, marathons to play bingo. I moreover volunteered to beryllium a DJ and had a show called "Ms. Purple!!'s 80's connected the 8" each week.

I can't hold to spell back

Within a week of being there, I knew I wanted to make Antarctica the remainder of my career. I don't deliberation I could ever attack my life successful immoderate different way, now that I've been there.

The organization is truthful supportive of each other. I've ne'er seen that benignant of camaraderie and inclusivity anyplace else.

The mostly of Jobs successful Antarctica are seasonal, truthful I'm going backmost to McMurdo successful the autumn — this clip moving arsenic a broadcast engineer.

My life is not what I thought it would beryllium erstwhile I first started my career, but I've learned that erstwhile thing happens, I conscionable benignant of rotation pinch it. You tin ever reinvent yourself.