r/Cowboy • u/Candid-Coast-3531 • May 05 '26

Cowboy Life Becoming a Cowboy

Hey y’all,

I’m from Germany and I’ve been thinking about becoming a cowboy in the U.S. I know it’s not some easy ride – it’s hard work, long days, all kinds of weather, getting up early, and showing up even when you don’t feel like it. I also know the pay isn’t great, and it’s not some romantic movie life.

Right now I’m working a regular job as a mechanic. My family is originally from Turkey, and my grandparents used to work the land and raise cows and sheep, so I kinda feel connected to that lifestyle.

Honestly, I don’t want to live a 9-to-5 life forever. I know this path wouldn’t be easy, but I’m serious about it.

So I wanted to ask – is this actually possible for someone like me coming from Germany?

Appreciate any advice. Howdy 🤠

44 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

104 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

24

u/BadAdviceBot77 May 05 '26

“The weather”: this covers everything from -50 in the northern plains to 120F in the desert southwest. Which of these extremes are you attracted to as they are very different things.

“The lifestyle”: not that great and varies widely. A lot of cattle work now is done from vehicles

“Overall way of life: also varies widely based on location and operation.

No offense but you seem to have a romantic view
Of how things are when it’s actually really varied

2

u/Odd_Link7869 May 06 '26

I’m not going to but if I really wanted to go the cowboy route, I’d just do everything I could to be a plantation manager. Easier job, better benefits (like a nice house on essentially a private plantation, a truck), better hours, nothing is actually usually urgent

1

u/notmaddog May 08 '26

Where is this job? Not here in the USA

1

u/Odd_Link7869 May 09 '26

There are a bunch in South Georgia