bootcamp waiting list

Thanks for the links, Paul.  I was trying to find the Sepper information to refresh my memory before giving you an answer.

Yes, the sepper program would probably work better for me.  Definitely want to spend some time helping on any project I can.  I don't have dates figured out yet... When I do, will be in contact.  Thanks again!

I can drive there, right, and keep my vehicle on the premises?

Nathan

Nathan Doan wrote:I can drive there, right, and keep my vehicle on the premises?

Nathan

That is what more than half the boots do.

For those keen on the work trade for the rocket mass heater jamboree:  https://permies.com/wiki/164527/permaculture-projects/Work-Trade-Rocket-Mass-Heater

We are preparing for quite a few people to join us for this work trade.  We hope to be able to get everybody in who wants in.  

Hi, I backed the SKIP Kickstarter at the $100 level  and wanted to get on the boot camp waitlist please. Thanks.

Jennifer Pomykaj wrote:Hi, I backed the SKIP Kickstarter at the $100 level  and wanted to get on the boot camp waitlist please. Thanks.

verified.  Email sent.

If you arrive soon, you will be "Jen 10".  :)

That would be cool!!

I think I paid to be on the waiting list but I don't remember if the payment went through. How do I know if I am 9n the waiting list?

Jordan Float wrote:I think I paid to be on the waiting list but I don't remember if the payment went through. How do I know if I am 9n the waiting list?

Using your permies.com email address I did a search - nothing.

If you have a paypal transaction id, send it to my paypal email address and then I will see the proof of payment.  

I would like to be added to the boot camp waiting list.  I attended the PDC in 2017, am I correct in thinking the fee is waived? Are you accepting new boots in the the next couple of weeks?

Cheryl Gallagher wrote:I would like to be added to the boot camp waiting list.  I attended the PDC in 2017, am I correct in thinking the fee is waived? Are you accepting new boots in the the next couple of weeks?

I sent you an email.   Since you use the awful hotmail, it would be grand if you could reply so i know you got it.  

It was sent to my junk mail, but I got it!

hotmail (and msn) super stinks.  

The next round of invitations for new boots will be sent out on September 26th to invite boots to arrive October 17th.

Seems there are so many options for Paul Wheaton Labs. What is best for me to do? I'd like to try staying there for a while to learn as many skills as possible, then either return to the rat race, or sell my home, quit my job, and go live my dream of homesteading (possibly returning to Paul Wheaton Labs?). I'll save money any way I can, and do work trade anytime possible. Do I just get on the waiting list? or something else? I currently have only limited experience in natural building and gardening.

this might help:  https://permies.com/t/146557/permaculture-projects/sepper-program-permaculture-bootcamp-experience

The next window for boots to arrive is november 28.  that's the date for work trade for the garden master course.  I will be saying something to the bootcamp waiting list on november 7.

Is Wheaton Labs accessible by bicycle? I'd likely have to ride in from Missoula.

There are several people who have come here by bicycle.

And, somebody here typically pops into missoula once a week or so.  We often give new boots a ride from missoula.

Magdalene made a suggestion that I think is a good idea ...

Instead of emailing the waiting list and saying "who can be here in three weeks?" - to instead email them with the next four or five arrival dates and see who wants to sign up for which dates.

I think that is a great idea! This may help me to plan out my upcoming adventure a little bit better.

I expect to spend some time in the boot camp in the future; however, I have no clue what that time line will look like. I am anticipating getting fired "soon" for refusing to play the vaccine game. I say "soon" because I work for one of the slowest and most inefficient employers in the country, in my opinion, and I can only speculate on how long the process will take.

Email that went out a bit ago to the waiting list

permaculture bootcamp variation - better planning

Magdalene came up with this idea: Ask the folks on the waiting list
what their plans are by sharing our next five dates for incoming
boots.  Once a person has dibs on a date, it is locked down so they
can make life plans around that date.

Here are the next five dates. If you want to lock yourself into one of
these dates, please reply to this email and we will get it sorted.

november 28 (start work trade for garden master course)
december 12
january 2
january 23
feb 13 (start work trade for summer events)

I'm thinking about riding my bike too Wheaton labs when it comes my time to boot. That requires seasonal cooperation, as it would be a 2-3 month ride. Do you plan to have openings in the summer (between June and September i guess?)

We have openings now, and I hope to facilitate lots more openings for the next year.  So ... yes?

Hi! Very interested in joining the bootcamp AND I also have a part-time remote gig-- with flexible hours. Have other folks come and worked a side hustle? Is there flexibility to be on work calls during the week? Any insights would be helpful! Thanks much.

Hannah Swenson wrote:Hi! Very interested in joining the bootcamp AND I also have a part-time remote gig-- with flexible hours. Have other folks come and worked a side hustle? Is there flexibility to be on work calls during the week? Any insights would be helpful! Thanks much.

We have had many people like that.  They were all in the sepper program - that way they could be in the bootcamp as much or as little as they like.

https://permies.com/wiki/sepper

https://permies.com/t/146557/permaculture-projects/sepper-program-permaculture-bootcamp-experience

Any flexibility on dates for incoming boots? I'm attending the garden master course and I'd like to be a part of bootcamp afterwards for a week. Looking at the week of 01/16 - 01/23.

Lee Wright wrote:Any flexibility on dates for incoming boots? I'm attending the garden master course and I'd like to be a part of bootcamp afterwards for a week. Looking at the week of 01/16 - 01/23.

Great question!  https://permies.com/t/155430/permaculture-projects/staying-boot-event

paul wheaton wrote:Magdalene made a suggestion that I think is a good idea ...

Instead of emailing the waiting list and saying "who can be here in three weeks?" - to instead email them with the next four or five arrival dates and see who wants to sign up for which dates.

This new system seems like it has a big advantage in terms of planning (both for WL and for the prospective boots). And it also brings up some questions for me about the mechanics of this new waitlist system.

What if someone is not ready to sign up for one of the dates yet, but say in a few weeks or so, they know which dates they want?

Like let's say that on January 20, I notify WL that I want to start on March 13 (i.e. I give almost 2 months notice). Then let's say the March 13 start date is already full, but that my rank on the waitlist is higher than some of those people already signed up for March 13? Would I still be able to start on March 13 (and in doing so, bump a person off the list for March 13)?

Now let's say that on January 20, I instead notify WL that I want to start on January 23 (i.e. I give 3 days notice). As before, Jan 23 is full, but my waitlist rank (based on when I joined) is higher than at least some of the people signed up for January 23. Do I get to come on January 23?

So, does ones waitlist rank still mean anything? And if so, what does it mean?

And how soon would one need to respond in order to be considered for a specific date?

And what if one signs up for a date and then changes their mind? Same penalties as before (i.e., drop to bottom of waitlist or removed from waitlist altogether)? And would the penalty depend on the amount of notice one gives (i.e. any difference between changing mind two months before start date vs. changing mind three days before start date)?

And what about the person who responds with a specific start date? At what point are they "guaranteed" that date? In other words, at what point is a particular date "closed" to new people, even if those new people have a higher wailist rank than some of the people already signed up for that date? In other words, what is the cutoff date (if any) for signing up for a particular date?

Reading back through my post, I think I'm just asking in a few different ways about how the new system affects things like response cutoff times, penalties for changing ones mind, and waitlist rank. I realize that much of this would only really matter if the demand exceeds the number of available slots.

Anyway, thanks for reading :-)

Taylan Morcol wrote:What if someone is not ready to sign up for one of the dates yet, but say in a few weeks or so, they know which dates they want?

Then they will be like nearly everybody on the waiting list.  

Every few weeks I send an email out to about 60 people and very few pick a date.

Like let's say that on January 20, I notify WL that I want to start on March 13 (i.e. I give almost 2 months notice).

All good.  You take a spot for march 13.

Then let's say the March 13 start date is already full, but that my rank on the waitlist is higher than some of those people already signed up for March 13? Would I still be able to start on March 13 (and in doing so, bump a person off the list for March 13)?

Nope.  You are locked out.  Those people already on the list locked down that date.  

If I announce a new date and seven people sign up in 24 hours, then we take just those that have been on the list the longest.

Now let's say that on January 20, I instead notify WL that I want to start on January 23 (i.e. I give 3 days notice). As before, Jan 23 is full, but my waitlist rank (based on when I joined) is higher than at least some of the people signed up for January 23. Do I get to come on January 23?

If it is full, you don't get in.

So, does ones waitlist rank still mean anything? And if so, what does it mean?

When we announce a new date and too many people sign up, then those that have been on the list the longest get their date.

And how soon would one need to respond in order to be considered for a specific date?

If another person wanted to be here january 2, that would be fine.

And what if one signs up for a date and then changes their mind? Same penalties as before (i.e., drop to bottom of waitlist or removed from waitlist altogether)?

Bottom of the list.

And would the penalty depend on the amount of notice one gives (i.e. any difference between changing mind two months before start date vs. changing mind three days before start date)?

Not sure.  We have had one person that did some really obnoxious stuff, so I just took them off the list.

And what about the person who responds with a specific start date? At what point are they "guaranteed" that date? In other words, at what point is a particular date "closed" to new people, even if those new people have a higher wailist rank than some of the people already signed up for that date? In other words, what is the cutoff date (if any) for signing up for a particular date?

I think 48 hours before is too short of notice for us.  

I think people will ask for a date and there is an opening or there isn't.

Reading back through my post, I think I'm just asking in a few different ways about how the new system affects things like response cutoff times, penalties for changing ones mind, and waitlist rank. I realize that much of this would only really matter if the demand exceeds the number of available slots.

The system is pretty simple.  And we are looking for people that will bring a bunch of lovely to the table.   If a person does wacky stuff with the waiting list, then it seems they are not bringing lovely to the table.

Thanks for the detailed, line-by-line response Paul. So it basically sounds like whenever someone requests a date, as long as there's a spot, they get it. And responding within 24 hours really only matters if a new date fills up quickly. Is that correct?

I think that does seem to describe it.

Of course I reserve the right to change things and be nutty in the future.

I have been on the waiting list for some time now and I'm sure I'm close to the top. Life keeps happening and now I'm expecting a child in July. I was wondering if I can donate my reserved spot to someone who can't afford the initial fee even though I know it is fairly inexpensive.  I would really like to come it is just unlikely that I will be able to anytime soon.
Any other ideas are welcome.

A spot is not transferable.  

I am curious about if it's possible to go out and check everything out for a bit to see if it's what would be a good fit. I saw where it's possible to go for a week, and I was wondering if one could go whenever they could schedule it. I work at an oilfield mancamp in New Mexico and would like to go for a week during one of my breaks( I work 6 weeks and off 2 weeks at a time). I paid 100 already to get on the list, but I'd enjoy just taking a trip and going spend some time checking it out if it's any possibility. I have a van conversion and can buy or bring my own food if that's any concern. Just figured I'd ask to see if that's an option. Thanks for your time.

Shaun Darbonne wrote:I work at an oilfield mancamp in New Mexico and would like to go for a week during one of my breaks( I work 6 weeks and off 2 weeks at a time). I paid 100 already to get on the list, but I'd enjoy just taking a trip and going spend some time checking it out if it's any possibility. I have a van conversion and can buy or bring my own food if that's any concern.

That is all going to depend on if Boots are needed.  October through March, probably; in the summer, maybe not.  But I did go for 1.5 weeks last year - it was lovely, we camped in our van, and I brought my own food (and chocolates to share with the resident boots.)

I was wondering if Paul would let me come back in March for 2 weeks if a bunk is available =D

Shaun Darbonne wrote:I am curious about if it's possible to go out and check everything out for a bit to see if it's what would be a good fit. I saw where it's possible to go for a week, and I was wondering if one could go whenever they could schedule it. I work at an oilfield mancamp in New Mexico and would like to go for a week during one of my breaks( I work 6 weeks and off 2 weeks at a time). I paid 100 already to get on the list, but I'd enjoy just taking a trip and going spend some time checking it out if it's any possibility. I have a van conversion and can buy or bring my own food if that's any concern. Just figured I'd ask to see if that's an option. Thanks for your time.

I don't know if the bootcamp is that flexible but you can pick your dates if you are a SEPPer https://permies.com/wiki/sepper

Jeff Bosch wrote:

Shaun Darbonne wrote:I am curious about if it's possible to go out and check everything out for a bit to see if it's what would be a good fit. I saw where it's possible to go for a week, and I was wondering if one could go whenever they could schedule it. I work at an oilfield mancamp in New Mexico and would like to go for a week during one of my breaks( I work 6 weeks and off 2 weeks at a time). I paid 100 already to get on the list, but I'd enjoy just taking a trip and going spend some time checking it out if it's any possibility. I have a van conversion and can buy or bring my own food if that's any concern. Just figured I'd ask to see if that's an option. Thanks for your time.

I don't know if the bootcamp is that flexible but you can pick your dates if you are a SEPPer https://permies.com/wiki/sepper

I'm pretty sure Bootcamp has a two-week minimum stay. But, anyone can come as a SEPPer for as long or as little as they want ( More info on SEPPer accommodations here: SEPPers Program: Seriously Excited About Permaculture Pampering!)

A lot of people do the SEPPer program as a way to dip their toes into Bootcamp without any obligation. You can join in the Bootcamp as much or as little as you want. If you join in for half-a-day, you get a free meal with the Boots. If you join in the Bootcamp for the whole day, you get three free meals with the Boots. There's a handy-dandy chart showing the difference between Boots and Seppers here: handy-dandy chart

I think, but I'm not sure, that if you come as a SEPPer, you don't need to pay the Bootcamp fee. You could stay on as a boot, or just put your name on the waiting list for later. If this is the case, the best bang for your buck is likely 1 week tenting for $150. There's a few other rentals, like the Love Shack, RMH tipi, etc that are $150 for 4 nights. But, the week of tenting is a good introduction to Bootlife for a week.  I think the Bunkroom--with the other Boots--is $150 for 5 nights, so you could, so you could really get a feel for if you like being a boot. Basically, you pay $50 more, Bootcamp on your own terms, and decide if bootcamp is a fit for you.