As mentioned it might take me a bit to respond, especially during the work week. But eventually I will. I'll continue to answer any questions as long as there are questions asked!!
Growing up I was fascinated with dinosaurs. Eventually, I decided live things are a lot more fun. I've just always liked nature, outdoors, and wildlife. I think it's the best possible career because i work to help protect the natural resources that so many take for granted.
As previously mentioned driving a UTV only 15 feet from bison is pretty hard to beat. So like an everyday kind of thing i've done that's the coolest. but for a more rare wildlife occurrence, I stared into the eyes of an angry bobcat only about 30 feet away. I've had plenty of other fun wildlife encounters while not working. I'm only missing cougar, lynx, wolverine, polar bear, and caribou on my North America large animal bingo card.
I started getting into the seasonal work about 2 years after graduating from college. Was kind of in a place that I wasn't quite sure where or how to use my degree. Then finally buckled up one winter and sent out probably 100+ applications to USFS and NPS positions. If he's wanting to go with Federal work I recommend he start now even if he's still in school. If he is currently working on his bachelors he should look for GS 03 and 04 jobs. if he's got his bachelors he should look for GS 05 jobs. and if he's doing graduate school I think he'd qualify for GS 07.
90% of Federal jobs get posted to USAjobs.gov this includes all federal jobs even NASA. They have a resume builder that i recommend as a good starting point. government resumes are not the same as what colleges and career fairs teach. my current resume for federal applications is currently 7 pages long. After he uses the resume builder tool on USAjobs he can start tweaking it to make it look better and save it as a pdf.
For current opportunities this summer it will depend on location, but if he's wanting to start building experience now checking in with his local park or forest office for ways to volunteer is always good. For next year's summer season jobs will get posted to USAjobs about December through February. My advice is he does a new search for job posting once a week beginning December 1st.
Another resource for job opportunities is Texas A&M Wildlife Job board. I'd say over 70% of all wildlife-related jobs in the country get posted there, even some federal jobs. This includes everything from State Fish & Wildlife to third party groups like Great Basin Institue. There are definitely jobs getting posted there for late summer/fall work. Even graduate research opportunities for masters and PhDs get posted there too if he's considering even higher education. All that said if he's wanting to go federal (USFS, NPS, BLM, USGS, etc.) working federal environmental jobs early as possible helps make getting that first permanent job faster. And he may even qualify for what's called the Pathways hiring process.
If he knows exactly what he wants to do then he should be picky about it (wildlife, plants, hydrology, or timber etc.) if not and he's open to whatever then i recommend applying for everything and see what he enjoys. In my experience being willing to travel to someplace new, he's never ever considered before helps.
The application process for federal jobs gives exactly what hiring offices look for. There is a qualification questionnaire for each job. If he's answering questions about work that he has done but didn't include in his resume he should go back in and update the resume and resubmit, with the exact phrasing the questionnaire used.
I'd be happy to answer any other questions he has, even talk with him via discord. There's a lot to wade through that for those not used to the seasonal work-life is kind of strange compared to normal jobs.
The next location on my list would be Washington or Alaska. Basically anywhere in Alaska be dope. As for Washington, I'm looking at the northwest like Rainier or Olympic areas.
Depends on agency. Although I haven't worked for BLM i get the impression they're most laid back loosely goosey wear what you prefer. For USFS most permanent employees have a uniform, green and tan, but a lot of seasonal employees don't wear it. Then NPS takes a lot of pride in their uniform and their classic wide brim hats. The USFS requires the use of a hard hat. Again going back to my previous comment that USFS is the largest free-range farm in the country, some of those trees come down without warning. Both NPS location I worked at required me to wear the uniform. Let me just say the wide brim hat of the NPS employee is my favorite.
pants and long sleeves for definitely necessary. Want to avoid getting scraped up by tree branches and thick brush we gotta hike through, avoid direct contact with poison oak or ivy, make it harder for ticks to get to your skin. It does get hot out, we just take our time, drink plenty of water and lots of shade breaks to rehydrate. Also, one gets sunburned infinitely faster when at higher elevations so long sleeves help prevent that too.
I don't have a preferred hiking boot, i actually wear my chacos 90% time for recreation stuff. But for work specifically, I really like my Danner high ankle boots. I forget which specific model i have. I got them my first season and they have been fantastic for working cross country having to step on and over down trees, and through thick brush. For most jobs just a good hiking boot is efficient enough, but if one is gonna do any fire fighting they need a boot that is 8 inches high, all leather, no metal in the toe, and the soles need to be stitched to the boot not just glued.
@Sermokala @LimJahey @JPach @iseedoug
(07-31-2020, 03:37 PM)iseedoug Wrote: What made you choose this career path?
What is the coolest wildlife you have seen on the job?
Growing up I was fascinated with dinosaurs. Eventually, I decided live things are a lot more fun. I've just always liked nature, outdoors, and wildlife. I think it's the best possible career because i work to help protect the natural resources that so many take for granted.
As previously mentioned driving a UTV only 15 feet from bison is pretty hard to beat. So like an everyday kind of thing i've done that's the coolest. but for a more rare wildlife occurrence, I stared into the eyes of an angry bobcat only about 30 feet away. I've had plenty of other fun wildlife encounters while not working. I'm only missing cougar, lynx, wolverine, polar bear, and caribou on my North America large animal bingo card.
(08-01-2020, 12:42 AM)JPach Wrote: Hey Duilio! MY buddy is trying to make his way into this exactly field and he has some questions for you.
How did you start your process into getting this seasonal position?
What are some good resume builders?
Do you know of any opportunities for people to work with you guys this summer?
What do hiring offices look for?
I hope you have a good day, love you bye.
I started getting into the seasonal work about 2 years after graduating from college. Was kind of in a place that I wasn't quite sure where or how to use my degree. Then finally buckled up one winter and sent out probably 100+ applications to USFS and NPS positions. If he's wanting to go with Federal work I recommend he start now even if he's still in school. If he is currently working on his bachelors he should look for GS 03 and 04 jobs. if he's got his bachelors he should look for GS 05 jobs. and if he's doing graduate school I think he'd qualify for GS 07.
90% of Federal jobs get posted to USAjobs.gov this includes all federal jobs even NASA. They have a resume builder that i recommend as a good starting point. government resumes are not the same as what colleges and career fairs teach. my current resume for federal applications is currently 7 pages long. After he uses the resume builder tool on USAjobs he can start tweaking it to make it look better and save it as a pdf.
For current opportunities this summer it will depend on location, but if he's wanting to start building experience now checking in with his local park or forest office for ways to volunteer is always good. For next year's summer season jobs will get posted to USAjobs about December through February. My advice is he does a new search for job posting once a week beginning December 1st.
Another resource for job opportunities is Texas A&M Wildlife Job board. I'd say over 70% of all wildlife-related jobs in the country get posted there, even some federal jobs. This includes everything from State Fish & Wildlife to third party groups like Great Basin Institue. There are definitely jobs getting posted there for late summer/fall work. Even graduate research opportunities for masters and PhDs get posted there too if he's considering even higher education. All that said if he's wanting to go federal (USFS, NPS, BLM, USGS, etc.) working federal environmental jobs early as possible helps make getting that first permanent job faster. And he may even qualify for what's called the Pathways hiring process.
If he knows exactly what he wants to do then he should be picky about it (wildlife, plants, hydrology, or timber etc.) if not and he's open to whatever then i recommend applying for everything and see what he enjoys. In my experience being willing to travel to someplace new, he's never ever considered before helps.
The application process for federal jobs gives exactly what hiring offices look for. There is a qualification questionnaire for each job. If he's answering questions about work that he has done but didn't include in his resume he should go back in and update the resume and resubmit, with the exact phrasing the questionnaire used.
I'd be happy to answer any other questions he has, even talk with him via discord. There's a lot to wade through that for those not used to the seasonal work-life is kind of strange compared to normal jobs.
(08-01-2020, 02:40 PM)LimJahey Wrote: Idk if anyone has asked this yet, is there either a state or park that you would like to get assigned/move to?
The next location on my list would be Washington or Alaska. Basically anywhere in Alaska be dope. As for Washington, I'm looking at the northwest like Rainier or Olympic areas.
(08-01-2020, 02:51 PM)Sermokala Wrote: Whats the meta for government workers working outside? What kind of hat is popular or is hats even popular? Are pants recommended to protect your legs or is it okay to go without them due to the heat? What kind of boots do you like?
Depends on agency. Although I haven't worked for BLM i get the impression they're most laid back loosely goosey wear what you prefer. For USFS most permanent employees have a uniform, green and tan, but a lot of seasonal employees don't wear it. Then NPS takes a lot of pride in their uniform and their classic wide brim hats. The USFS requires the use of a hard hat. Again going back to my previous comment that USFS is the largest free-range farm in the country, some of those trees come down without warning. Both NPS location I worked at required me to wear the uniform. Let me just say the wide brim hat of the NPS employee is my favorite.
pants and long sleeves for definitely necessary. Want to avoid getting scraped up by tree branches and thick brush we gotta hike through, avoid direct contact with poison oak or ivy, make it harder for ticks to get to your skin. It does get hot out, we just take our time, drink plenty of water and lots of shade breaks to rehydrate. Also, one gets sunburned infinitely faster when at higher elevations so long sleeves help prevent that too.
I don't have a preferred hiking boot, i actually wear my chacos 90% time for recreation stuff. But for work specifically, I really like my Danner high ankle boots. I forget which specific model i have. I got them my first season and they have been fantastic for working cross country having to step on and over down trees, and through thick brush. For most jobs just a good hiking boot is efficient enough, but if one is gonna do any fire fighting they need a boot that is 8 inches high, all leather, no metal in the toe, and the soles need to be stitched to the boot not just glued.
@Sermokala @LimJahey @JPach @iseedoug
