Four days ago, I moved to Yellowstone, and with that move came my first real access to internet (not just on my phone and not limited to 10 minutes) that I have had in about a year. After filing through personal stuff I needed to catch up on, I realized I had literally hundreds of unread messages on my Facebook and Instagram from people who read this blog. I had not realized just how many people actually read this, and was surprised by the sheer volume. I am going to try to get back to everyone, but just know it will likely take me awhile. However, what I will do is use this blog to address the frequently asked questions that kept popping up in these messages to me.
Students
I am going out on a limb here and assuming that if you are pursuing a forestry degree, you are probably at least slightly interested in the outdoors. If that’s the case then maybe your winters are spent like mine, watching the rain and snow out your window, constantly being cooped up inside working on school assignments or work projects- dreaming of the day that you will be able to be out in the sun enjoying the outdoors once more-preferably in the backcountry. Maybe you’re even dreaming of the way you can be out exploring whenever you want after you have your degree. And while I’ve dreamt with you, I understand that these things take time. So, in the meantime, here are some things that can tide you over while you wait for your future life of outdoor awesomeness:
[Read more…] about Tips for Maintaining Your Love for Forestry During the Winter
The new year is fast approaching, and for many that means getting prepared to embark on a new stage of their life: getting their college degree. Many will start school this January, and more than a few will be seeking out practical advice from those who have been in their shoes before. While this advice abounds, with how to guides ranging from avoiding homesickness to cooking ramen noodles in 52 different ways, many of the most practical and important matters are neglected. Mainly, while there is no shortage of advice on how to get through college without becoming a social outcast, there is a dearth of information on how to ensure that when you graduate you will find yourself in a financially advantageous situation.
Like many others who dream of having careers with the federal government in the forestry field, when I graduated from college in 2013, I was overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness. All that I ever been told was how competitive and impossible it was to land one of these jobs. I was told to prepare to try for a decade before I was able to get into these fields. Surprisingly, despite all that I had been told, I landed a job less than a year later. I realized it wasn’t as difficult as I had been warned and that it has been increasingly easier to get jobs in forestry field in the past years. Students have even more reason to be hopeful about their future careers thanks to an especially generous federal budget that was just released this past week. [Read more…] about 2016 Federal Budget to Provide Job Opportunities in Forestry