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Hi all. I am about to graduate with a master's degree in a completely unrelated field, and I'm looking for a career change. One of the few constants in my life has been a love for nature and hiking. If I could, I'd go back and study environmental science. I did take an introductory envi/sci course in college, as well as classes like global environmental politics. I'm actually more knowledgeable than the average Joe on environmental, forestry, and related issues. I even interned for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division several years ago. Anyway, I know the requirements for a forest ranger are less than those for a park ranger, but it's hard to say. I'm also experienced in trekking in remote areas. Does anyone have any experience with this?
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Feb 12, 2015 15:22
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I don't know anything about this field specifically, but I do remember some things from applying to Federal Government jobs while unemployed. Just a warning though, that was like 5-6 years ago and some/most/all of the following information may no longer be accurate. You're gonna want to head over to USAJobs and take a look around. Do an advanced search for anything in the national park service and anything in the national forest service, because they'll have dozens of jobs classified under titles you never even thought to do a normal search for. As for experience/education, there will almost certainly be positions that require direct experience, but I'd be shocked if they all did. The Federal Government rates applicants on a point system - you get points for stuff they want, and the highest rated applicants get interviews. Many positions simply ask about higher degrees in general and will award points for having *any* bachelors or masters degree. Some positions will also have you fill out a 50-100 question survey that asks if you have experience doing the listed activities, which would be helpful in your situation. I also remember there being reduced requirements for "less desirable" locations, so that may help with your lack of direct experience. We do have a thread specifically for USAJobs - you should head over there and research/ask about general questions dealing with applying through USAJobs. You may not find someone knowledgeable in this specific field, but most Fed jobs get hired through the same system.
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Feb 14, 2015 14:05
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Thanks! There are a few threads linked in that one that are useful.
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Feb 14, 2015 17:34
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i'm a wildlife biologist with the USFS, still working temporary jobs at the moment. I work in the Sierras mostly with spotted owls and northern goshawks. When you say forest ranger what are you envisioning? There are lots of different types of people working in our office, but the only one I'd call a ranger is a LEO which is gonna be way tougher to get into than just the recreation, OHV, fire, or biology crews. With a masters you should qualify for GS-9 level jobs, but I don't know how it works when your degree isn't related at all. You might just have to start at lower levels to get experience in the field you want, but its generally pretty easy to get GS-4 or 5 level jobs. If you have specific questions, ask away, either here or in PMs. I'll try to check back.
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Feb 20, 2015 07:05
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Atican posted:If I could, I'd go back and study environmental science. Environmental science more often than not ends up in boring-as-hell environmental consulting. An industry which I've been trying to escape for the past half-decade. For most people, the gap between what you do in school (cool science and policy stuff) and real life (80% bullshit corporate paperwork and bureaucracy, look at interesting soil/rock/bog turtle for 5 minutes every other year) is fairly stark. As for the ranger stuff, the pay is not much, and it's a bitch to get into because the positions are fairly scarce, and a good portion of the jobs are LEO-style, meaning anyone with police or military history is way ahead in the line. Are you looking for something with the NPS, or state-level parks? With the NPS, you could be going all over the country for a while.
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Feb 20, 2015 12:24
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