Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Nikolas]
#6447564
02/01/19 07:51 AM
02/01/19 07:51 AM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 28,978 potter co. p.a.
pcr2
"Twerker"
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"Twerker"
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 28,978
potter co. p.a.
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you have a love of the outdoors and some experience in nature.never make a biologist.
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Nikolas]
#6447661
02/01/19 09:22 AM
02/01/19 09:22 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,593 Alaska and Washington State
waggler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,593
Alaska and Washington State
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^^^^^^^^^^ I think you're onto something there. Nearly all of the government employees I've dealt with in any natural resource oriented job seem to be outdoor wannabes. Many of them actually view folks the like us with a degree of disdain.
"My life is better than your vacation"
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Nikolas]
#6447688
02/01/19 09:45 AM
02/01/19 09:45 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,898 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
"On The Other Hand"
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"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,898
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Obviously I'm old school. Yes, I have multiple degrees in wildlife management. Started professional field work when I was 15 on large predators. Have been in the game nearly 50 years. Through the years, I've been on many hiring teams or singly responsible for hiring technicians and professional biologists, even hiring of "bosses". To me, the university education is important for the applicant just to qualify for the job. However, most important to me, and absolutely why I have hired those that I did, was 1) their field experience, and 2) whether or not they were indeed consumptive users of the resource. Not how many degrees they had. There are many thousands of PhDs and Post-Docs out there that, in my book, are absolutely a joke, as they don't have the practical knowledge that one gets only from the field. As Waggler has stated, nothing but wannabees. I recently was on a hiring team for a state Fish and Game Department. The candidate that was hired as the statewide Furbearer Biologist was not the one with the most university education, but was clearly (to all of us on the hiring team) the one to hire, as his trapping background was infinitely superior to the rest of the field. Although I've been paid (meager) wages by various governmental entities, I like to think that I've never worked for an agency. I've always worked for the resource.
Keep that in mind Nikolas, and you'll do well.
Jack
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Gulo]
#6447737
02/01/19 10:33 AM
02/01/19 10:33 AM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,989 Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon
"American Honey"
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"American Honey"
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,989
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
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Obviously I'm old school. Yes, I have multiple degrees in wildlife management. Started professional field work when I was 15 on large predators. Have been in the game nearly 50 years. Through the years, I've been on many hiring teams or singly responsible for hiring technicians and professional biologists, even hiring of "bosses". To me, the university education is important for the applicant just to qualify for the job. However, most important to me, and absolutely why I have hired those that I did, was 1) their field experience, and 2) whether or not they were indeed consumptive users of the resource. Not how many degrees they had. There are many thousands of PhDs and Post-Docs out there that, in my book, are absolutely a joke, as they don't have the practical knowledge that one gets only from the field. As Waggler has stated, nothing but wannabees. I recently was on a hiring team for a state Fish and Game Department. The candidate that was hired as the statewide Furbearer Biologist was not the one with the most university education, but was clearly (to all of us on the hiring team) the one to hire, as his trapping background was infinitely superior to the rest of the field. Although I've been paid (meager) wages by various governmental entities, I like to think that I've never worked for an agency. I've always worked for the resource.
Keep that in mind Nikolas, and you'll do well.
Jack Very well articulated , Jack. This is also very true for a number of other occupations in life ....thank you.
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Nikolas]
#6447801
02/01/19 12:12 PM
02/01/19 12:12 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,631 Armpit, ak
Dirt
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11,631
Armpit, ak
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Since you are good at math, and if you like probabilities and statistics, look at becoming a biometrician.
Although you mentioned you like social studies, this should help you if you chose to become a bio-politician. Ton of work for these.
Who is John Galt?
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: bblwi]
#6447812
02/01/19 12:25 PM
02/01/19 12:25 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,941 American In the Pyrenees; Fran...
swift4me
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,941
American In the Pyrenees; Fran...
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Lots of good advice given, especially from the likes of Gulo. I graduated in 82 in Fisheries Biology at a time that jobs in California were like hen's teeth for white males. I was a fly fishing guide at the time and stayed with that track and it worked out well for me and my future bride. Out of several room mates I had at the end of college, two ended up doing well in Wildlife jobs with USFWS as refuge managers, two did well in range management and one other found another road instead of Fisheries. That said, none of them, even my brother after 40 years with the Forest service ending up at a high level, ever made as much money as they would have in other lines of work as mentioned by others. In my case, I would have never had the chance to make what I did in a government fisheries job.
At least in California, but no doubt other states, there is a huge lack of real outdoor experience in Fish and Game employees. Your life experience so far and that you will continue to gain will be a plus.
It is a decision along the way and not the last. Do what feels right and continue to be hungry. If another opportunity shows itself you'll know what to do at the time.
Good luck.
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Nikolas]
#6447825
02/01/19 12:49 PM
02/01/19 12:49 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,593 Alaska and Washington State
waggler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,593
Alaska and Washington State
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One thing you might want to do is to take a year off after high school and seriously look into several different fields. Don't just look at the year as an excuse to play, but have a serious plan, don't waste the year. Maybe go to Alaska during the summer and work at a fishing lodge, early fall work for a guiding outfit, later in the fall see if you can shadow a fish or wildlife biologist in your home State, get a hold of one of the mineral exploration companies working in the northern Midwest and see if you can shadow one of their geologists in the spring, etc, etc..
This may sound like a lot of work, it is, but it's better than spending four or more years racking up a bunch of student debt, and then find you have a degree in a field that you don't really like working in. I've known a lot of young folks over the years who have made hasty decisions right around high school graduation time just because they felt pressured to "figure out what you're going to do with the rest of your life". IGNORE THAT PRESSURE.
"My life is better than your vacation"
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Re: Marketable wildlife biology
[Re: Nikolas]
#6448463
02/02/19 12:53 AM
02/02/19 12:53 AM
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Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 882 NE NE
Wife
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 882
NE NE
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80 % of the folks working in the U.S. are NOT doing what they were either schooled at or want to do. The capitalistic system we live in affords a good wage for those will marketable skills in all fields - no brainer there. So lots of folks cast aside (or change) their chosen profession for a bigger paycheck which is not bad in my view. Once you become attached to a governmental agency you will have to make some political compromises that benefit political agendas and probably put the resource needs at a distant 2nd,,, so you may as well condition yourself for that. Telling it like it is biologically may not help your career (ask Major Boddicker). Privately you will start at the bottom or below and work up even with a masters degree so be prepared. With a degree in F&W management from MSU in 1980 I was in one of the last true science classes utilizing Bio-stats, Integral Calc, organic Chem. and all types of wildlife anatomy to gain some hard data for estimating wildlife needs, numbers, and trends (any of you old guys on here remember T-tests, paired T-tests, F-tests and how about the intrinsic rate of natural increase?). Heavy in math and stats. You may end up working with T&E species and watching "useful" wildlife go by the wayside as it is not "fashionable" in the current climate. Privately you will have to please the boss by showing some results that increase what he/she wants (more is better right?) so you will actually manage the habitat to mange the fish and wildlife. Never ceases to amaze me that people don't know the 3 categories that make up habitat and can't equate that 1 of those is limiting a population number. If truly interested in this job type, get to know the folks at the local government F&W agency and try for a summer job ----if you have to volunteer for a few hours/week then do so as when the time comes they will know who you are in that candidate pool. If interested privately do the same but you will be asked to multi-task more so some industrial arts classes will help get your tech skills polished. I just retired after 34 years w/USDA in the ag sector but handled a lot of projects (design and funding) that were F&W oriented. Prior to that I worked on a private fish farm and for a County Conservation District. Not much money but a heck of a ride..... the mike ......P.S. Harvested some fur along the way too!!!!!
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