Daughter Looking to move West

[hank4elk]

Look @ USA jobs & what is available in many fields with similar degree. Sorry dad but chances are she will have to move farther than down the street.
I personally think the uncertainty & hiring freeze will produce a boom of retirees & spots to slip into for someone in right place at right time in outdoors fields in public sector.
I'd personally ask her to prove herself in her choozen field, for a short time anyway. But I'm just an uncle & old school. That means taking a seasonal job if need be sometimes. Hell even oil companies hire some biologists & such.
I took a maintenance job during a const. lull & it turned into a 22 yr career ,the last 18 as a Park Ranger with multiple titles.degrees & certifications that led to promotions, raises & early retirement...lol.
That said,nursing & nurse practitioner are going to be even more in demand in near & far future.

 

[LandDiver]

I have a friend who used to work for ODFW. She was a biologist and I thought she had the coolest job ever! They would helicopter her in to these remotes rivers and guess what she had to do all day, guess?! She got to spend her day in a river counting salmon! All these random, beautiful places, counting fish and having a blast! Now she works for NOAA, and approves grants for research projects to work in certain rivers on certain fish.

 

[LopeHunter]

Some great advice so far.

I started out as an accountant doing audits for one of the largest accounting firms in the world after my undergrad then switched to sales for huge hi-tech firm for a few years then when I was spitting distance of turning 30 I got my MBA at a top school and have done operations and sales roles for smaller companies the past couple of decades. I liked the role in the accounting firm and the hi-tech outfit but I was one small cog in a really big machine where the HQ was hours away. The MBA helped me transition into an executive role as did targeting smaller companies where I reported to the owner/CEO so could make a much larger impact. Much more rewarding as I like to build companies and coach team members so I can delegate and then have more time to take on tougher issues.

I suggest a couple of years before consider grad school of any type. By then, will have more life experience as an adult. Perhaps some of her family can help to match a portion of what she earns the next couple of years so she has the flexibility to accept the best job for her next career move even if that first job out of undergrad is not the best-paying job. I do suggest taking the grad school test(s) now while she is used to studying and taking tests. Taking tests is an art that gets rusty quickly once are in the real world.

Student debt can be crippling if end up with a degree either not in demand or pays less than need to pay off the educational loan in under 10 years. A huge hurdle to find yourself still making payments on educational loans and try to take on a mortgage and save for retirement. You could wake up one day and be 40 with no net worth. Money is not everything but sure is nice to have enough to flatten issues that pop up unexpectedly.

Many of the more today's attractive jobs will be virtually obsolete in 20 years while your daughter is hitting the prime of her career. 40 years ago a typewriter repair person was a solid skill as many homes had a typewriter and most college kids had one. Not so much today. Same is true for an operator with a phone company looking up phone numbers for callers but that was a solid union job even into the 1990s. How to know what jobs are going away next? If a robot with a bit of intuitive logic can use a set of rules to learn/perform a series of tasks then expect roles to go away. For example, a fast food joint will be staffed much differently in the next few years where eateries are open 24/7 and maybe 2 people are working in the eatery. Customer will order before arrive and pay with their phone without interacting with anyone and then enter a pin code to access their meal which was prepared by a robot and placed in a secure pod in a wall of pods. Bathrooms can be designed to self-clean as well where they lock and walls are sprayed and dried by powerful fans. The only workers needed are to reset when a robot that jams or to react to a complex, unexpected event.

 

[MooseCaboose]

As a fellow young person, I can say I really enjoyed living in Bozeman, MT. Thriving outdoor culture and the best job growth in Montana. Plenty of young people around and Montana State churns out a great crowd of intelligent and motivated people (this coming from a Griz).

As an aside, there is something special about living in the mountains. Now that I attend grad school away from the Rockies, I would say it's one of the main things I miss.

Best of luck to your daughter.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

My advice would be similar to others. If she wants to stay in the fish and wildlife field then I would look into seasonal jobs and grad school. Nursing has been brought up and I think this would be another solid option.

One choice that hasn't been brought up is teaching, if she likes working with kids. She likely has all the science classes completed to be a science teacher, would need to take some education classes and student teach (probably take around 3 semesters). You ain't gonna get rich, but you can also work just about anywhere as every small town has a school. I was in a similar situation with a degree in fisheries and this is what I did. I'm happy with my choice

 

[1_pointer]

One more bit of advice, that's sort of been hinted at, if she wants to stay in wildlife biology-ish field. Any place that is hip/cool/neat to live will have very high levels of competition. Be willing to build that resume by taking a job in places not quite as charismatic. At least in the federal agencies a lot of good, long careers start in places many folks consider a chit hole...

 

[Jamen]

From one recent college grad to another my bit of advice.

I had dreams of the wildlife field ever since I was a kid. Older I got I realized the amount of jobs out there and amount of people looking for the same jobs did not sit well with me. Went into engineering for a year then switched to business administration. After 6 years of school I graduated landed a solid job that is a govt job mix of desk work and outdoor work. But with a mountain of debt I am regretly looking for other options to pay it off and start a life without that mountain.

If I was in her shoes and I had to do it all over again I would jump into grad school for a MBA. Gives you a wide range of jobs you will be qualified for all over the country and you may be able to find a happy medium of an outdoor type job with that degree.

Not to get off topic but it is a very competitive market out there right now for young adults. Ever since I was little adults beat it into you that you need to go to college to get a job to get a head in life. Once we get the degree and look for jobs its pretty slim or the college grads are just completely over looked. The cost of school and jobs that will be able to support that a long with basic living needs is tough coming out of school.

Biggest piece of advice I would tell her is not to get discouraged. Keep looking and apply to anything and everything even if you do not think you are completely qualified doesn't hurt to get your name out there.

Best of luck

Jamen

 

[glass eye]

Usually a few fisheries jobs in AK open most any time. May not be the best place to live.

Far from home but on the plus side, as a non-resident you could visit your AK resident daughter and hunt together DIY for Brownies, Sheep, and Goat without having to hire a guide.

 

[2ski]

Reading some responses jogged my memory. Surveying. She'll need more schooling but I have a buddy that will be asked to go survey a property and take off up a mountain in the middle of an area some rich dude wants to put a house on. But right now, nothing is there so my buddy gets to hike in 3 miles or so and survey the edge of the property.

 

[dcopas78]

Well being a water and wastewater treatment guy, I'm always going to try to recruit young people to the field. I started out with an environmental engineering degree, specializing in hazardous wastes/materials management, Superfund remediation projects, landfill design and management. I got tired of living from a suitcase and decided I needed to change fields. I took a job back home, took my certifications for water and wastewater treatment, and haven't looked back since. It is a very nice way to earn a living. The pay is good, it is public employment/retirement, lots of holidays and lots of vacation and comp time to enjoy your days hunting/fishing/hiking. I know of several Class 4 operators here in Ohio that make over 100K per year, some pushing 150K.

With a degree/background in a science field, many states will "exempt" her from having to have the experience in the plant in order to take/receive certification. There are always jobs in the field. Ohio lost 2500+ jobs when the baby boomers started retiring and we can't get caught up with getting new people trained and certified to replace the retirees. Many states are in the same boat.

Hey, Bozeman is hiring right now!
https://www.bozeman.net/Departments...tant-Water-Reclamation-Facility-Superintenden

https://www.bozeman.net/Departments/Human-Resources/Jobs/Water-Sewer-Operator-I

 

[Deleted member 28227]

My wife graduated with an Anthropology degree and saw the writing on the wall for jobs, she is currently finishing up her first year of medschool. It's a long road but you can get all your loans forgiven if you work as a doctor in a rural area, (pretty much all of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado outside of Denver qualify)

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Here ya go.... $30 an hour..... https://idfg.idaho.gov/job/42894
Matt

 

[MThuntr]

One more bit of advice, that's sort of been hinted at, if she wants to stay in wildlife biology-ish field. Any place that is hip/cool/neat to live will have very high levels of competition. Be willing to build that resume by taking a job in places not quite as charismatic. At least in the federal agencies a lot of good, long careers start in places many folks consider a chit hole...

This...I lived in Ekalaka, MT early in my career. Not many appreciate that area but it is actually an incredible place to be...although fishing opportunities are pretty slim

 

[Deleted member 28227]

That one gas pump in Ekalaka also makes me nervous everytime I hunt that area, that thing is straight out of 1960 and it's a bit of a drive to Baker if something happens.

 

[MThuntr]

That one gas pump in Ekalaka also makes me nervous everytime I hunt that area, that thing is straight out of 1960 and it's a bit of a drive to Baker if something happens.

When I lived there you had to pay inside so you made dang sure you had fuel on Friday because you never knew if they would be open on the weekend. Had to drive to Baker to get groceries and do laundry. The highway south was only paved for about 15 miles which made for trips that direction interesting

 

[RobG]

One thing - graduate school is not drudgery like an undergraduate program, most people think it's @*#&!'n awesome if you get a decent committee. If she is smart I'm sure she would love it.

There are lots of non-profit jobs here in Bozeman, but competition is high and housing expensive.

 

[Muskeez]

Thanks for all of your help guys! I told her there would be a nice diversity of people here with good wisdom. You didn't disappoint. She is not interested in healthcare, but the good news is she did get an interview yesterday for a summer fisheries job. If that doesn't pan out she now has many more options to ponder. Thanks again!