USDA Forest Service

Biological Technician

May - September 2019 • Tiller, OR

What I liked

Working outdoors and in the field that I am passionate about. This is the field that I got my degree in (Botany).

What I wish was different

Advice

Keeping an open mind and continue to ask questions. Learning never stops, especially in the professional arena!

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Wildland Firefighter

May - August 2019 • Seeley Lake, MT

What I liked

I very much enjoyed my experience with the forest service

What I wish was different

Nothing!

Advice

Earn it to enjoy it

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Wildland Firefighter

May - August 2019 • Greybull, WY

What I liked

Everything it was the funnest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had

What I wish was different

Advice

Go into it knowing it’s going to suck you are going to work long hours with a lot of physical labor. But you can get really close to people and there is a lot of camaraderie. The pay is great and it is really fun! Where else can you get paid to play with a chainsaw!

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Wildland Firefighter

April - September 2019 • Escalante, UT

What I liked

Being outdoors

What I wish was different

Had a busier fire season

Advice

It is hard manual labor

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GS 4 Forest service timber crew member

May - August 2019 • Montpelier, ID

What I liked

Excellent job! I got to work in the mountains every day and cover some really neat country.

What I wish was different

Nothing. Loved the job

Advice

Get into shape for hiking early in the season!

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Forestry Technician

May - September 2019 • Baldwin, MI

What I liked

Working outdoors in our great Manistee National Forest.

What I wish was different

I wish that I would have been able to work across different disciplines more often.

Advice

Study your trees, know the differences between maples, oaks, aspens. Use your knowledge as a foundation for your decision making. Timber marking as much as it is a science, it is an art.

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Wildlife Technician

May - August 2019 • Cedar City, UT

What I liked

I really liked that I was able to work outdoors all summer. I love the mountains and love the schedule the forest service has working 4 ten hour shifts getting all weekends and holidays off. The pay is also very good for a student.

What I wish was different

I wish that I could have had the opportunity to receive overtime and been able to work longer throughout the year.

Advice

If you want to work for the Forest Service you have to look at the job listings extremely early. To get hired on in May 2019 I applied clear back in October of 2018.

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Wilderness Ranger

May - September 2019 • Mountain View, WY

What I liked

Everything. The people, the experience, the area. And that experience helped me get my foot in teh door with other opportunities.

What I wish was different

I wish it was a longer season but because of weather and school it is cut short.

Advice

Never put yourself above anything you can do.

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Forestry Technician

June 2016 • Idaho City, ID

What I liked

Consistent hours, getting to be outdoors, choosing the days I work, working with friends.

What I wish was different

More Variety of work

Advice

Have a good resume and be ready to work hard in the summer heat and drink lots of water. Also it's great experience no matter what field you are going into.

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Wildland Firefighter

May - September 2019 • Missoula, MT

What I liked

Working outside, good people

What I wish was different

Better payp

Advice

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Information Receptionist

May - December 2019 • Cedar City, UT

What I liked

I really liked how this job position allowed me to work with every division within the forest service. I was able to learn new skills and I also had the opportunities to go out on the forest and see the different projects that were going on, on the district. A big part of my job was customer service whether it was selling permits or merchandise, answering phone calls, or replying to letters and emails sent from the public.

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to go out in the field more. My job at the office definitely kept me busy but it was nice going out on the mountain when I could.

Advice

Be open minded when working for any agency that offers multiple career paths. I have been and am still set on working for the Forest Service's Range Management department, but this job showed me just how much more there is behind the scenes at the office. This agency has so much to offer from timber programs to hydrology to engineering, there is so much this place offers.

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Recreation technician

May - August 2019 • Oscoda, MI

What I liked

Great environment to work in and opportunities to grow. They want the best for their employees.

What I wish was different

I wish i could have worked there longer.

Advice

Be ready for a changing work environment. You have to be flexible I the job.

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Pathways Intern Forester

March 2019 • Fort Collins, CO

What I liked

I liked the range of experiences that I was exposed to. I liked my coworkers and the opportunity to serve the forest service. I liked the opportunity I was given to go to Alaska and do real work for the FS instead of being stuck in the office doing paperwork and staying in the background. I appreciated the ability to network across the nation that was available at my office since it is an extension of the national office where policies, manuals, handbooks, etc are written and programs are made, decisions for the agency are deliberated and it affects the entire nation.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time in the summer to go to more experiences, more classes, etc.

Advice

If an opportunity is offered and it is not what you wanted or expected, don't discount the possibility it may be better for you in the end. Keep your head and spirits high as if you had been given the best opportunity you hoped for. Attitude is more important than aptitude in many office settings. My internship is not what I had expected or hoped for, but it was far better than what I had hoped for. I am set up for a better career path and my internship was extended to cover me during a Master's offer I accepted while working my internship.

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Partnerships intern

June 2019 • Ogden, UT

What I liked

I like helping others with projects they have and using my skills I’ve learned in school to make projects go smoother.

What I wish was different

To be graduating sooner so I could start my career in the USDA.

Advice

Even though there are better internships to get out there, at least you get your foot in the door and get your name out across the USDA for future jobs.

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Range technician

May - August 2019 • Monticello, UT

What I liked

Riding horses and being in the mountians

What I wish was different

More rain

Advice

Look on USA jobs often, customize your cover letter.

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Forestry Technician (fire suppression)

June - August 2019 • Crescent, OR

What I liked

Working in the outdoors, Meeting diverse group of people, Living remotely.

What I wish was different

Leadership I worked under had been more clear, direct. I wish there had been more work to be completed and less waiting for direction. I wish there was no egotistical factor with being a firefighter

Advice

Be patient, dont ask stupid questions.

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Wildland Firefighter

April - September 2019 • Richfield, UT

What I liked

-using driptorches on the prescribed burn for aspen regeneration -using saws to drop hazard trees and cut fireline -using handtools to dig fireline -the views at the top -getting paid to camp -silly games with the crew -the green pants are so comfy and have lots of deep pockets -learned to drive a four-wheeler -played a lot of cards and zipped around on ATVs -the challenge of keeping up with the boys, and getting a fair chance on the saw

What I wish was different

I wish I'd found some friends outside of work. The folks at my station had their own personal lives off the clock, but I came into fire with the expectation of work being my life, and my crew my new family. That's not the way it's set up in the Richfield Ranger District, there is a work/life separation, unlike other crews I'd heard about. There was no bunkhouse, so I had my own place all to myself in town, and I was lonely.

Advice

Know what questions to ask when they call to offer you a job. A lot of forests don't interview for seasonal positions, they just call with an offer. So YOU need to interview THEM to find out if the offer is truly what you want. The government super works on a "need to know" basis, so they won't tell you anything unless you ask. Here are some good questions to ask when considering a position: 1. What type of module am I being hired on to? How many people are on it? Make sure you understand your module's role 2. Is there government housing? This is important. If you're applying to faraway places, don't get stuck paying rent in town. The bunkhouse is cheap, and whether you like your crewmembers or not, you won't be isolated 3. How many hours of overtime did the crew work last season? Anything under 400 is terrible. Firefighters make their money in hazard pay and overtime. 4. How is the handcrew set up? Is it a "throw-together handcrew" or is it a set crew every time? There are pros and cons to each type 5. Do you work off district often? Off forest? If you like to travel, this is a plus 6. What kind of project work do you do when not fighting fires? Not all projects are created equal...if you like to work the saw, thinning and fuels reduction is what you want to hear. Otherwise, you might get stuck repairing fences

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Forestry Technician

May - August 2019 • Missoula, MT

What I liked

Outdoor field work, leadership experience

What I wish was different

Permanent position

Advice

Be ready to be available at all hours of the day if you are working fire

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Forest service crew leader

May - August 2019 • Grand Junction, CO

What I liked

I like how we were able to have an experience out in the wild and be able to go camping with people that you haven't met before and build with them over the summer.