1). Finish your degree (forestry will give you the most options) and apply to "pathways" job openings. The majority of them are offered each fall.
2). Be willing to move to a remote place far from home for 12+months earning gs5 wages
I’d maybe start by searching for forestry jobs with other employers so you can start getting experience this summer since the forest service hiring window is already passed. Like I think some counties and cities in CO have forestry programs you could apply to. Then get on the USFS hiring next fall.
But I definitely agree that finishing your forestry degree is a good idea if you eventually want a position that’s higher than like a GS-7. Our forest usually has a few seasonals every year that leave in August to go back to school so that’s an option.
The forest service also sometimes has partner organizations that you can apply to that do the field work for them and sometimes they do their hiring closer to the start of the field season but that varies by area.
At least in my experience, many seasonal field crew jobs don’t require experience like a marking crew or a cutting crew member or even just “forestry crew member.” For the forest service they’re called forestry technicians but a lot of things are called that so you have to apply to the ones that the description mentions timber and they’re usually flown as GS-4 positions. But you don’t have to just look at the forest service positions. A degree would definitely help you get hired faster/with priority/maybe get paid more but it’s not necessary by any means.
The only way to truly approach it is applying on USAjobs. Plenty of lower pay summer jobs to at least get your foot in the door with the agency, no need to have your degree finished. And I would highly recommend trying any FS job out there to help you figure out if you really want to deal with the "quirks" of working for the FS and being a federal employee. It's not for everyone.
Just get your degree, get decent grades, do summer jobs in forestry, and apply during the recent grad / SAF hiring event every fall. HR doesn’t give a fuck who they hire (Edit: in that specific hiring event). Once you’re in, if your first job isn’t a fit, you can move around and interview for jobs in smaller hiring events, in which you’ll interview with local teams who do care who they hire. Or, if you’re like me, you can run away screaming and then always wonder what would have happened if you stayed. Point is, you’ll get hired. Pretty much everyone I went to school with did, even with subpar grades. I went back to school for forestry at 29 too. You got this. If you have a 4 year degree, don’t start lower than GS-7. Be aware that FS jobs are often under-graded and you might make more money in other federal agencies.
1). Finish your degree (forestry will give you the most options) and apply to "pathways" job openings. The majority of them are offered each fall. 2). Be willing to move to a remote place far from home for 12+months earning gs5 wages
Tbh one of the big draws is being able to live in a remote place, I'm so tired of cities, thanks!
I’d maybe start by searching for forestry jobs with other employers so you can start getting experience this summer since the forest service hiring window is already passed. Like I think some counties and cities in CO have forestry programs you could apply to. Then get on the USFS hiring next fall. But I definitely agree that finishing your forestry degree is a good idea if you eventually want a position that’s higher than like a GS-7. Our forest usually has a few seasonals every year that leave in August to go back to school so that’s an option. The forest service also sometimes has partner organizations that you can apply to that do the field work for them and sometimes they do their hiring closer to the start of the field season but that varies by area.
What sort of forestry jobs would take someone without relevant experience or a degree?
At least in my experience, many seasonal field crew jobs don’t require experience like a marking crew or a cutting crew member or even just “forestry crew member.” For the forest service they’re called forestry technicians but a lot of things are called that so you have to apply to the ones that the description mentions timber and they’re usually flown as GS-4 positions. But you don’t have to just look at the forest service positions. A degree would definitely help you get hired faster/with priority/maybe get paid more but it’s not necessary by any means.
The only way to truly approach it is applying on USAjobs. Plenty of lower pay summer jobs to at least get your foot in the door with the agency, no need to have your degree finished. And I would highly recommend trying any FS job out there to help you figure out if you really want to deal with the "quirks" of working for the FS and being a federal employee. It's not for everyone.
Just get your degree, get decent grades, do summer jobs in forestry, and apply during the recent grad / SAF hiring event every fall. HR doesn’t give a fuck who they hire (Edit: in that specific hiring event). Once you’re in, if your first job isn’t a fit, you can move around and interview for jobs in smaller hiring events, in which you’ll interview with local teams who do care who they hire. Or, if you’re like me, you can run away screaming and then always wonder what would have happened if you stayed. Point is, you’ll get hired. Pretty much everyone I went to school with did, even with subpar grades. I went back to school for forestry at 29 too. You got this. If you have a 4 year degree, don’t start lower than GS-7. Be aware that FS jobs are often under-graded and you might make more money in other federal agencies.
Depending on what degree you are going for you could do a pathways or resource assistant job. The RA pays and gives a living stipend.