question about jobs

[wyohandi]

So my dream job has an opening. USDA-WS predator control agent. Of course the minimum education requirement is a BS.
My honest question is WHY??? Does spending years in college and a little piece of paper make you a better hunter/trapper?
Does all that time in a classroom give you a better understanding of the outdoors?
One of the job duties is arieal predator control (door gunner) now that job I am qualified for. But I've never seen it offered as a college credit!
I guess I'm just a bitter middle age old fart spent all my younger years in the army then working my a$$ off to feed the family and try to stay afloat, should have spent some of them in school. I'm gonna apply anyhow who knows?

[DANNY-L]

My opinion a piece of paper don't mean squat.

[Catfish]

I used to think I wanted to be a game warden. I had a BS in Wildlife Management. I applied and a couple of months later was excepted, but by then was back in farming and desided not to do it. From time to time I have thought that I should have done it, but then I get to thinking that I would have had alot less time to hunt and think I did the right thing. Main thing is to do your shooting and hunting now.

[stimpylu32]

I get the same BS all the time , no peice of paper , however I do bring to the table 20+ years in the construction trade's and a lifetimes worth of common sense , neither of these can be learned in 4 years of classroom .
 
Someday the world may wake up and understand that , but I don't think so . 
 
stimpy

[quasne.inc]

Its worth a shot to try for it.  My Bro in law just got a job that requires a minimum of a Bachelors and he has no schooling, but over 12 years as a manager.  So they gave it to him. 

[cjclemens]

I got a 4 year degree, but not before I spent several years out in the workforce, getting some experience under my belt.  As far as I can tell, the modern employer values the degree much more than the experience.  From what I've been told, employers see it as a sign of being motivated and self-directed - regardless of experience level.  Honestly that's a load of BS.  It tells the employer that you have 4 years of experience following orders, jumping through hoops, and not rocking the boat - like well trained lemmings.  Sure, there are a few companies left that value innovation and independence in their employees, but those are few and far between.  The experience gives me and advantage - it will get me hired before someone with a degree and no experience.  However, in this day and age, one without the other is almost useless. 

[charles p]

Maybe they write magazine articles or prepare reports for state execs.  Got to be more to the job that a trigger finger.  Budget input, statistics, electronics, public speaking, legal work.
 
Have a nephew who wants to be a firefighter in a big city.  Needed a BS and lots of additional work in the field just to get into the academy.

[Ladobe]

I did ADC for over 5 decades, but then I only did it under contract with landowners and not for a paycheck other than the use of the land.   My credentials were word of mouth, not some diploma, and I always had more land use than I could even come close to covering alone.
 
Kind of reminds me when I applied for a fisheries biology job in the Rockies about 35+ years ago... I had the college (marine biology major) and had worked as one for a state.   Job went to a kid fresh out of college. So much for experience mattering much.

[Larry L]

Of course the minimum education requirement is a BS.

Uh, no. I'm not sure if it's the same department but to be a Gov't trapper does not require a degree or even a high school diploma. My little brother is a Gov't trapper and has been since 1988. They do require that you be able to obtain a pesticide license within 90 days of hire. You could be asked to work with cyanide and that's a HIGHLY restricted medicine. They also want some kind of ranch or farm experience- they're not going to hire some guy straight off of the streets of New York City. You must have a drivers license and a clean driving record. It's helpful to have computer experience as all of the trappers now carry GPS and laptops to record the kills. Most districts now have their own trucks so you don't need yer own 4x4. A phone is a requirement, either land line or cell. Some are completely funded by the States and the Department of Agriculture and some require rancher participation in the funding (these are known as clubs). Sometimes the counties/parishes are part of the funding- it just depends on the area and funding available. Most of these trapping jobs do not pay squat. Most are annually at under $20,000 a year. They do provide health insurance but it's a joke so if you do get a job with them it's best to have yer own health insurance. There's a lot to it that is not as you might think. My brother has been in the hospital for cyanide poisoning. You don't have to have one go off on you, just a single crystal in the wind will kill you. He has Lyme Disease and has been bitten by a rabid coyote. You can at the departments expense get rabies vaccinated but finding a doctor to administer it can be an issue. If a rancher has a rabid animal on his property, guess who they are going to send? If you still have the interest, you can find all kinds of Gov't trapping jobs at the Texas A&M Jobs Board all across the USA. They'll be listed as a Wildlife Technician II. You can also look at the Department of Ag for jobs listings.
http://wfsc.tamu.edu/jobboard/
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/


There's a lot more to the job than riding around shooting varmints. The actual hunt is maybe 30% of the job. You'll play politician to the county officials and the ranchers. You'll answer the phone 24/7 and be available the same. You will make your own equipment like snares, traps, etc. You'll have to attend quarterly meetings depending on where yer district headquarters are at. If your state has any programs like Texas has the ORVP, you'll attend those to help every year-no excuses. And everything has a book of regulations that comes with it...like the truck, traps, etc and you will know the regs or yer fired. They're real big on firing folks too. Kill a protected animal- yer fired even if the animal accidently got killed in a snare, you hit it with the truck driving down the hiway, just about anything they can think of. Smoking in the truck, any alcoholic containers in the truck- yer fired. Just stuff like that. If you still have the interest, take a look at the job postings at the linky. They're ALWAYS looking for new people. I would suggest not spending a lot of money to get equipment to do the job until you've been there at least 5 years. Probably 80% of the new hires don't make it a year. Hope this was helpful.