Hi Jason, Aren't you the one who asked the Conservation vs. Gardening question? You've got a knack for asking good questions. I've been wondering exactly the same thing, given the difficulty of getting any sort of job academic or otherwise post-phD, (Google the number of articles that have come out recently discussing grim prospects). We seem to need a small army of highly skilled nomadic labor on a temporary basis but what, exactly, is everyone supposed to do the rest of the time? Not exactly sustainable.
-Shermin -- Shermin de Silva, Ph.D Director Uda Walawe Elephant Research Project email: [email protected] http://elephantresearch.net/fieldnotes http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~sdesilva On Sat, Feb 12, 2011 at 7:29 PM, Jason Hernandez < [email protected]> wrote: > I see that the surge of recruiting announcements for the seasonal > technician jobs is underway. It looks like a lot of important and exciting > projects, as I would expect. But it is impossible not to notice the time > frame: usually just spring and summer, some only spring or summer. > > I cannot really complain; I am fortunate in that my current job began in > January, instead of having to wait for April or May. Still, it does end in > July, about the time so many other jobs are also ending. This means I will > have to compete with all those other temporary and seasonal technicians for > my next job. > > Which brings me to my question: what does someone like me do in fall and > winter? Granted, based on my current qualifications, someone I work with > predicts I could have a permanent position "within two years." But I must > still make a living DURING those two years. What should I be looking at now > to maximize my chance of being employed come this fall and next winter? > > Jason Hernandez > Biological Science Technician, USDA Forest Service > > > > > >
