From: Rebecca Weissinger [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 10:20 AM
To: Zurijanne Kelley
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] What do technicians do in the "off" season?
Hi Zurijanne,
I think it is always best to be clear about what is volunteer work and what
is paid work. Then make sure to detail your activities... did you
"independently develop a cactus monitoring program to monitor the effects of
poaching", or did you "educate park visitors on conservation issues....."
Especially with volunteer opportunities you set up yourself, you often won't
have a lot of guidance or supervision, so make it clear that you didn't just
show up and have someone tell you what to do - you were motivated enough to
create and opportunity and see it through.
Good luck!
On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 8:04 PM, Zurijanne Kelley <[email protected]> wrote:
Here's what I got so far from everyone with a few more recommendations
dotted about plus a few questions I have below:
* Find a temp job in the off season that is unrelated if you don't
obtain a career position
* Volunteer
* Stay in contact with former employees especially employers whose
projects you are interested in
* Make new friends and become couch/car savvy (fitting your entire
life into your car/truck/hatchback)
* Be flexible, determined and persistent!
* State your case when applying to jobs (in cover letters); no BS!
* Look for winter jobs in the desert, hydrology or botany related
positions
* Consider national parks and inquire about volunteering opportunities
and potentially free housing
* Apply to 39+1 jobs; it makes a difference
* Improve yourself through courses (on and offline), or certificates
* Consider publishing research by pursuing independent projects if
possible while serving as a tech. Talk to your project leader about the
possibility.
* Consider traveling abroad to cheap countries. I went to Kenya for
two months through Experiential Learning International. It cost me about
$1500 for the program alone. It was the cheapest that I found with the
longest time period. It included two meals a day and housing.
* Apply for unemployment if you worked in a position for at least six
months. I've learned that it helps to apply for food stamps as well. It
makes it easier when you're serving as a volunteer and parental/family help
isn't possible.
* Live modestly! I've also learned that using coupons is amazing.
* Don't buy a house; it decreases your flexibility when applying to
jobs. Don't sign an apartment lease even if the job is for five months and
the lease six months. That's money that could be in your pocket...yeah I
learned the hard way.
The questions I have are:
@Ms. Weissinger: When pursuing international opportunities should those
experiences be detailed as if it were a job or as volunteer experience only?
@Mr. McCallum What journals would you recommend for techs without advanced
degrees to pursue publication in?
