I second this wholeheartedly.
From: Ian Will [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 12:17 PM To: Zurijanne Kelley Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] What do technicians do in the "off" season? One of the in-between jobs that I feel works well is substitute teaching. Depending on the your needs and the needs of your local districts this may have to be a supplemental to another job. The district I am with (and all others as far as I can tell) have a callout-offer system, so you work only when they call and you accept the job. This means you can disappear for a seasonal job or travel at the drop of a hat, and come back to a job right away. The downside is that there are a number of days that you may not get any calls, and therefore don't make any money. But, you can work for multiple districts in your area to bolster your chances. Ian On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 7:12 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?
