Career Exploration Resources & Videos
- What steps should I take to get ready for my career? Roadmap: From College to My Career
- “Find Your Path in Forestry” Career Exploration Booklet by Oregon Forest Resources Institute
- Career & Major Exploration from OSU’s Career Development Center (occupational databases, CareerOneStop, What Can I Do with My Major Tool and Focus 2 Assessment)
- Explore careers and make industry connections through OSU’s Summer Job Shadow Program (includes relevant employers for CoF students.)
- Careers in the Recreation Economy/Workforce Report by OSU’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy
- Not local? Find a list of employers in your own state by subject area, like “Forestry & Natural Resources” through Buzzfile Employers by Major and its nationwide search.
- Research what you former classmates are doing with their degrees with the LinkedIn Alumni Search for Oregon State University.
- Navigating Jobs, Internships & the CoF Work Requirement: Quick video explains how to meet the College of Forestry’s work requirement credits for specific majors and how to find your first job or internship!
- CareerOneStop Mini-Occupational Videos: Helpful 1-minute video summaries developed by the federal government showing what different jobs are like (e.g., forester).
- Panels & Career Exploration Conversation Videos: Check out these recorded conversations with our CoF alumni and professionals in the field giving advice about the careers you are most interested in. The videos include our current students asking questions and great tips and tricks for various CoF career paths.
- Careers in Forestry: Find Your Path - Short videos from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute
Check out the OSU Alumni Association’s alumni directory where you can search for a professional mentor from your field: https://osuconnections.org/.
Check out College of Forestry’s Mentored Employment Program to be mentored by a faculty on research and field experiences.
Government Jobs Career Resources
So many of our students in the College of Forestry will eventually want to go into government work – whether for summer internships, seasonal positions or full-time careers – with agencies like U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, OR Department of Parks & Recreation, OR Department of Fish & Wildlife, local county/city governments and many others. It’s important to know that government applications, resumes and regulations can be tricky. Here are some resources that will help you navigate them.
- Top 10 Tips for Federal Resumes
- Top Tips for State Government Resumes
- Government Resume Guide (U.S. Office of Personnel Management)
- Repository of Sample Resumes (Including federal-style)
It’s really important if you have your eye on a certain position title within the federal government, to ensure you are taking the right amount of the right classes in order to meet their coursework qualifications. Luckily the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management has a website where you can check all this out:
- General Schedule Qualification Standards: For example, you could click on Forestry Technician, Wildlife Biology or Recreation Aid to check the required qualifications and courses.
You can find government jobs a lot of places. Here are some tips:
- One great place to connect with government employers is the College of Forestry Career Fair each November in Peavy Forest Science Center.
- There are also government positions often posted on the College of Forestry job board and Handshake.
- In general, all federal agencies will post their positions on USAJobs.gov and all state employers will post their jobs on their own website, like State of Oregon.
- Note that some federal agencies like U.S. Forest Service and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will do large nation-wide hiring events annually. Usually in the fall. Watch out for these as they often involve posting hundreds of positions that you could qualify for. Seasonal Job Opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.
Check out these panel recordings that discuss the specific government process and give you insider advice from local employers:
- “What Are Government Jobs Like & How Do I Get One?” Annual panel featuring federal, state and local government agency insiders from organizations like NOAA, EPA, Parks & Rec, U.S. Forest Service and others (2023) (2022) (2021)
- Government recruiters explain government applications (NOAA & OR Dept. of Forestry)
- Ask OSU Student Internship Recipients: USAJobs Pathways, NOAA Hollings & NASA Develop
- Q&A with California Depart. of Forestry and Fire Protection!
This means you could get a tuition discount if you are a federal employee, spouse or dependent of a federal employee AND an Ecampus student. Learn more: https://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/affiliate/faa/