From: eugene@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: [l/m 4/15/92] High tech employment, a romantic notion  DW (25/28) XYZ
Followup-To: poster
Organization: NAS Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 12:20:15 GMT
Reply-To: eugene@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)

Panel 25

So you want a job in the backcountry?
What are you doing in computers?
Don't expect to find anything in misc.jobs.offered.
GO visit a job placement office.

This is a common "romantic" idea.  At this stage, the probability of
mixing computers and the outdoors is very remote.  Like the idea of
being a fire lookout or ranger or someting else?  Just telling you
the odds (1000:1 is common).  It helps to have a background in some outdoor
field: geology, forestry, botany, biology, surveying, aerial photo
interpretation, driving trucks, law enforcement, etc.  The work is at times
"back breaking," hot, hard, and sweaty.  Sound discouraging?  Intentionally.
I want to dissuade you from marginal ideas.  Why?  Because these organizations
need real hard working people.  It's scary work in cases.  Consider this
because I've had friends recently lose homes in Santa Barbara, that's a
very real thing, and they need people who realize this on fire lines.
You can't hesistate in that environment.

Next, if you are seeking a summer job with someone like the US Forest Service,
if you are reading this anytime after Feb. 1, you are most likely out of luck.
You need a Standard Form 171 from the US Government.  These jobs come
in the 1s and 2s odds tend to be in the 1:1000.  Pay is low.  Jobs like
these do not involve sitting around.  You must have excellent eye sight,
also remember that most fire towers are lightning rods.  Maybe smoke
jumping?  CA Department of Forestry?

Hints: depending in region, if you are on quarter system, take Spring Qtr. off.
The earlier they can get you the better.
Law enforcement skills for many of these jobs help.
There are sometimes the odd cases of someone not showing.

There is summer camp conuseling and guiding requires some very good skills,
a wide-range of experience, etc. for firms like NOLS, OB, YMS, etc.
If you are young, you have some disadvantages.
Working for a guide service, such services select their staff the year before.
Apprenticeship is typically in order first.
Guiding in National Parks and Forest requires a concessionare's permit.
It's illegal to "simply" guide on public lands.

Other examples of high tech work: snow hydrology (much harder than
backpacking, competition for jobs, extreme avalanche danger [most
resignations]), glaciology (naw, no future), field biologist, field geologist
(petroleum and mineral exploration, compromise environmental values?),
etc.

From: John Cooley <johnc@csupwb.ColoState.EDU>

A backcountry job

Actually, one job is commonly available on a very part-time basis, mostly in
the western US. You can become a wildland firefighter. 

An example of how to get started:
The Larimer County Sheriff's Department (Northern Colorado) gives an annual
one-week training for people wishing to acquire a "Red Card", which means
they are supposedly qualified wildland firefighters.  The training given in
Larimer County is 32 hours (1991), and basically qualifies you to operate a 
shovel or a pulaski under the direction of someone else, and, with luck, stay 
out of trouble.  Written and physical tests are given.  The physical requires 
that you be able to run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes.  They don't like their 
firefighters dying because of heart attacks.

After you do all this, you can be placed on call to fight wildland fires.  If
there are no fires, you don't work.  If you can't be reached, you don't work.
If you are doing something else, you don't work.  If all goes well, ("well"
being a relative term here) you get to go to a fire, get hot and filthy, and
risk your life for the princely sum of $8.33/hour.  

It's fairly easy to get started in the wildland firefighting business.  Contact
your local Emergency Services agency (Sheriff's Department, Forest Service,
etc.) and find out about training. They like to have people up to speed by the
beginning of June, so find out what's going on by the beginning of March, at
the latest.  If you stay with it, you can actually make a career out of it, and 
you'll have some amazing and unusual experiences.

TABLE OF CONTENTS of this chain:

25/ A romantic notion of high-tech employment		<* THIS PANEL *>
26/ Other news groups of related interest, networking
27/ Films/cinema references
28/ References (written)
1/ DISCLAIMER
2/ Ethics
3/ Learning I
4/ learning II (lists, "Ten Essentials," Chouinard comments)
5/ Summary of past topics
6/ Non-wisdom: fire-arms topic circular discussion
7/ Phone / address lists
8/ Fletcher's Law of Inverse Appreciation and advice
9/ Water Filter wisdom
10/ Words from Rachel Carson
11/ Snake bite
12/ Netiquette
13/ Questions on conditions and travel
14/ Dedication to Aldo Leopold
15/ Leopold's lot.
16/ Morbid backcountry/memorial
17/ Information about bears
18/ Poison ivy, frequently ask, under question
19/ Lyme disease, frequently ask, under question
20/ "Telling questions" backcountry Turing test (under construction)
21/ AMS
22/ Words from Foreman and Hayduke
23/ A bit of song (like camp songs)
24/ What is natural?

Newsgroups: rec.backcountry