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>> Sometimes we call it a picnic in the forest for our work day, but it's enjoyable.
It gives you things to do and places to go and it's never the same thing twice.
>> I couldn't ask for a better place to be.
Here I've got trees all around me.
I get to work out here in the woods.
>> All through school, you learn theory.
And theory without practice is dangerous so you have to get some practice in there.
And that's what I like about the forest services.
>> It's the outdoor lifestyle that I was wanting, yeah.
Definitely.
>> Lifestyle, challenge, locations, technology, support, opportunity.
There's a lot to be said for engineering in the forest service.
And who better to say it than the ones who do it.
In complexity, variety, and responsibility, forest service engineering is full of challenge.
>> We do expect a lot out of young folks coming from college.
We do not expect them, of course, to fly on their own in the first six months
because intensive advanced training is forth-coming.
>> I can be involved in road construction, road design, facility work,
contract administration, geotechnical engineering.
>> Working on a park project, working on water systems.
With the park projects, we're doing quite a bit of work with barrier-free architecture,
getting accessibility for everyone, and this has created all kinds of new work.
>> Well, when I was going to school, I hadn't possibly thought about the forest service.
I didn't even think of it as a possibility.
I wish I had known because I was-- in many ways thought that, well, the forest service, yeah,
they just cut down trees and build roads and that's pretty much it.
>> I think that's a big myth in terms of the forest service cutting down just trees.
I thought that myself, but engineering has sophisticated projects.
>> Within a year, a young engineer can expect to have project level responsibility,
contract administration responsibility, and be far ahead of their peers in the private sector
as far as engineering, overall project responsibility, decision-making goes.
>> From Atlantic to Pacific, from Puerto Rico to Alaska, from cities to rural settings,
the forest service offers a diversity of potential work locations.
>> You can work in the rain forest on the west side of the Pacific coast.
You can work on the east side in the high deserts.
And you can go to Colorado and work the high country there plus there's a national forest
back east.
>> If your lifestyle is tiered more towards a large city,
you can get that in the forest service too.
>> There is still a lot of remote ranger districts out there where you can have
that experience if that's what you want.
>> Most engineers don't have that luxury of being able to live in a small town or rural area
and still do a certain amount of engineering.
>> I need three satellites to get a two-positional fix.
>> From satellites to computers, in the office and in the field, forest service engineers work
with cutting edge equipment and methods.
>> And now we have [inaudible] with electronic distance meters.
And we're also utilizing global positioning systems that utilize the satellites,
send the signals down to the receivers and we can position ourself on the face of the Earth.
>> We work with all the major universities in the United States on such theories
as elastic layer theory for pavement design, the latest techniques
on slope stability analysis, materials construction.
So in my view, we are on the leading edge of technology because we are allowed to take risks.
>> Maybe putting in a bigger pull-out area.
>> In the team environment of the forest service,
personal support from others is an important part of the culture,
whether for career guidance, project assistance, or just lending a hand.
>> There are a lot of neat people that are willing to help you.
You're not alone.
You always can go to somebody for help.
>> The neat thing is it puts you in contact with people who like the same things you do.
>> I like the family attitude.
I like the idea that I continue to run into people
that I've met before either on a fire or at another job.
>> Working with other people is just--
one of the most fantastic things
about the forest service is everybody has their own specialty
but we all work towards the big picture.
>> In the forest service, opportunities
for new engineers are greatly expanded compared to most other job alternatives.
>> If I probably went to work for a private consulting firm then I'd mostly be doing
inspection and not really much design work, where with the forest service,
I get to do a lot of design work.
>> As an engineer, I can also find myself moving up in my career to become a manager,
in not only in engineering but in other disciplines.
>> When you come out of college and you're new to a job, you know,
you think this is what I want to be.
And you find out real quick that within a few years,
you may decided that you want to try something new.
And with the forest service, you don't necessarily have to leave the agency to do that.
>> Now, that's really true.
In fact, I was just talking to some people about my own career that way.
And I'm a geologist, but that doesn't mean that I need to do geology for the rest of my career.
If I select to go into management, I can go that way.
If I select to get into more engineering and more technical things, I can go that way.
>> Challenging assignments, diverse locations, advanced technology,
personal support, expanded opportunities.
There's a lot to be said for engineering in the forest service.
It's not for everyone, but like these engineers, it could be for you.
>> If anything, it's personality.
You know, there's people who are in engineering who--
they want the suit and the 9:00 to 5:00 and the office in the big city.
Well, then there's others that, you know, like the engineering, they like the design work but,
yet, they don't want to stay in an office, you know, the rest of their lives.
And this is great for those type of people.
>> If you are fine-tuning your career plans, set your sights on the forest service.
You may just be the kind of person who would enjoy engineering
in a national forest environment.
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