Help! do a degree or not update?

[ecomaniac]

Hi all, hope you are all well,

As mentioned on my previous thread, I have recently had the dilemma of deciding wether to go to uni this September or take the work route after finshing my Nap Dip in coutryside management at college in June (I got triple distinction)
Well, I have just been offered a long-term residential volunteer placement with the RSPB which I think, combined with my Nat dip, and NPTC'S ( I have my cs 30 & 31 now) should get me a job in several months. I'm also considering an OU degree in Environmental studies as I feel I have not reached my potential academically and wish to continue study, plus it's relevant to the industry.

On the other hand, I have been offered at place at worcester for a Bsc in Ecology and continue to mull over whether this would be a better route to take long-term with regard to salary, career progression etc. bearing in mind I am 32 now and would be 35 upon graduation, unemployed and possibily lacking in experience with £k's in debt.

I have spoken to some staff in the indusry who have said forget uni if you want a hands on ranger role and concentrate on practical experience unless you want to be an Ecologist (I notice Ecology positions are scarcer than ranger type roles at the moment)

I think the RSPB voluntary work + more tickets/training and a good attitude along with the OU environmental studies degree would be a good choice for me given the circumstances long-term. Many of you gave good advice on my previous thread for which I am grateful, but indecisiveness is one of my weak points! Advice apprecaited...

Eco

[Mele]

Hi ecomaniac

Dilemma eh?

I've just read your other posts on this. Congrats on being offered a place for an ecology degree. I have an ecology degree which I completed at the age of 40. I loved the degree and it changed my way of thinking about the world to study science at university. I still don't feel I've reached my potential academically and perhaps one day I'd like to do a PhD...who knows? I'm only 50 now so heaps more time yet to decide (I hope!). If you want to do consultancy a degree does offer academic credibility (and it gave me immense confidence) but you also need some practical skills in the field. Does a degree offer better prospects? Depends what you want out of your job...satisfaction or money or if you are are lucky both.

But, I do think though that networking and getting practical experience under your belt is also vitally important. The OU option is therefore also a good one. It depends on your financial situation, but it sounds as if you need to borrow to study.

I'm not quite clear if you want to do practical rangering or a more ecology consultant role.

Not sure I've said anything useful...

Best of luck though...

Mel

[ecomaniac]

Hi Mel, thanks for replying


I notice your based in Bedfordshire - I'm orginally from Kempston, near Bedford but moved up to Norwich, Norfolk two years ago to study !

Well done on achieving your degree in Ecology - I'm glad it has helped you get to where you want to be.
You have made some good points on the necessity of studying in relation to consultancy and the improtance of getting hands on experience required for ranger/warden roles - I agree with all that you have written.

I have been mulling over (again) today and have decided to go with the volunteer opportunity I have with the RSPB; it will provide me with some credible work experience and may open some doors in terms of employment/networks in the coming months. I ma prepared to start employment in an entry level role and work my way up which I feel is the best way.

Nevertheless, I do want to learn more and will definately be looking at the OU degrees in more detail very soon. The environmental studies Bsc includes some work on biodiversity in it's modules although the degree focuses predominately on environmental topics. (There is always the research Msc to do after which concentrates more on conservation and biodiversity ! ). I see alot of jobs asking for a degree in a 'relevant subject' so geography and/or Environmental studies falls into this category and conservation and environmental matters are very closely linked.

I do enjoy the hands on reserve/habitat management side of things and very at home outdoors, but I also enjoy writing up managment plans and reports etc having done alot during my ND.

If I study I will need to get financial assistance which the OU can provide through loans and bursaries.

thanks again

Eco

[21stPhantom]

I hope ego won't mind me hijacking his thread somewhat, I've just registered in order to post as I have a question of my own. I'm currently at college studying my GCSE's as a mature student of 23, and I'd love a career outdoors. I don't have any conservation experience, but I have a massive interest in learning about the wildlife that surrounds us. I'm also a keen hillwalker and wildcamper and I love being outdoors whatever the weather.

I'm looking ahead a bit here, but would it be a good route to take if I completed my GCSE's, got some volunteering experience (the residential experience offered by RSPB looks fantastic) and then studied the Extended Diploma in Countryside Management Level 3 next September? I am very interested in biology and conservation work, but I keep thinking that perhaps the A Levels > Uni route would not be the best for me, as I enjoy the practical side of things rather than studying purely theory for 5 years. Is it true that degrees tend to lead more to management roles and as such, less practical work?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[APC]

Yo,

Degrees will suit different jobs and people. The senior ranger at my place doesn't have a degree but I do (merely a ranger). We both do tonnes of practical work as well as leading our own management plans (he's leading HLS, I'm leading EWGS).

For my job, degree was desirable. It helped get my job, but my boss is proof you don't have to have a degree to rise through the ranks. Experience counts. I would recommend getting into volunteering asap. Record in a diary what you have achieved so that you remember! Remember that you will be expected to have approx 1yr experience to get an entry level job. Earlier you start, the better. Also, organisations are more likely to bung you through extra training if you have been there a while. The ND in Countryside Management will be good to get, it provides a broad experience. It alone will not set you apart from all the other people competing for the job you want. It will put you more on a level though.

By the time you come out the other end of education, I hope the job market has picked up in this sector!!!

Good luck!

[21stPhantom]

Originally Posted by APC

The ND in Countryside Management will be good to get, it provides a broad experience. It alone will not set you apart from all the other people competing for the job you want. It will put you more on a level though.

Good luck!

Hello APC, thank you for your reply. I've done quite a bit of my own research and the above quotation is the conclusion I'd come to myself after reading other peoples accounts. I'm still looking for a part time job at the minute but in the meantime I'm starting to get out and about with some trusty second hand pocket guides so I can learn more about nature, hopefully then I can get some volunteering under my belt and by the time my GCSE course ends in May I can do some residential volunteering with an organisation!

What's it like being a ranger then, APC? I've met one before in the Yorkshire Dales and he loved his job, very charismatic and enthusiastic bloke, told me that jobs were getting cut left right and centre though, sadly.

[APC]

Originally Posted by 21stPhantom

What's it like being a ranger then, APC? I've met one before in the Yorkshire Dales and he loved his job, very charismatic and enthusiastic bloke, told me that jobs were getting cut left right and centre though, sadly.

Yeah lol, the cuts keep you on your toes for sure!

It's a good job. Outdoors pretty much all time. Can pretty much find what you enjoy and build your job around that subject to the needs of your site and skills base of your team. I've taken on managing the woodland and trees across the wider estate. I'm teaching myself pretty much as doing RFS Cert in Arb by distance learning. This means that my yearly targets are based mainly around this. Obviously there are still the routine jobs to carry out, litterpicks, bins, check fishing tickets, deal with aggressive drunks, motorbikes, air rifles, etc, but even that isn't too bad. It can be annoying picking up where a group of 30 have smashed bottles across lawns and lobbed all their other rubbish everywhere but that takes up so little time across the year that it isn't that much of a bother.

[21stPhantom]

Originally Posted by APC

Yeah lol, the cuts keep you on your toes for sure!

It's a good job. Outdoors pretty much all time. Can pretty much find what you enjoy and build your job around that subject to the needs of your site and skills base of your team. I've taken on managing the woodland and trees across the wider estate. I'm teaching myself pretty much as doing RFS Cert in Arb by distance learning. This means that my yearly targets are based mainly around this. Obviously there are still the routine jobs to carry out, litterpicks, bins, check fishing tickets, deal with aggressive drunks, motorbikes, air rifles, etc, but even that isn't too bad. It can be annoying picking up where a group of 30 have smashed bottles across lawns and lobbed all their other rubbish everywhere but that takes up so little time across the year that it isn't that much of a bother.

Wow, that sounds great. Rough with the smooth though eh I bet. I'm not sure where my interests lie yet, I enjoy being on a rainy and windswept moor as much as I do sitting in some woodland. Who knows! Hopefully the Countryside Management Diploma will shed some light on it next year. After seeing all the responses on this forum about similar topics, I think the best thing to do is to just get out there and get my hands dirty as they say, so I can build up some experience and find out what it is that makes me tick.

[martinimages]

Just browsing this section of the website for a change and decided to add my brief thoughts. I work in the environmental charity sector and have worked for other env charities and also local authority. Through my 18 year career I have worked up through the ranks and am now a senior manager still loving work and getting a great deal of satisfaction. I always have the same advise for people starting out in this industry which is to look far ahead.

study the job market and look at the sort of jobs that you would want to be doing in 5 or 10 years time, look at the person spec as this is the most important thing you can take note of. Think of how you fit the bill now and how you will plug the gaps. Consider which jobs will allow you to fill those gaps but also be prepared to put in lots of voluntary work. Voluntary work will count for a great deal and give you good exposure to potential employers. You can also pick and choose what to do and who with so allowing you better chances to plug the gaps. Practical skills such as chainsaw are useful to gain a good understanding of how things are done but dont forget soft skills such as people management, offer to be trained up to lead work parties as this will be great experience to put on your cv. Learn the basics of project management, presentation techniques and budget management. These are all skills that are hard to gain if you are out all hours felling trees but if you want to progress up the ranks when you do get on the ladder they will be a massive asset.

Obviously for some jobs, achedemia is the way to go and published papers etc are a must so that is what is needed. As I say at the top though if you can look ahead and think about where you want to get to then it will help you plan how to get there!

Only a couple of thoughts but I hope they are useful, it is competitive out there at the moment so Good Luck!