Professional development
Invest in your professional growth! There are many ways to grow your career opportunities. Your professional network may be bigger than you think. While the job process and market may change, there’s always room for learning and growth.
Volunteer
If you have the time and passion, volunteering with an organization you’re interested in can help you grow your career.
Service learning
If you’re currently enrolled at a college or university, service learning provides an opportunity to learn something new in a subject area while also helping the environment.
Did you know?
Service learning could look like a class where you remove invasive species from the edge of a pond. You would learn how invasive species negatively impact the pond environment in a job-like setting.
Job shadow
This is an opportunity to follow a professional and get first-hand experience of what they do on a daily basis.
Tip
Many people in the natural resources field said that having a mentor they can connect with was one of the most important pieces of their career journey.
Tip
Your career path may not be linear. It’s completely normal start on one path and end up somewhere new. The good part? You’ll gain new experiences and skills on every part of the journey.
Networking
Networking can help you get connected with the natural resources community. You will be surprised who you will meet and where your conversations will take you.
Build connections
Learn about the agencies you are interested in. Find out about their mission, the work they do and the types of people who work there.
Next, see if you can make a contact there and ask for an informal interview. This will help you further learn about the agency, understand the roles of the staff, get an honest perspective on the availability of jobs, and how to get the training or education you need to get there.
Networking tip
Stay in contact with the people you meet at conferences by email, phone, through informational interviews, etc.
Networking tip
Don’t overlook networking with the agency’s support staff, including secretaries and assistants. Sometimes they have more influence than you think.
Networking tip
Don’t tire your contacts out! Think of networking as a give-and-take.
Networking tip
Follow your favorite agencies on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest job postings.
Join a professional society or organization
Joining a professional organization also helps connect you to the community in your field and looks good on your resume.
Colorado has the third-largest green workforce in the United States.
Attend a job fair
Did you know? Some job fairs fast-track the application process. They may even make on-the-spot offers.
Tap into your network
Connect with your friends, family or former classmates. You already have hundreds of contacts that may be able to help you find a job. A great place to start is your school’s career center or alumni network.
