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college helpful?

Started by vtbuckslayer, October 16, 2008, 05:06:26 PM

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LorenB

Quote from: cantcutter on October 19, 2008, 05:49:40 PM
The average hunter in Vermont takes one buck every 10 years...My father-in-law is below average...he hasn't taken one in 32 years :D

vtbuckslayer,

You mentioned the possibility of moving to the Midwest.  If you are after bucks, come to southeastern Indiana.  I saw two just two days ago out my back window.  There was a herd of five does crossing the road as I drove the five miles into town yesterday.  This year the limit for our county is one buck and EIGHT does! 

The drawback to hunting in Indiana is that you can't use a "real" rifle.  The only rifles that are allowed are those that fire a pistol cartridge, such as a carbine that shoots a .44 Magnum.  Shotguns, muzzleloaders, and bows are all allowed. 

Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

LorenB

Quote from: vtbuckslayer on October 22, 2008, 08:06:58 AM
thanks everyone for the input.  i will be graduating in the spring as a forest technician from paul smiths college.  i think about gettin out of the northest and heading to the midwest for my last two years. get a little different perspective in another part of the country. thanks again

Purdue is known for its excellent School of Forestry.  Right here in Indiana, where all those bucks live. 

Loren
(Purdue grad)
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

LorenB

Quote from: footer on October 23, 2008, 10:47:12 PM
I am working in IT and do not have a degree in anything yet.  The degree is pretty much a must to go any where. They kind of look at you like a nobody with out it.
BTW, I have just started schooling this fall to get a degree in IT.

vtbuckslayer,

I've known lots of people who have gone to college after working in the "real world" for a while.  I've NEVER heard anyone say that they regretted getting their college degree. 

Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

LorenB

Quote from: Cedarman on October 29, 2008, 07:46:48 AM
I wonder why they call it liberal arts education rather than conservative arts education?

Cedarman,

They call it "liberal arts" because all the courses are taught by liberals.  

Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

LorenB

Quote from: BrandonTN on November 15, 2008, 08:24:44 PM
I can imagine the conflict in the woods on the job between the seasoned logger and the degree-holding, greenhorn forester. In fact, I've just now for the first time realized the inevitability of me experiencing this once I graduate and begin the School of the Real World. 

Brandon,

No, they don't teach this in class.  I remember being an Ensign or Lt(jg) (junior officer) in the Navy and dealing with CPO's (Chief Petty Officers) who were way above me in experience and knowledge, but junior to me in rank. 

Treat those who work for you with the respect due them for their experience.  Listen to their advice.  Note that their comments to you should come in the form of advice, not a command.  After you have processed all the information you have, make your decision and inform them of what you want done.  It may or may not be smart to tell your "CPO's" (team leaders/middle managers) why you decided to go with a certain action.  This will be more of an issue if you have decided not to take their advice.  You'll have to read the personalities involved to know whether or not they will try to undermine the operation because it wasn't what they recommended. 

As a general rule, it's not a good idea to tell them HOW you want it done.  They probably know how to do it better than you do anyway. 

Keep your eyes and ears open and ask a lot of questions such as, "Chief, why are you having the troops do it that way?"  You'll learn a lot.   After you get a few years experience, your education will mesh with the on-the-job training and you'll gain the respect of your "juniors".  Once you have accomplished that, you'll have a much easier time getting them to accept your methods without explanation. 

The first few years are tough in this regard.  Keep in mind that you'll get through it and it gets easier as time goes on. 

Best of luck.
Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

PAFaller

I think the bottom line is making up your mind shortly and deciding what you really want to do. I am 25 and have a four year degree in Forest Management from the University of New Hampshire. That being said I knew my sophomore year I liked slinging a chainsaw better than I liked doing consulting work, working for a sawmill, or any of the research forestry stuff. Thats just me, I have friends in all the jobs mentioned and they love it, but its not my cup of tea. Now I dont regret my degree and it as helped me buy timber, but if I was to do it again I may have changed my focus a bit. Most bigger colleges have a business school, and being self employed I would have looked into more of those classes, and made use of the tuition money on something that would help me more in the long run.  If you are sure or your career path dont be afraid to look at things outside of the norm. And as was said a bunch of times in other replies dont go about your job after college with an ego, because most loggers dont like that sort of thing. At 25 I have already been in a few heated conversations with book smart foresters who assumed I was a dumb logger and didnt so much like a 'kid' putting them in their place, but that is where the education and on the ground experience helps. Whatever you choose though, take advantage of all you can in school, because the real world isnt nearly as much fun as college, that I know from experience. Cheers and good luck!
It ain't easy...

Cedarman

LorenB, when were you at Purdue?  I was there from 65 to 69.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

vtbuckslayer

PAfaller,
i agree i would just assume being in the woods and dropping trees as well.  But with todays markets and prices its just to unstaible to hope in the real world and expect to make a good living right off the bat.  I figured with even a little bit of schooling it would give me a bigger list of jobs to chose from.  My plans are to run my own consulting business and own my own crew to do all the cutting and harvesting on the lands i take care off.  Sometimes the fun jobs arent always the ones that pay the bills. 
ms 390 20", ms 441 24"
00 big bear 4x4(lots of extras)
98 polaris indy triple
98 gmc k 1500 4x4

snowman

In the good ole clearcut days, (I had a boat once I named clearcut, got me lots of dirty looks) :D, anyway in clearcuts you just fell the tree towards the landing. In these select cuts we do now I can't imagine how you'd fall timber without knowing where the skid trail is or will be. As a rule I fall the skidtrails 1st, skid them, then fall my timber with great care to put the tree where it will do the least damage as it's pulled out. As for slash piles sterilizing the soil, yes that's the accepted theory but in my experience these burn spots come in good with larch and ponderosa pine. Old compacted skid trails, another bugaboo, also in my experience seem to regen just great. Around here you can get around better by walking to one side of old skid trails because they are so thick with trees. As for the college thing, foresters are great at what they know, diseases, bugs, funguses etc. plus they know the latin names for all that stuff :D, but as a rule, college teaches them just enough about logging to actually think they know how to log, a real pain in the butt. Give a college forester 10 years or so in the real world, then he's ok despite the college not because of it.

vtbuckslayer

Its funny that you bring up clear cuts.  dad, gramps and i( three of five consecutive generations of loggers)  were discussing the current issue with big dear high in our mountainous areas since the national forests took over.  Now there is no cutting and no longer any big dear hiding in the deep backwoods they are all in the valleys around the houses and gettin shot before they can grow to a respectable size.  The national forests think they are doing great things by leaving everything wild.  But there is no onderstory for food.  i am yet to see a deer 80 feet in the air chewing on limbs of mature trees.  Second of all the moose use to have beautiful habitat with the logging going on.  Now they have nothing use to have skid trails they could wander and browse and now its even becoming hard for them.  Time for someone to wake up in the government and realize that logging dont properly and under the proper supervision is needed.  Otherwise they car and moose run ins are going to continue since they are venturing into populated areas looking for food.  Just hard to understand the ignorance of some people. 
ms 390 20", ms 441 24"
00 big bear 4x4(lots of extras)
98 polaris indy triple
98 gmc k 1500 4x4

LorenB

Quote from: Cedarman on November 27, 2008, 08:45:24 AM
LorenB, when were you at Purdue?  I was there from 65 to 69.

Cedarman,

Interestingly enough, I was there from 1965 to January 1970.  I graduated one semester late.  While I was there I did two things that you might have heard about.  One was that I was on the Purdue Drill Team.  The other was that a group of us cut classes for about three days prior to the IU/Purdue game and went to IU to steal John Purdue. 

They laid an effigy of John Purdue out in their Memorial Union while Purdue laid out an effigy of Miss Indiana.  We would each try to steal the other school's effigy.  We had only limited success.  We managed to get the shirt (about the only part of the body besides the head), while they managed to protect the papier mache head.  We still took it (the shirt) to the pep rally before the IU game. 

Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

Ron Wenrich

For what its worth:

Nov, 2008 unemployment was at 6.7%.  For those with less than a high school diploma, that rate was 10.8%.  For high school grads, 6.8%.  For those with some college, 5.5%.  For those with at least a bachelors degree, 3.1%.

It doesn't make you immune to unemployment, but it sure seems to help.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

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