November 2012 Careers Outdoors FROM PAGE 10


of a computer 8 hours per day. King said that she believes this is


characteristic of her generation’s unique position as the last to grow up before the proliferation of portable electronic devises. Personally witnessing the rise of electronic media, she said she feels she has a responsibility to sustain interest in the outdoors.


This sentiment is reflective of


Richard Louv’s book The Last Child In the Woods, published in 2005, in which Louv writes about psychological and behavioral problems associated with diminished time spent outdoors in childhood.


“I was encouraged to find that


many people now of college age — those who belong to the first generation to grow up in a largely de-natured environment — have tasted just enough nature to intuitively understand what they have missed,” Louv writes in the introduction of his book.


“This yearning is a source of


power. These young people resist the rapid slide from the real to the virtual, from the mountains to the Matrix. They do not intend to be the last children in the woods,” he writes.


Various staff members at Slide


Ranch say that working in an office setting simply does not appeal to them. King said that she has instead found learning farm skills empowering. Other opportunities for recent graduates, such as working for a large established company, “are really limited and really fake,” she said.


Maya Havusha, who works with


King, said that spending long hours indoors conducting research for her thesis convinced her to pursue a career that involved working outdoors.


Her job at the ranch involves


working with children, milking goats and attending to a variety of other farm chores.


Havusha said she was also


motivated to work at the ranch because she feels responsible for teaching future


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


generations about the environment. She said that teaching is one way she feels that she can make a real impact.


“Our kids probably won’t know


anyone who doesn’t know what the Internet is,” she said. What we’re teaching the kids is just the bare minimum. “It’s basic level stuff, this is a goat, not a cow.”


At UC Berkeley, the student career


office has seen a growing interest in the environmental field in recent years. The career office has begun offering a specialized green career jobs fair, which showcases opportunities in industry, sciences and community non-profits, including opportunities that would bring students outdoors.


“I think there are a number of


students for whom the idea of working 9-5 at a desk sounds very limiting and a little dreary,” said Suzanne Helbig, Assistant Director of the Career Center at UC Berkeley in a phone interview. “It’s not something they’re used to. Especially being college students, they’re out walking about from building to building, from topic to topic so a lot of this desire comes from wanting variety in their jobs,” she said.


While there are enticing


opportunities for those seeking work outdoors, there is also stiff competition.


The East Bay Regional Park


District, which offers paid student internships in natural sciences and environmental education, receives typically 200 applications for just 10-12 internship positions. Among applicants, about 60 percent indicate that they would prefer a position outdoors as opposed to a desk job.


“People have grown up going to our


parks and to hear that there is actually a paid internship available at the park district is almost unbelievable,” said Sonja Stanchina, a human resources officer for the agency, characterizing the response of applicants.


Positions for the National Park


Service’s approximately 10,000 seasonal positions are often competitive as well but the perks have no comparison in office work, said Park Service


Scholarship Watch


areas. (This is not law enforcement or criminal justice.) The amount of the awards varies each year.


Through the HORIZONS Scholarship, established in 1988, Women In Defense encourages women to pursue careers related to the national security and defense interests of the United States and to provide development opportunities to women already working in national security and defense fields. The scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to further educational objectives of women who are U.S. citizens either employed or planning careers in defense or national security


A panel of judges, composed of WID members, considers applications and makes awards once each year. WID is in a key position to shape the future defense and national security workforce. WID leaders and members encourage the study of professions related to science, technology, education, and math that support national security professionals.


Eligibility Requirements


Applicants must meet the following criteria. No exceptions will be considered.


1. Be currently enrolled at an accredited university or college, either full-time or part- time.


2 Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible; undergraduates must have attained at least junior level status (60 credits).


3. Demonstrate interest in pursuing a


Spokesperson Kathy Kupper. “Park rangers get paid in sunsets,” she said, adding that staff at the park service have the opportunity to be “working in places where people travel to and spend money just to go on vacation.”


There has been about a 10 percent


increase in applications for seasonal positions at the park service, according to Kupper.


Many popular outdoor careers,


such as botanists, foresters, landscape architects and wildlife biologists have higher than average pay but are projected to grow at slightly slower rates than the overall workforce, according the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.


But, the summer already half over,


in early-July King and Havusha were searching again for jobs.


The Hampton Roads Messenger 11 For this, they must return inside to


their computers. It felt ironic, Havusha said. “I was emailing [potential employers] saying that I want to spend my life with kids outside.”


For others, working at a park for


the summer is just a way to soak in some sunlight before beginning an indoor career, which some believe to be an inevitable reality. Kupper said that she finds about 20 percent of seasonal employees intend to later pursue careers in completely unrelated fields, such as in law or accounting. These employees figure “I’ve got a couple summers to live the dream, to work with my hands,” she said.


Jobs outdoors offer these


individuals “an opportunity to work outside before they’re looking at it from the inside out,” she said.


FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART By Rev. Dr. Gregory Headen God has given


Our Faith


us the gift of other people in our lives, of brothers and sis- ters. How blessed we are when we are connected in love to other people. I can- not speak for you, but I need in my life those


people who care about me, who love me and encourage me. I need those people in my life who are really on the team, who can be trusted and depended upon, and who want to see me do well. What a sad day when the words “brother” and “sister” lose their power and meaning as a result of more negative experiences in re- lationships than positive! What a sad day when we have become so afraid to let oth- ers into our hearts, when we have hard- ened so much that no one can penetrate our shells! What a sad day when human beings have been hurt so much that they live in isolation from others because they have concluded that no one can be trusted and depended upon. When I hear others speak of their bad relationships with sib- lings, I give God praise for the love I have for my brothers and sisters. It is very hard for me to imagine that siblings can


live in the same city for 20 years and not speak to each other. It is amazing to me that a member of a family can pass away, and one sister does not even call another sister or brother to report it. They find out by reading the newspaper. Yet, this is the case in families. Where is that safe place on earth where one can expect to be loved and valued? I submit that it ought to be the church. I agree that it should begin at home. Yet, so many homes are in sham- bles, and when you have not received and given much love at home, the capacity to love is limited. The church then has to re- ally take seriously the ministry of recon- ciliation. We must be agents in reconcil- ing persons to their true selves. We have got to help people feel loved again. We have got to let people experience being hugged again the right way and for the right reasons. In the body of Christ, we may have some handsome brothers and some beautiful sisters, but they are first of all our brothers and sisters. Love be- tween brothers and sisters must return to the churches of the Lord. We are sick due to the lack of love and fellowship. We are angry and frustrated due to the lace of encouragement and affirmation. We are pitiful if we think that things are more important than people.


Women In Defense Horizons Scholarship


career related to national security or defense.


4. Demonstrate financial need.


5. Have a minimum grade point average of 3.25. 6. Be a woman.


7. Be a citizen of the United States.


Recipients of past awards may apply for future financial assistance. Fields of Study


Focus of the scholarship is on the following preferred fields of study: security studies, military history, government relations, engineering, computer


mathematics, business (as it relates to national security or defense), law (as it relates to national security or defense), international relations, political science, and economics. Others will be considered if the applicant can successfully demonstrate relevance to a career in the areas of national security or defense.


science, Selection Criteria


Awards will be based on academic achievement, participation in defense and national security activities, field of study, work experience, statements of objectives, recommendations, and financial need. Awards are made without regard to race, creed, color, or religion. Women In Defense reserves the right to revise, suspend or discontinue this program without notice.


Deadline, Application, Notification


Applications available online at wid. ndia.org/horizon/pages/default.aspx


physics,


Completed applications, essays, recommendations and transcripts must be received no later than JULY 1. Send application packages to: WID HORIZONS, 2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22201-3061.


Applicant is responsible for making sure all materials arrive to meet the deadline.


Visit hamptonroadsmessenger.com for a list of 50 scholarships


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