Good morning everyone, allow me to add to the endless list of career questions this subreddit already has posted.
I’m a wildland firefighter from Washington state in my mid 20’s who is wanting to go back to school. I’m pretty dead-set on finishing a degree in forestry. I want to do 2 years of community college before transferring to a 4 year institution. I have a huge passion for education, and would love to work as a forestry professor once I have gained more field experience.
Now herein lies my dilemma. When it’s not fire season I bartend, which means that it’d be much easier for me to secure a job if I’m working in or near a larger city. Tuition pricing is another big factor for me, so I wouldn’t want to go out of state unless there is significant scholarship money to compensate for the out of state costs (WUE for example). This brings me to my dilemma, the SAF accredited schools that I’ve found that best fit what I’m looking for are the University of Washington and the Oregon State University.
From what I hear, the University of Washington has a pretty reliable transfer system from the local community colleges and I already have the in-state tuition rates. However, their degree seems to be more environmental science with a focus in forestry rather than a more ‘traditional’ forestry degree.
Now for Oregon State University, I don’t feel that much is needed to be said. The big draw for me is the fact that their Forestry B.S. has a dedicated fire + restoration focus (the two areas I’m the most interested in). If I want to go here, I’d either have to receive the WUE scholarship (only 30% of applicants are awarded this) or delay my education another year in order to gain in-state residency.
If you took the time to read through all of this, I just want to say thank you first and foremost. But I’m curious on what you all have to say. Is it worth waiting another year to gain in-state rates for the program I really want to go to, or should I just focus on the option that gets me done faster?