wyotimberghost

I declared Civil Engineering with an emphasis on surveying. I decided math interests me more than the sciences. My goal is to be both a licensed engineer and a licensed land surveyor. That way, I can work outside and work with numbers instead of organisms. It was an extremely hard decision- the University of Wyoming has an excellent Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Management program, and I really enjoy the wildlife biology work I do now. I can honestly say that I liked the idea of being a wildlife biologist almost as much as i liked the idea of being a surveyor/engineer, because like you, I don't care how much I make as long as I have fun at my job. But as I said, I decided I like math more than the sciences. What really solidified my choice is the fact that the average age of licensed surveyors is 62 or 63, there is already a shortage of surveyors, civil engineers are in high demand, nearly every city that has over 8,000 people has an engineering firm (meaning I can live virtually anywhere I want), and by the time I get my license, it will be extremely easy for me to start my own business. And while surveying is not offered as a degree here, UW has one of the top surveying programs in the nation (its an outreach program).

I'm sure you'll love forestry, though. My friend's dad is a regional forester here in WY, and chances are pretty good that he will soon become the head state forester. He loves his job. Especially during the summer when he helps supervise the fighting of forest fires. He's one of the guys who gets to fly above the fires in a helicopter to see what needs to be done to contain them. He likes the other aspects of his job as well.

As far as job outlook goes, you can greatly improve the number of jobs available to you by doing well in school.

Good luck!