Unit 4 Career Options in Agriscience Survey the variety of career opportunities in agriscience,...

Unit 4Career Options in Agriscience

Survey the variety of career opportunities in agriscience, observe how they are classified,

and consider how you can prepare for careers in agriscience.

Within your notes…

• Make a list of 10 to 15 interests you currently have in terms of a hobby or future career interest.

Definition

• Agriscience– All indoor and outdoor jobs relating in some way to

plants, animals, and renewable natural resources

• Fields with ties to agriscience– Banking and finance– Radio, television, and satellite communications– Engineering and design– Construction and maintenance– Research and education– Environmental protection

Plenty of Opportunities

• Current agriscience outlook– Employed: about 21 million– New jobs annually: about 400,000

• Impact of training– Only 100,000 jobs are filled annually by those with

agriscience training– About 20% of agriscience careers require college degrees

Plenty of Opportunities (cont’d.)

• Impact of training– Many agricultural professions require four-year college

degrees– Technical college certificates/degrees open up other

opportunities

• Careers that help others– Processing, marketing, production, natural resources,

mechanics, banking, education, writing, etc.

Plenty of Opportunities (cont’d.)

• Careers that satisfy– Salary: dependent on qualifications– Opportunities to develop and express skills and talents– Career options: discuss with high school counselors

The Wheel of Fortune

• Hub: production agriculture (farming and ranching)

• Rest of the wheel: non-farm and non-ranch careers in agriscience

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Production agriculture: accounts for one-fifth of agriscience careers– Most other professionals: provide goods and services

that flow to or from production agriculture– Allows extremely efficient supply of goods– Low percent of income spent on food in America

Local Individuals in the Agriculture Field

• Make a list of 5 questions that you would like to ask the individuals that will be speaking with you next week concerning their careers in agriculture.

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Agricultural processing, products, and distribution– Hauling, grading, processing, packaging, and marketing

commodities from production sources– Cost of efforts consumes bulk of food dollar for cereal

and bakery products (USDA)

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Horticulture– Producing, processing, and marketing fruits,

vegetables, and ornamental plants– Farming enterprise: small plots– Horticultural commodities: high-labor and high-income– Accounts for over 110,000 jobs

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Forestry– Growing, managing, and harvesting trees for lumber,

poles, posts, panels, pulpwood, and many other commodities

– Career opportunities: forestry researcher, teacher, wood technologist, wood products marketer, large machine operator, etc.

Hot Topics in Agriscience

• A career in food science– Combines science and agriculture career fields in the

development of new food products and processing, packaging, distribution, and marketing of food products

– Requires creativity: designing new products– Requires college education– Comparably high salaries and high demand

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Renewable natural resources– Managing wetlands, rangelands, waterways, fish, and

wildlife– Job requirements/desirables: appreciation for natural

and scientific knowledge of plants and animals; and enjoy working in parks, on game preserves, or with landowners

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Renewable natural resources: career outlook– Priorities: state and regional water quality and soil

conservation efforts– New opportunities: programs to preserve natural

waterways

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Agricultural supplies and services– Selling supplies or providing services for people in the

agricultural industry– Supplies: seed, feed, fertilizer, lawn equipment, farm

machinery, etc.– Services: legal assistance, agricultural publications,

financial advice, crop advice, etc.

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Agricultural Mechanics– Designing, operating, maintaining, servicing, selling,

and using agricultural power units, machinery, equipment, structures, and utilities

– Venue: indoors or outdoors– Varying roles: employee, employer, professional

The Wheel of Fortune (cont’d.)

• Agriscience professionals– Apply the knowledge and understanding of agriscience– Can work in any division of agriscience– Have advanced degrees and high levels of education

and skills

• Computers in agriscience– Applications: machinery management, farm financial

records, livestock management, farm/ranch inventory management, precision farming, etc.

Within your notes…

• Based on the various career areas within agricultural science we’ve discussed so far, which area do you believe you have the most interest in and why?

• How do you believe you could obtain a career within that agriculture field?

Preparing for an Agriscience Career

• Many schools– Emphasize career education

• Important to consider how to meet the requirements to get started

Agri-Profile

• Agriscience teacher– Shortage of qualified teachers– Requirements: strong background in agriculture and

related sciences and a 4-year degree in agricultural education

Preparing for an Agriscience Career (cont’d.)

• Agriscience career portfolio– Collection of best work: sell skills to a prospective

employer

• Possible portfolio components– Resumé or vita– FFA Agriscience Scholarship application– Articles and papers (published and unpublished)– Photographs and written reports of projects– Documentation of participation in community and

public service activities

Preparing for an Agriscience Career (cont’d.)

• Possible portfolio components– Personal letters and citations for services– Letters of recommendation– Personal and career goals– Action plan for goal completion– Newspaper articles, video clips, and sound bytes of

projects

Agri-Profile

• Career area: agriscience technician or professional?– Technician: broadly trained in plant and animal

sciences; employable in many fields; hands-on experience; specialized training beyond high school

– Professional: bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate-level degree

Preparing for an Agriscience Career (cont’d.)

• Career plan while in high school– Take agriscience and college-prep classes– Join FFA– Participate in leadership, citizenship, and agriscience

activities– Develop a broad, supervised, occupational agriscience

experience program

Preparing for an Agriscience Career (cont’d.)

• Career plan while in high school– Acquire hands-on, skill-development experiences– Conduct an agriscience research project; enter it in the

FFA Agriscience Scholarship and Agriscience Fair programs

Preparing for an Agriscience Career (cont’d.)

• Career plan after high school– Obtain an agricultural job: plan ways to get on-the-job

training– Take community college courses: transferable to a

college of agriculture or life sciences– Enter a two-year technical agriculture program– Obtain a bachelor’s, master’s, and/or doctorate degree:

college of agriculture or life sciences

Agri-Profile

• Workforce skills: what skills will you bring to your career?– U.S. Secretary of Labor: Secretary’s Commission on

Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report– Five competencies that students need to master

1. Resources: identifies, organizes, plans, and allocates resources

2. Interpersonal: works with others

3. Information: acquires and uses information

Agri-Profile (cont’d.)

• Workforce skills: what skills will you bring to your career?– Five competencies that students need to master

4. Systems: understands complex interrelationships

5. Technology: works with a variety of technologies

Science Connection

• When I’m twenty-something!– Questionnaire: A Day on the Job in the Year 2025– How well do your current career-preparation activities

mesh with your perception of yourself in the year 2025?

Preparing for an Agriscience Career (cont’d.)

• Career assistance resources– High school agriscience teachers– High school counselors– Cooperative Extension Service– State department of education– Postsecondary institutions

Hot Topics in Agriscience

• Agriscience careers– Food technician/scientist– Environmental technician– Computer technician– Animal technician/scientist– Plant technician/scientist– Global positioning– System technician– Biotechnology engineer

Hot Topics in Agriscience (cont’d.)

• Agriscience careers– Veterinarian/technician– Farm/ranch managers– Urban forester– Soil technician/scientist– Genetic engineer

Select a career you are interested in…

• Working conditions• Beginning & ending salary• Chances for advancement• Educational requirements• Job Benefits (insurance, vacations,

retirement, etc.)