I'm Travis Gibson, I work for the U.S. Geological
Survey as a hydrologic technician. I began
my career as a SCEP, which is the Student
Career Employment Program, and with that I
got an internship for the summer here at the
Utah Water Science Center. That was a good
opportunity to get my foot in the door, tryout
the work, and make sure that I liked the work
and that it was a good fit. It gave the office
the chance to try me out and make sure I had
the skills they were looking for and that
I would fit in with the office. It also gave
them some much needed help with the busy summer
work that we do out of our office. I've since
completed my degree, last May…May 2011…and
so I've got about a full year in as a full-time
employee of the Utah Water Science Center
now. So far I love my job. I just have so
much variety. There's always something new
to do and, you know, it's kind of nice…I'm
self-directed…I get to go out and schedule
my own work, I know what I need to get done
and for the most part it's pretty much up
to me to get it done.
So, I really enjoy my job with the U.S. Geological
Survey, and I would highly recommend to anybody
that enjoys working outdoors and is interested
in working in the science field to get with
the USGS, check out their website, and think
about getting into one of the student employment
programs. It's just a really great way to
try it out, see how you like the work, and
get your foot in the door.