What to do?

[arkansaschris11]

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I'm in high school and i was wondering if you guys had any thoughts about if i should go to college to learn about cattle ranching or if i should go straight from high school and work out at some ranches. any advice would be grateful.

 

[Alan]

Once you decide not to continue your education is is very tuff to go back to it.... Go to college and enjoy yourself, lots of years left for hard work, get that degree.

Alan

 

[msscamp]

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I'm in high school and i was wondering if you guys had any thoughts about if i should go to college to learn about cattle ranching or if i should go straight from high school and work out at some ranches. any advice would be grateful.

Why not do both? Go to school during the fall and spring, and hire on with a ranch during the summer. It probably won't be glamourous work, but you will learn and it will stand you in good stead for when you have your own place.

 

[3MR]

COLLEGE

Yes, Im hollering, can you hear me?

 

[Bluestem]

College. My son is a few years ahead of you. Works at a processing plant after school and on a ranch weekends. He is in a four and ahalf year degree program. He is on track to finish a year early. You can have your cake and eat it too, with a little work.

 

[warpaint]

What they said. Stay in school.

 

[dcara]

College. There you will learn a lot more than what you now consider "ranching". You will learn a lot of things that will make you a better rancher. You will learn about where ranching is headed and how its going to get there, and what you need to do to be a successful part of it. You will learn how to use new technologies to run a more efficient/profitable ranch. You will learn about government regulations, programs, and international issues that affect our industry. You will learn about market issues, production issues, and business management. And the list goes on. The more people we have in our industry that have been educated about the numerous complex issues facing it the better off the industry will be.

 

[Alice]

Go to college. Ag programs have internships and there's a lot of ranches/farms that want collge students to work while they go to school and will advertise within the ag departments AND most all times are willing to work around the student's schedule.

Alice

 

[3MR]

College. There you will learn a lot more than what you now consider "ranching". You will learn a lot of things that will make you a better rancher. You will learn about where ranching is headed and how its going to get there, and what you need to do to be a successful part of it. You will learn how to use new technologies to run a more efficient/profitable ranch. You will learn about government regulations, programs, and international issues that affect our industry. You will learn about market issues, production issues, and business management. And the list goes on. The more people we have in our industry that have been educated about the numerous complex issues facing it the better off the industry will be.

Will he learn why black cows taste better? :lol: :lol:

sorry, couldnt resist!

 

[Alice]

College. There you will learn a lot more than what you now consider "ranching". You will learn a lot of things that will make you a better rancher. You will learn about where ranching is headed and how its going to get there, and what you need to do to be a successful part of it. You will learn how to use new technologies to run a more efficient/profitable ranch. You will learn about government regulations, programs, and international issues that affect our industry. You will learn about market issues, production issues, and business management. And the list goes on. The more people we have in our industry that have been educated about the numerous complex issues facing it the better off the industry will be.

Will he learn why black cows taste better? :lol: :lol:

sorry, couldnt resist!

Good one!

Alice

 

[Bez?]

Stay in school - this from a real old guy.

Do not leave until you have finished the program.

Bez?

 

[dj]

arkansaschris11
This will be my take only. You will learn what you want to. A institution isn't necessary. A peice of paper on the wall doesn't mean you know your stuff. It may mean you learned how to work the system. Be aware though you'll have to work longer and harder to validate your position without a piece of paper.

 

[certherfbeef]

I agree with these folks. Go to college. It will offer you the chance to make contacts within the industry that will benefit you down the road. The friends that you make in college will last you a lifetime. Also take the time to travel. I was on the judging team. We went to Maryland, WI, TN, KY and Vegas just to name a few. All places I would have never considered going to on my own.

And once you get to college and someone offers you a job before you get your degree...fight the urge and tell them you NEED to finish school first. That will be hard, but it is something you need to pratice saying. I NEED to finish school. one more time, I need to finish school.

AND, if the ranching thing doesn't work out then you still have a degree to fall back on. If you don't go to school, try to find a job without a degree of any kind. Trust me, it is not easy. Even a degree in animal science will get your foot in the door in an "unrealated" industry.

Good luck to ya...I think we are all talking from experience.
What colleges were you looking at.

 

[rkm]

Go to school. I have kids that went to school, and others that went right into farming or the work place. All are happy, but guess which ones are financially challeged.

 

[Lammie]

College. Try it for a while and then if you don't like it then you can get out into the wide world. It is harder to go back to school once you leave. I got my degree 20 years ago and I have no desire to return even though I should. Find a college with a good ag program. That way, you can continue to do what you love and still go to school. We need all the smart guys we can get.

 

[rkm]

I guess you can see I never went to school by my spelling!

 

[arkansaschris11]

Hey guys thanks alot for the advice.

 

[C HOLLAND]

What they said. Stay in school.

AMEN on stay in school, get that education while you are still young, you have your whole life ahead of you to work.

 

[Roadapple]

Why not go to vet school and when you get out you can work on a different ranch or farm every day. There's a shortage of vet's now and only going to get worse. If you're thinking of being a farmer, I've never met a farmer who is making any money.

 

[T&S Ranch]

Go to work you will learn more from the real world than any school can teach you and you wont be paying college loans for the next 10 years. Just make sure you pick someone worth working for that can teach you a thing or two.