Being a Pathways intern allows students who are still in college to bypass those requirements to become an intern, which in turn gives them time and understanding to complete specific college credit requirements they need to have before they can become full NRCS employees.
Between a range of job requirements and computer systems, new college graduates can struggle to navigate the process required to start a career in the federal government. Some government agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, also have issues with public awareness.
“I was trying to find internships and had sent some emails out just before Covid shut everything down,” said Renee Bolduc, a former Pathways intern who now works at NRCS. “I couldn’t find anything, but my uncle, who worked for NRCS, was able to get me in as an earth team volunteer. I had never known it existed or what it was before that.”
Federal employment has specific requirements that nave to be met. Being a Pathways intern allows students who are still in college to bypass those requirements to become an intern, which in turn gives them time and understanding to complete specific college credit requirements they need to have before they can become full NRCS employees. Additionally, it can give students an insight into the HR process, so they are better prepared when the time comes to apply to be converted from an intern to a full employee.
Acknowledging that the Federal Government benefits from a diverse workforce that includes students and recent graduates, Executive Order 13562 established two new programs and modified another. They are the Internship Program for current students; the Recent Graduates Program for people who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs (2 years from the date the graduate completed an academic course of study); and the reinvigorated Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program for people who obtained an advanced degree (e.g., graduate or professional degree) within the preceding two years.
These programs, collectively the Pathways Programs, are streamlined developmental programs tailored to promote employment opportunities for students and recent graduates in the Federal workforce. The Pathways Programs aim to improve recruiting efforts, offer clear paths to Federal internships for students from high school through post-graduate school and to careers for recent graduates, and to provide meaningful training and career development opportunities for individuals who are at the beginning of their Federal service.
The most important part of the Pathways Programs is the hands-on experience that it allows interns. They can get out into the field and see how things work at the ground level, and get a wide range of experiences.
“Even if you’re not sure if NRCS is for you, Pathways is a great way to find out,” said Bolduc. “You get pay and experience, and if you like it, you can get a job. If you don’t like it, the experience you get will help you find what you do want to do.”
For others, it can be incredibly helpful to venture out on their own and start to explore life after their college careers end.
“For anybody who is trying to decide to apply or if they want to do pathways, I would say it’s very helpful to go to a state you don’t live in or haven’t been to a lot,” said Natalie Falls, a Pathways intern from Richmond, Virginia, who is a senior at Virgina Tech. “It was helpful for me to get out of my college town and out of my comfort zone, and into the real world. Managing my work, budget, and relationships with new people. It was pretty eye-opening for me, and it’s not something a lot of my college friends have had a chance to experience.”
There are Pathways opportunities across the country for students who don’t want to stay close to home. As a potential Pathways intern, you can apply for positions anywhere that looks interesting to you.
“I really liked Vermont, it was the most north I have ever been, but everyone was super friendly and it was a really welcoming experience,” said Abigail Eno, a Pathways intern from Tallahassee, Florida, who is a sophomore at Florida A&M.
Other interns are excited to look for positions that will keep them close to home, such as Renee Bolduc, from New Haven, Vermont. She specifically wanted to stay close to home for her internship.
“My uncle works in the Middlebury office, and I always knew I wanted to come back to Vermont. But doing my internship close to home allowed me to save money by living at home with my parents, which was huge. And I got to stay in Vermont—which is where I want to be long-term,” said Bolduc.
Regardless of where an intern is stationed, there will be plenty of chances to get out and see the local area, both during work hours and after work hours. For those interns in Vermont, they were able to see the landscape, and work in the field in a variety of roles.
“The offices I’ve worked at really cater to your interests, so you really get to do just jump in and do things you like right from the start. I didn’t have specific interests, so I loved the broad range of what NRCS does so I was able to sample a lot of things and narrow down what I wanted to focus on,” said Bolduc.
“I would recommend it to anyone; it’s very helpful in terms of meeting new people, and it’s a great way to begin your journey if you want to have a career in the federal government. I feel like everyone at NRCS looked out for me and wanted the best for me, whether that’s a career with NRCS or not. That really meant a lot,” said Falls.
Outside of work, the interns enjoyed hiking the mountains and trails, swimming and boating in Lake Champlain, and taking in all that Vermont has to offer.
“I think I pretty much went for a hike every weekend I was there, and went out to Lake Willoughby a few times,” said Falls. “One of my favorite things was getting a maple creemee during my orientation!”
The Natural Resources Conservation Service benefits from the Pathways Programs to get younger employees into the workforce and advance the mission of the agency. In Vermont specifically, there have been a number of recent Pathways interns and new employees that have transitioned after their internship periods.
“Pathways makes it easier to work for NRCS, if you start there. I’ve seen coworkers who didn’t come from pathways, and they can struggle sometimes when they join the agency, so I’m fortunate that I started there,” said Bolduc. “Those two years allowed me to ease into the job over time and has made me a better employee right from the start.”
Anyone interested in becoming a Pathways can reach out to their local USDA office or search on USAJobs.gov for openings.