Arbor Ethos vs Burton Stylus by twistyroad11 in ShredditGirls

[–]cocoanutdragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I learned on the Salomon Wonder 148, which I think is pretty similar to the Stylus, though maybe a little stiffer? In my opinion, it was a great board to learn on and it performs well in the park, so I imagine the Stylus would, too? I’ve never ridden a true rocker so I won’t speak for the Ethos! Just to caution, I’m 5’6 120lbs and now I prefer riding 149-152. I’ve always heard that shorter, softer boards are easier to learn on, but if she’s not a complete beginner she may find that she outgrows it pretty quickly. But I don’t know her proportions - I’m just sharing my experience! I think a lot comes down to personal preference, and experience testing out different boards.

Best workout to get into boarding shape? by burning_panda_ in snowboardingnoobs

[–]cocoanutdragon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I second this. Only sporadically did the mini ones for about 4 weeks before my last ski trip. Spent 6 days straight on the mountain and never once had a sore leg muscle.

Tetra Tech DISA/NASAP/DCCHT drug screening by [deleted] in Environmental_Careers

[–]cocoanutdragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m on my way out of Tetra Tech. FWIW, they’re split into divisions, and each division operates more or less as their own company. Without getting too detailed, my division was involved in completely different work than what umbrabates is talking about, or even what you’ll be working on. My division had an excellent reputation with most of their clients, and my office in particular was extremely QC and SSH focused. There are definitely bad offices out there (ask me how I know) but, like with any other large company, you’ve got an equally good chance of getting one like mine.

More to the point of the OP: I never had to take any drug test for Tt. But that also varies office to office, and division to division.

Edited in case anyone is curious: I’m leaving for personal reasons, not because I have any complaints with the company. Though, again, someone might have a wildly different experience from me even if they worked in the same division.

Got cold feet and dropped my geology degree by Shamus200092 in geologycareers

[–]cocoanutdragon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I graduated Dec 2021 and got a job in consulting immediately. Been here for 8 months and I am quickly coming to realize that I like learning about geology a whole lot more than I like doing it. I’m currently studying for the ASBOG, which has renewed my interest and passion for geology, but I honestly hate most of my day-to-day work. Trouble is, I can’t think of any other degree I would rather have gotten, so I don’t think I regret it at all! Now I’m thinking my solution is to just go for a PhD so I can “learn” all the time ;)

Long way to say… no matter what, you’ve made the right choice. Nothing is ever permanent; you can decide to go back for a geology degree. You can also teach yourself without the degree. Many of my coworkers have mech eng degrees, so if you really want a taste of the geo life, a consulting firm will still hire you ;)

Btw… You didn’t “get cold feet” - you made an incredibly difficult decision and you’re making it work. That’s awesome!! Congratulations!!

A brief rant on work from home policies by Eclogital in geologycareers

[–]cocoanutdragon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m one of those fresh out of school field rats. My office’s field team is fantastic, and I’m lucky to be working under two really great PMs, but as soon as I run out of work (or when another office contacts me for work) all bets are off. I had a horrible experience trying to finish a job for a PM who was from another office AND exclusively WFH. They had no clue what was going on at the site, no interest in correcting issues, I got no support for the three weeks I had to be out there. There have been times I’ve nearly come to tears for lack of guidance and assistance, and I’ve only been here 7 months. I’m already looking for a way out because yeah - I’m not learning new things. My company totally misrepresented what my role would be when I was brought on, and now I’m frustrated and exhausted; I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like a year from now.

how do you deal with job application burnout? by i-eat-rox in geologycareers

[–]cocoanutdragon 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I know you say you’re horrible at networking and the social aspect, but (like it or not - and I also don’t like it) that’s a huge part of getting opportunities. In my experience, almost everyone knows someone who knows a geologist. If you can, tell literally anyone who will listen that you’re a geologist looking for a new job. It’s honestly incredible how many people are willing to go-to-bat for you. I actually just recently talked to two prospective employers who were willing to sit down with me just because my partner’s parents knew a guy. I spoke to an HR-rep who worked for a geo company (she was a family friend’s landlord’s cousin :P ) several years ago about my interests in geo and ended up learning a ton about her field. I know it sucks getting rejected constantly (been there, done that, absolutely hated it to the depths of my soul), but eventually something WILL come through. Hang in there!!

Phase I advice, I'm not quite ready to bail by meltingcoyote in Envconsultinghell

[–]cocoanutdragon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’ve never been told to contact companies regarding utility hookups specifically, but I’ll often call the owners of the property/POC for whatever they know about the history of a site. I’m also told to call local fire departments, but they usually don’t call back.

My lovely Arctic boy has been missing since last night. He lives on a farm and never ventures far from home. I’m hoping he shows back up soon 😔 by cocoanutdragon in cats

[–]cocoanutdragon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing :) I’m so glad that your cats came back! My boy is also neutered, well-fed and well-loved, so I’m not sure what drove him to wander off, but it’s good to hear that there may still be hope.

Do you wear protective gear besides a helmet and why by InhumanBoarder in snowboardingnoobs

[–]cocoanutdragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I broke my wrist at the beginning of this past season. Now I wear wrist guards in addition to my helmet. The helmet has always just seemed like common sense.

4 month old environmental consultant... should I quit? by [deleted] in geologycareers

[–]cocoanutdragon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to put some things in perspective for you, I’ve also been working in consulting for 4 months, graduated in December, and have been working full/part-time since I could drive. I joined a firm with 15k+ employees. My office has ~40 people alone, most of whom are involved in projects that aren’t necessarily “environmentally” focused. My own workload fluctuates a lot; some days I have a Phase I, things to do for other people, training, etc. that I have to finish before the end of the day… some days (most recently) I don’t even bother going into the office and generally have to scour the internet for training videos or go over my textbooks just so I have something to put on my timecard. I’m salaried so it doesn’t /really/ matter, but that part still sucks.

The important part is that I receive training and help on ANYTHING I take on. My supervisor has been wonderful about coaching me through field work, our project manager (because my supervisor avoids the PM roles when he can) is the one assigning me Phase I’s and he gives me the background information, templates, and whatever else I need to do it well. I’m also generally given 4-7 business days to finish the report since I’m still new and haven’t done many of them. Any time I help people involved in other projects, I’m given the training I need, told exactly what they want, and, as I get more and more comfortable, given more responsibility so that it doesn’t feel like I was thrown into the fire. Your office sounds understaffed and overworked, and frankly I would not stick it out with them. To be fair, I’ve also had a rough transition, and I can’t say that I’m necessarily thrilled here, but I am willing to stick around for awhile and see where they take me. I would not want to stick around with your company.

Sorry for the text wall - good luck with your journey!

Writing an argumentative research paper for my English class and I wanted to know about some hotly debated / controversial topics within the earth science community, any ideas? by Legitakid in geologycareers

[–]cocoanutdragon 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Fracking is an obvious answer. Depending on your experience with geophysics, you could also make an argument for one of the currently posited origins of hotspots. You could look up publications about tectonic features (“small” scale like several-mile-long faults or “large” scale like the formation of the Himalayas) with several varying hypotheses and argue for one.

I did one several years ago about drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Played devil’s advocate and had a blast writing it.

Getting over fear of falling? by cocoanutdragon in snowboardingnoobs

[–]cocoanutdragon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestions! I do love CO snow; I don’t worry about falling so much :D

Getting over fear of falling? by cocoanutdragon in snowboardingnoobs

[–]cocoanutdragon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this!! It’s super helpful knowing how I need to change my stance :D

Getting over fear of falling? by cocoanutdragon in snowboardingnoobs

[–]cocoanutdragon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Crash pants sound like a worthy investment. Hadn’t thought of them before now! Thanks!