![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/rural-environment\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2019\/03\/I-look-like-a-forester1-0318.png\")
<\/p>\nWhen the place of birth on your birth certificate is recorded as The New Forest, it\u2019s maybe a sign of what is to come. Not that I realised that for quite a while and with my family working mostly in the civil service, drapery businesses or medical profession, I started my school sixth form wanting to be a Doctor. Claire Glaister, FICFor, forestry consultant, member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters\u2019 Professional blogs on what its like to work in the rural economy.<\/p>\n
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Work experience in my local hospital\u2019s A&E department, whilst exciting for sure, made me think that I might prefer to do something else and, noticing a book on careers in the outdoors in the careers office at school, my attention was caught. <\/p>\n
It was to The New Forest I then turned again. Initially spending every Thursday afternoon for a term as work experience with Forestry Commission foresters and then for a 12 month position with the Forestry Commission\u2019s Survey Branch. <\/p>\n
After that, I was hooked. <\/p>\n
A move to the most northerly (then) University in the UK \u2013 and the furthest from home \u2013 followed and an Honours degree in Forest Management gained. Remaining in Scotland, I\u2019ve held a variety of posts in both the public and private sectors and undertaken jobs including supervising planting operations, rowing an inflatable dingy across a loch, leading a study tour to Sweden, organising conferences and events, flying in a helicopter, managing budgets and staff, assessing apprentices, chairing committees, doing star jumps – in wellies – with school kids, giving evidence in Parliament and being interviewed in front of a camera on a windswept hillside in Highland Perthshire.<\/p>\n
I can see that at various milestones in my journey, it\u2019s been people, or just one person, who have provided a way marker – the Deputy Surveyor who asked if I\u2019d be interested in applying for the job with the Survey Branch, the Forestry Director who challenged me to take up a promotion I hadn\u2019t imagined would ever be offered, the then acquaintance, now friend, who asked \u2013 over a pint of Guinness – what would you really like to be doing in 5 years\u2019 time or the colleagues who said \u201cSet up a company together? We can do this!\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been in the industry for nearly 30 years and my hope is for anyone starting their career in it now is that they;<\/p>\n
\uf0a7\tDon\u2019t assume they have to follow one path when another may be calling them;
\n\uf0a7\tCan know that being a woman isn\u2019t a disadvantage;
\n\uf0a7\tSeek out advice from others;
\n\uf0a7\tAre not afraid to be challenged;
\n\uf0a7\tHave a passion\/a pride in what they do;
\n\uf0a7\tAre professional in all things;
\n\uf0a7\tEncourage others to see forestry as not only about \u201clumberjacks\u201d \u2013 it is so, SO, much more;
\n\uf0a7\tEventually look back, smile and say, I\u2019ve really enjoyed this!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When the place of birth on your birth certificate is recorded as The New Forest, it\u2019s maybe a sign of what is to come. Claire Glaister, FICFor, forestry consultant, member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters\u2019 Professional on what its like to work in the rural economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,15,1],"tags":[97,176,37,23,175],"class_list":["post-909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-flooding","category-uncategorized","tag-forestry","tag-international-womens-day","tag-rural-economy","tag-scotland","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\n