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Hey everyone. I've lived in California all my life but am considering that perhaps I should make a future for myself elsewhere with the high cost of living among some other things driving many people out. I wanted to get an idea of other places, and considered New York. For some context I'm a 20M, black with a desired career to be a game warden or park ranger. I'm agnostic, sort of a left leaning centrist if anything but I don't feel strongly about politics.
Surprisingly, New York seems to have alot of forest land just taking a look at Google Maps, and the Department of Environmental conservation has around 300 conservation officers which is good. I'm not really overly concerned with having other black people around, so much as just not really having trouble due to having dark skin and kinky hair. I'm also not a hardcore skeptic type even if I generally don't dig organized religion. I am finishing training to be an EMT as well, so a job shouldn't be too hard to find. Is there anything I should know in general or about specific areas? I welcome any input, thanks.
NY definitely has much natural beauty, breath taking in some areas.
But...
It is very expensive and very corrupt.
Also known as the land of "No".
It is very restrictive and over regulated.
I think you should keep researching.
There are other states that are more reasonable and less restrictive, and offer the same natural beauty as NY.
Interesting that you should consider NY because CA is too expensive. You'll have to compare city to city or rural area to rural area to fully compare. Utility rates in general are higher in New York than CA.
You should be aware that to be a park ranger in any of the state parks, you have to take a NYS civil service exam and be placed on a list. The tests are for animal management, security (game warden type of jobs), forestry, botany, etc. These jobs are uber competitive and the exams are only offered once every few years. None are being given at present. It's a little easier to start out as a temp seasonal employee for the federal government for one of the federal parks. You can call one of the state parks and ask about temp seasonal employment but it seems silly to move across the country for a summer job. However, it's that type of networking that will land you a full time job once you are on their list. It's also helpful if you have a college degree.
Interesting that you should consider NY because CA is too expensive. You'll have to compare city to city or rural area to rural area to fully compare. Utility rates in general are higher in New York than CA.
You should be aware that to be a park ranger in any of the state parks, you have to take a NYS civil service exam and be placed on a list. The tests are for animal management, security (game warden type of jobs), forestry, botany, etc. These jobs are uber competitive and the exams are only offered once every few years. None are being given at present. It's a little easier to start out as a temp seasonal employee for the federal government for one of the federal parks. You can call one of the state parks and ask about temp seasonal employment but it seems silly to move across the country for a summer job. However, it's that type of networking that will land you a full time job once you are on their list. It's also helpful if you have a college degree.
Thanks for the input. I was moreso trying to be a game warden/conservation officer for a state agency(usually they are called the ''DNR'', Department of Natural Resources or similar)
What direction do you want to go in regards to employment? If the EMT route, you could find something at a private company like say AMR: https://youtu.be/_bFsmMHTmHM
Another poster already mentioned good information about being a conservation officer and taking the state exam. You could also look into county park systems for similar employment.
NY has the highest black percentage outside of the South(and even higher or on par with some Southern states) and can be found all over in varying degrees. Not saying it is perfect, but some places may surprise you in that regard.
Some parts of the state are expensive and some aren’t. Upstate is less expensive than Downstate and is where much of the nature is anyway.
In terms of suggestions, I would look into areas like Ithaca/Tompkins County, some rural/small town areas near the bigger Upstate cities or some of the cities near nature like say Kingston, Plattsburgh, Watertown, Glens Falls, Oneonta, Saratoga Springs, etc. Something to keep in mind is that Ithaca and Saratoga Springs are on the higher end of cost of living, but you can still find relatively affordable areas near those cities. Places like Oneonta and Kingston put you closer to the Catskills. Plattsburgh and Glens Falls are closer to the Adirondacks. Watertown puts you close to the Thousand Islands and Lake Ontario.
That’s all I can think of for now, but if you have more specifics or questions, let the forum know.
I think you are thinking of the department of environmental conservation.
The full time jobs require taking a civil service test and eligibility requires usually a combination of some college credits in conjunction with relevant experience, at the minimum. It's a long process before getting hired. Temporary seasonal jobs are easier but they are also highly competitive. It really helps if you have a connection. These jobs are very popular and it would be naive to think that you can just randomly show up and be hired. Good luck.
Most of the county parks that I know of also require a local civil service exam. Again, very competitive because they offer great benefits. All of the public service jobs will have similar benefits. I think you have to have been a NYS resident for at least one year before you can take any of these exams.
Some of these cities have their own civil service departments/exams as well.
Also, in many, if not all cases, if you live in one county, you can take an exam for a position in an adjacent county. So, that may be something to consider as well, if interested.
After seeing where you would be coming from in CA(94533-Solano County), I think you may also like more diverse suburbs of the bigger Upstate cities or parts of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown area in the Hudson Valley.
With the latter, it is similar in terms of being more culturally integrated, while giving you access to a major city and nature. Places like Spackenkill, Arlington and maybe in/around Beacon on the Dutchess County side and the suburbs outside of Newburgh(Orange Lake, Gardnertown and Balmville) and Middletown(Scotchtown, Mechanicstown and Washington Heights), as well as say Highland Falls, Maybrook, Walden, Goshen, Washingtonville and Chester on the Orange County side.
In terms of the bigger Upstate cities, parts of towns like Amherst, Cheektowaga, Henrietta, Chili, Gates, Greece, Irondequoit, Brighton, Clay, Salina, DeWitt, Union, Colonie, Niskayuna and Guilderland come to mind.
Here is a map of Environmental Conservation offices across the state on the state level: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[43.672029496838356,-74.57881299359815],[42.01276009345556,-78.69868604047315],null,[42.84796587034027,-76.63874951703565],9] (zoom in to view more)
Here are locations on the federal level: https://www.fws.gov/offices/Director...m?statecode=36 (Shirley is in Suffolk County on Long Island; Cortland is in between Syracuse and Binghamton; Seneca Falls is in between Syracuse and Rochester; Valley Stream is in Nassau County on Long Island; Amherst is just outside of Buffalo; Basom is in Genesee County in between Buffalo and Rochester; Richville is just outside of Canton in St. Lawrence County and Champlain is north of Plattsburgh near the Canadian border in Clinton County). So, that gives you some idea of federal level possibilities within the state.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 10-30-2020 at 11:20 AM..
I lived in the Binghamton area for many years and move out a few years ago. Having said that, you may find the weather to be much more overcast and rainy than CA. It will be much colder in the winter months so make sure you have the right clothing! Hotkarl brought up an interesting point about the "land of NO". It is true to a large extent but I think the whole country is going that way. You can still find places that are open to recreational use including offroading. The cost of living can vary widely. Of course the metro areas will be stupid expensive but the small cities like Binghamton can be quite reasonable. They may not offer the excitement of the west.
Jobs are a concern if you are looking at upstate NY. In the southern tier area there is a large elderly population and a lot of health issues so I imagine there would be a need for EMTs. Other than that the economy can be depressed in a lot of places especially tech and manufacturing. In case the Ranger job doesn't pan out there are tons of low paid service oriented jobs.
If you have an in demand skill than small city areas can be cheap. If you have no experience then I am not sure there is an advantage to nesting in NY.
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