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Show 62 Chapter Three. Finding a Job When Karen Eckels graduated from Montana State she expected to be hired as a full-time forester by the Forest Service. But much to her dismay, she learned that she viasn't qualified. She'd earned her degree in Forestry, graduating with honors, but according to Civil Service requirements she hadn't taken enough classes in timber management. In the opinion of a government o f f i c i a l , "College students should be forewarned about federal job requirements. These kids go along taking courses specified by universities for degrees in Forestry or Recreation or Wildlife or whatever, thinking t h e y ' l l get federal jobs when they graduate. Then they find out they don't have the right kind of background for government jobs at the professional level - i t ' s a big blow when the Civil Service won't recognize their degrees." Each college student planning a career in a government agency should have counseling right from the beginning, the official advises, to t a i l o r coursework to Civil Service standards. "If you haven't taken the right courses, you don't get hired." Karen considered going back to the university to take additional classes in timber studies, but she'd already spent five years in college, and she felt it vias time to be employed at something besides a summer vacation job. Though she couldn't be hired as a forester, Karen hoped that another government opening might come along. She took the Professional Administrative Careers Examination - the PACE exam given by the Civil Service; on i t s six sections she scored three 99s and |