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Career Change Finder

Jobs for Former Forest and Conservation Workers

Forest and Conservation Workers build coordination, judgment and decision making and complex problem solving skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists (85%).

Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers

Skills you enjoy

Pick the skills you want to keep using. The list re-ranks.

Sorted by skill match.

25 careers that use your skills

  1. 1Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
    85%
    Median pay
    $56,870
    Pay change
    +30%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  2. 2Forest and Conservation Technicians
    84%
    Median pay
    $54,560
    Pay change
    +25%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  3. 3Firefighters
    81%
    Median pay
    $59,280
    Pay change
    +36%
    Extra educationNone
  4. 4Aircraft Service Attendants
    79%
    Median pay
    $40,450
    Pay change
    −7%
    Extra educationNone
  5. 5Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
    78%
    Median pay
    $46,340
    Pay change
    +6%
    Extra educationNone
  6. 6Tree Trimmers and Pruners
    77%
    Median pay
    $50,960
    Pay change
    +17%
    Extra educationNone
  7. 7Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
    75%
    Median pay
    $68,840
    Pay change
    +58%
    Extra educationNone
  8. 8Motorboat Operators
    75%
    Median pay
    $47,520
    Pay change
    +9%
    Extra educationNone
  9. 9Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
    75%
    Median pay
    $49,450
    Pay change
    +13%
    Extra educationNone
  10. 10Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
    74%
    Median pay
    $60,600
    Pay change
    +39%
    Extra educationNone

Compared with Forest and Conservation Workers, median $43,680. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.

Your transferable skills

How important each skill is in work as forest and conservation workers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).

Coordination3.00
Judgment and Decision Making3.00
Complex Problem Solving2.88
Time Management2.88
Operations Monitoring2.75
Social Perceptiveness2.75

Skills to learn

The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.

  • Operation and Control
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Management of Personnel Resources
  • Operations Monitoring

Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.

Your top 3 moves, up close

A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.

Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

85% skill match · $56,870 · +30% pay

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (32% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • On-the-job training: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.

Skills to add

Instructing · Management of Personnel Resources · Negotiation

Is this right for you?

  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Tight deadlines are common
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences

Forest and Conservation Technicians

84% skill match · $54,560 · +25% pay

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (35% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.

Skills to add

Instructing · Management of Personnel Resources · Systems Analysis

Is this right for you?

  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Tight deadlines are common
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences

Firefighters

81% skill match · $59,280 · +36% pay

First step

  • On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.

Skills to add

Service Orientation · Coordination · Judgment and Decision Making

Is this right for you?

  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Long hours on your feet

Similar roles in the same field

If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.

Free help near you

Former forest and conservation workers can get free career counseling, job search help and, if you qualify, help paying for training through American Job Centers, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Find an American Job CenterFind training programs

Links go to CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Questions former forest and conservation workers ask

What jobs can former forest and conservation workers do?

The closest matches are Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists (85% skill match, median $56,870), Forest and Conservation Technicians (84% skill match, median $54,560) and Firefighters (81% skill match, median $59,280), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.

Which forest and conservation worker career changes pay more?

Among the 25 matches, 23 pay more than forest and conservation workers at the median. The biggest increases: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (+112%, $92,460), Subway and Streetcar Operators (+98%, $86,380) and Locomotive Engineers (+86%, $81,410).

Do former forest and conservation workers need another degree?

20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.

How is the skill match calculated?

We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.

Keep exploring

Sources. Skills, tasks and education: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Data Sources & Licenses