Wow i got a great amount of information way more than i thought i would. All of it invaluable. For the ones that have posted do you have any regrets with the path you chose? Im sure everyone does. Do you enjoy the career you chose and what whould you do differently? Also does the DNR or similar agencies offer internships for highschool students?
Thanks again for all the insight i have recieved.
-Zac
The way to a flyfisherman’s heart is through his fly
Bass Angler,
I am not very far along my path, but so far there are no real regrets (except for that I don’t like organic chemistry 
).
I’ve been told here and there that if I get a degree from Cornell that I am almost assured a job, as long as I have some experience to back it up (now the State’s hiring problems complicates things a bit, but it’s competition against others like me which determines getting hired or not). I may not be guaranteed a job, but it does make a difference. Many people choose an “easy college”…but I’m glad you do not intend to do that. 
New York’s DEC would hire somebody with a Cornell Degree and experience over many other colleges, I’m not sure what it is in your state, but I’m sure it is like that out there as well.
“If firearms cause crimes and kill people, all of the ones I have must be defective.”
Follow your heart and dreams, be aware that there are many fields of knowledge; even though they may seem not being relevent to your quest, they are connected to each other.
No knowledge gained, is ever wasted! The more information you learn, the wiser your thoughts and ideas will become! There are connections between, all knowledge, look for the threads that connect them, this will give you new understandings of that you have already learned.
The road of life you travel, may or may not take you where you want to go, but along the way you will discover many new ideas, and thoughts. The journey is not about reaching the destination, it is about what happens as you travel along the way.
~Parnelli
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 14 March 2005).]