Odds of Getting In

Odds of Getting In

So you're armed with your undergraduate degree in animal science and a burning desire to be a rancher. Now what? Well, perhaps you should consider traveling back in time to get that degree in computer science instead. Remember how we talked about ranching being a family thing? Well, if you weren't born into one of those families, they're not likely to give you a job, stranger.

The truth is job prospects for ranchers are absolutely dismal. Many small- and medium-sized ranchers have been driven out of business by commercial ranching, so only the big guys stay in business, and they already have plenty of ranch hands, uh...on hand.

Even if you do come from a ranching family, you might think you have a job to go back to once you finish college, but that isn't guaranteed. Many a young person born to the life finds themselves nowadays with a degree in animal science and a career as a waiter or waitress. At least you'll still be involved in the meat-eating process—you'll just be working with the end product rather than the beginning.