This is the 2024 update to this post. Not much has changed, but I'm refreshing it so new eyes can see it. As always, if you have suggestions to add, please comment below.
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So You Want to Be a Cowboy?
This is for everyone who comes a-knockin' asking about how they can get into that tight job market of being able to put all your worldly belongings in the back of a pickup truck and work for pancakes.
For the purposes of this post, we'll use the term *cowboys* to group together ranch hands, cowpokes, shepherds, trail hands (dude ranches), and everyone else who may or may not own their own land or stock, but work for a rancher otherwise.
We're also focusing on the USA - if there's significant interest (and input) we'll include other countries, but nearly every post I've seen has been asking about work in the States, whether you're born blue or visitin' from overseas.
There are plenty of posts already in the sub asking this, so this post will be a mix of those questions and answers, and other tips of the trade to get you riding for the brand.
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Get Experience
In ag work, it can be a catch-22: you need experience to get experience. But if you can sell yourself with the tools you have, you're already a step ahead.
u/imabigdave gave a good explanation:
The short answer is that if you don't have any relevant experience you will be a liability. A simple mistake can cost tens of thousands of dollars in just an instant, so whoever hires you would need to spend an inordinate amount of time training you, so set your compensation goals accordingly. What you see on TV is not representative of the life or actual work at all.
We get posts here from kids every so often. Most ranches won't give a job to someone under 16, for legal and liability. If you're reading this and under 16, get off the screen and go outside. Do yard work, tinker in the garage, learn your plants and soil types . . . anything to give you something to bring to the table (this goes for people over 16, too).
If you're in high school, see if your school has FFA (Future Farmers of America) or 4-H to make the contacts, create a community, and get experience.
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Start Looking
Once you have some experience that you can sell, get to looking.
There's a good number of websites out there where you can find ranch jobs, including:
- AgCareers.com
- AgHires
- CoolWorks
- DudeRanchJobs
- FarmandRanchJobs.com
- Quivira Coalition
- Ranch Help Wanted (Facebook)
- RanchWork.com
- RanchWorldAds
- YardandGroom
- Other ranch/farm/ag groups on Facebook
- Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.
(I know there's disagreement about apprenticeships and internships - I started working for room & board and moved up from there, so I don't dismiss it. If you want to learn about room & board programs, send me a PM. This is your life. Make your own decisions.)
You can also look for postings or contacts at:
- Ranch/farm/ag newspapers, magazines, and bulletins
- Veterinarian offices
- Local stables
- Butcher shops
- Western-wear stores (Murdoch's, Boot Barn, local stores, etc.)
- Churches, diners, other locations where ranchers and cowboys gather
- Sale barns
- Feed stores, supply shops, equipment stores
- Fairgrounds that host state or county fairs, ag shows, cattle auctions, etc.
There are a lot of other groups that can help, too. Search for your local/state . . .
- Stockgrowers association (could be called stockmens, cattlemens, or another similar term)
- Land trusts
- Cooperative Extension
- Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
- Society for Range Management
- Game/wildlife department (names are different in each state - AZ has Game & Fish, CO has Parks & Wildlife, etc.)
If you're already in a rural area or have contact with producers, just reach out. Seriously. Maybe don't drive up unannounced, but give them a call or send them an email and ask. This doesn't work so well in the commercial world anymore, but it does in the ranching world (source: my own experience on both ends of the phone).
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Schooling
Schooling, especially college, is not required. I've worked alongside cowboys with English degrees, 20-year veterans who enlisted out of high school, and ranch kids who got their GED from horseback. If you have a goal for your college degree, more power to you. Example thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ranching/comments/vtkpq1/is_it_worth_getting_my_bachelors_degree_in_horse/
A certificate program might be good if you're inclined to come with some proven experience. Look at programs for welders, machinists, farriers, butchers, or something else that you can apply to a rural or agricultural situation. There are scholarships for these programs, too, usually grouped with 'regular' college scholarships.
There's also no age limit to working on ranches. Again, it's what you can bring to the table. If you're in your 50s and want a change of pace, give it a shot.
