Demands on the Individual

Student entering the water-resources field must be well grounded in one of the basic academic disciplines, but individuals from many disciplines must work together to cover the breadth of complex, multi-disciplinary water-resource problems. You cannot be an expert in all these disciplines, but you must be able to talk to specialists in other areas and incorporate their advice in your conclusions.

The successful career person is one who can communicate - both orally and in writing. One must be able to develop a concise, complete report with recommendations summarizing a study or operation. Working with others requires that one appreciate opposing viewpoints and can adjust or compromise when it is clearly desirable.

There is urgent need for people with initiative, imagination, and dedication. There are manu individuals who carry on in well- established routines, and their skills are both necessary and appreciated. However, rarer are those who create, improvise, and think in bold terms. Water-resources planners must retain a certain flexibility, and the ability of researchers to analyze and predict consequences is vital. Our society must create strikingly new alternatives if we are to forge solutions which are realistic.