skip to main content
Kevin Wright
Kevin Wright
00:56

Kevin Wright

Dow AgroSciences

Mount Vernon, IN USA

"I took a different route to get here because I was unsure. Unexpectedly, a part-time job ended up becoming a career I loved."

Career Roadmap

Kevin's work combines: Environment & Nature, Science, and Teaching / Mentoring

See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.

Take Roadmap Quiz

Day In The Life

Senior Research Technician

I manage the summer nursery crews, seed packaging operations, and assist with breeding selections.

01:48

Day In The Life Of An Agronomics Research Technician

My Day to Day

In the summer, I supervise 40-50 local high school students who come in to help us pollinate. Provide breeding support by taking notes in the nursery and making selections. Managed seed packaging operations to ensure trials and nurseries were packaged efficiently and without errors. I travel to winter nurseries to learn germplasm and take notes on key inbred lines.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

My first day on the job out in the fields it was so hot and I got so exhausted that I seriously doubted whether I ever wanted to go back. Luckily, my mom convinced me to stick out and I've been doing this ever since.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Business Administration and Management, General

    University of Southern Indiana

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Marketing/Marketing Management, General

    University of Southern Indiana

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an Agricultural Technicians:

High School

Bachelor's Degree: Agriculture, General

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    Grew up in Mount Vernon, IN.

  • 2.

    Says growing up in the country, playing outside all the time, and tending to the family garden were all factors that sparked his interest in agricultural work.

  • 3.

    At 16, he got his first job working out in the fields at the Dow AgroSciences seed station in Mount Vernon.

  • 4.

    It was so hot and he got so exhausted his first day on the job that he seriously doubted he wanted to continue—his mother had to convince him to stick it out and he’s been working there ever since.

  • 5.

    After that first season, the seed station hired him on part-time, and he worked there throughout high school and college after school in hand harvesting and packaging.

  • 6.

    Attended the University of Southern Indiana where he got his degree in business administration and was able to stay close to home.

  • 7.

    Admits that, at the time, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay in the agricultural industry, so he chose his business administration major as a way of giving himself an out just in case.

  • 8.

    Eventually, he realized that he really did love working in the agricultural industry, so he returned to Dow AgroSciences after college and was hired on full-time as the Senior Research Technician.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Myself:

    I don't think I can handle working in this environment.

  • How I responded:

    My first day on the job out in the fields it was so hot and I got so exhausted that I seriously doubted whether I ever wanted to go back. Luckily, my mom convinced me to stick out and I've been doing this ever since.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

Click to expand

  • My parents weren't able to help my financially pay for school so I had to get a part-time job throughout high school and college to pay for it myself. I also utilized student loans.