Look at job listings for your state government and see what the prerequisites are for various assistant jobs. Craigslist is another place to look, both for jobs and to get an idea of what prereqs people are looking for.
You might be able to get a position in the medical research field depending where you live. Some facilities will hire people with associate of science degrees for assistant/peon positions.
Americorps may also have something ecology wise. There's the normal Americorps program, and then there's Vista which is more managerial type stuff that looks good on resumes. The stipend is crap, but they do give you around $5K-ish for scholarship money. I think you can use it towards paying off student loans, but you'd want to check to be sure.
