July 13, 2021

Your Biggest Struggle in Wildlife Careers

Your Biggest Struggle in Wildlife Careers
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Fancy Scientist: Animals, Science, Lifestyle

A couple of months ago, I put this post on social media asking for people in wildlife biology, ecology, or zoology careers to help me out with some research:

and I was shocked by the response! I got so many people who were interested in helping me out. Thank you to all of you that participated!

I did this research for my own internal knowledge – so I could learn how I could better help you. In this podcast, I cover the most frequently stated answer to the main question in my survey: “What is the problem you are struggling with most in regard to this career? “

I interviewed 88 people of all different career levels, although most were graduates with a bachelor’s degree or in college, but the greatest response was “getting a job.” Specifically a permanent job. 

This answer ended up being a little complex, so I took a whole podcast episode to delve into the different nuances of it to understand why it has been such a struggle for people to get a job even after having a degree.

At the end of the episode, I go over some tips for you can self-evaluate if you are having the same problem. Whether you are brand new to the field or out there looking for a job, you will learn a lot from this episode. 

Specifically I go over:

  • Innate biases in the data (so you don’t freak out too much)
  • The different reasons people think are causing them to struggle in the job market
  • Factors affecting the job market
  • Specific experiences and feelings from people I interviewed (so you don’t feel alone)
  • What you can do to stand out in a “sea of applications”
  • and MORE!


For full show notes click here.

Get a free chapter of my book “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know” to see how I can help you in your career: https://stephanieschuttler.com/getting-a-job-in-wildlife-biology-book/ 


Want to learn about cool animals, conservation, and get tips about careers in wildlife biology, science, and more? Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/StephanieSchuttler and join my email list: https://stephanieschuttler.com/ 


I’d love to meet you. Connect with me on social media:

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Join the “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology” Facebook group to connect with other aspiring wildlife biologists, post your questions and get free advice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gettingajobinwildlifebiology