Advice for Beginning Wildlife Biologists

[dieNqvrs]

One thing to add that I'm not seeing here is that if you are a Wildlife Biologist with a PhD and get an academic job or a federal job, you can make a very good living. We have a lot of friends in Biology with PhDs and they have great jobs with good benefits, good pay, and nice flexible schedules.

Having said that you have to be very good to get those jobs and just getting the PhD doesn't mean much, you need to have the degree AND the work ethic to make sure you have what you need to be competitive for the jobs (which I'd be happy to describe).

Must be dedicated, experienced and connected to get those higher end jobs!

Self reflect and determine if you are a true grinder to put the time and effort in when others won’t?

What is the investment of time and $ in relation to the payoff of the acquired loans, payoff period and new potential salary to pay off those loans? School ain’t cheap anymore!! Consider return on investment and ability to payback the loans and then have $ to live comfortably.

IMO and if I had to do over go the Med school route and make 5-10x’s or more the salary for the same time investment-as mentioned above-PhD .

People biology pays-Dr.& Nurses.

Vs

State/fed Agency-Animal/fish biology is coordinated political, exploitation monitoring and people control.

What costs more an instate fishing license or a quick check up at the doctor? Any state or fed agencies talking about increased budgets? You hear health care costs going up?

I love the romantic idea of being a biologist, I was succumbed to the idea for over 10 years. Then reality of the business smacked me in the face repeatedly. I miss it, but I don’t.

 

[Tod osier]

Must be dedicated, experienced and connected to get those higher end jobs!

Self reflect and determine if you are a true grinder to put the time and effort in when others won’t?

What is the investment of time and $ in relation to the payoff of the acquired loans, payoff period and new potential salary to pay off those loans? School ain’t cheap anymore!! Consider return on investment and ability to payback the loans and then have $ to live comfortably.

IMO and if I had to do over go the Med school route and make 5-10x’s or more the salary for the same time investment-as mentioned above-PhD .

People biology pays-Dr.& Nurses.

Vs

State/fed Agency-Animal/fish biology is coordinated political, exploitation monitoring and people control.

What costs more an instate fishing license or a quick check up at the doctor? Any state or fed agencies talking about increased budgets? You hear health care costs going up?

I love the romantic idea of being a biologist, I was succumbed to the idea for over 10 years. Then reality of the business smacked me in the face repeatedly. I miss it, but I don’t.

There are a couple things here that need clarified... I hope you don't take this as an attack, but some of the things you say don't reflect my experience at all (and I'll come out and say that I have quite a lot of experience - maybe more than I made clear).

Must be dedicated, experienced and connected to get those higher end jobs!

Self reflect and determine if you are a true grinder to put the time and effort in when others won’t?

This is excellent advice and what I was trying to convey about being good. One thing I'll add is that multiple people have mentioned "connections", I want to OP to understand that these are connections for him to make, not an old boys club (it kind of sounds that way in some posts). You make connections doing your job as a grad student, you should have great connections when you are done if you are good.

What is the investment of time and $ in relation to the payoff of the acquired loans, payoff period and new potential salary to pay off those loans? School ain’t cheap anymore!! Consider return on investment and ability to payback the loans and then have $ to live comfortably.

School loans should not be in issue in most Biology-related fields. If you are good and don't pick the wrong program, your schooling will be paid for (as an RA, TA or on a fellowship) and you should get paid to do your work. There are science Master's programs that you can pay to get your degree, I'm not talking about those (a common example would be a non-thesis Master's). A strong student should be thinking about getting in to a Masters of Science program with tuition waived and receiving a salary.

PhD level scientists (including Wildlife Biologists) with the Federal government or in academia are starting pretty well as far as salary (on top of that the benefits are good). That is starting lower than a Physician, but it is not suffering to pay your bills and there are not the loans that an MD has.

I know this is not exactly what the OP was asking about, but in talking about going back to school, getting a PhD rather than a Master's is an obvious extension.

 

[william schmaltz]

Give up a few summers and potentially hunting seasons to take seasonal positions and then excel in them. Start calling in high school about these jobs. It took me until the year after my sophomore year of college but they hired me because they remembered. Most people don’t get a seasonal job until after undergrad. By the time I got my undergrad, I had three field seasons under my belt and was offered a tech job. I took that tech job for 3 years over a masters and I ended up beating out ppl with masters degrees.

Establish yourself in a department and do excellent work. People will notice and it’s extremely true that it’s all about who you know - your list of good references is HUGE (and no one on a hiring committee gives a shit about professors).

I left fisheries/wildlife after 7 awesome years. I am now in regulatory. When I was 20, I figured I would have no problem living that lifestyle. Turns out that I now have a family that wants me home and I also want to be there with them. Plus the money gives us some flexibility to live a pretty amazing outdoor lifestyle. I still get about 2 calls a year from old supervisors about open positions and nothing has lured me back. Eventually you move into office-level work to get paid anything respectable so I may as well stay in my current position with an earning potential 4x.

I do have a good friend in his mid 30s that I trapped and collared lions with. He has a masters and is true to his guns that he only has interest in field work. His income is low but he enjoys his single life being paid in the mountains with his hounds, even if it is well below his potential.

 

[elkhunter505]

Man you guys all have some awesome advice. Thank you for all of it. I am alsointerested in the restoration ecology and habitat sector stuff. I do like the hands on stuff but I am not opposed to doing some regulatory stuff. Anyone work on habitat stuff?

 

[semasko]

Great advice given in this thread. I've worked in the non-game biology and environmental consulting field for ~7 years now. Just to reiterate the important points:

- Networking - this can mean building relationships with your professors, bosses, etc., but also try to go to conferences in the areas you're interested. Don't underestimate "cold call" emails. Basically my entire job path after grad school was done by one cold call email to a PSU professor.

- Diversify - you probably have some core interest, and you should pursue expertise on that any chance you get. But learn all you can about any other wildlife fields you can, and you'll be desirable.

Grad school was great for me because I was pretty clueless about how academia worked and my field in general. I didn't have much undergrad mentoring and went to grad school after 2 years of factory work. Look around at schools with work that interests you and email the professors. Study your ass off, but don't stress on GRE score requirements because sometimes if the adviser is interested, they can waive it (mine did). The best thing about grad school for me was networking. Take advantage of all the people you're surrounded by who are interested in wildlife/bio because its not that common. I would stay away from any program where you don't get a full stipend, like a TA or GA. Most graduate schools pay for their grad students to attend as far as I know in the sciences.

That being said, you don't need grad school. I work for an environmental consulting company and a lot of the full time or seasonal people here have just undergrad, or not even. But you need to make some contacts or show someone you're willing to work hard and learn. There's lots of seasonal and tech positions out there and some may only last a few weeks, but may be super valuable in creating contacts.

I enjoyed teaching in grad school, but the cliquey and political nature of academia seemed petty and toxic. Finding work even for a PhD is stressful and a lot of bouncing around. You really have to love teaching and research.

I wasn't aware consulting was even a thing while I was in school, which is weird considering most people in my field end up there. It may be due my location though in the Marcellus boom. Its a lot of travel but you get to experience many fields. A lot of field work focuses on wetlands but just in the past year I've dealt with bats, mussels, crayfish, bees, birds, snakes and salamanders.

If you're focused more on game species there's lots of consulting there as well. Forestry is also probably a more secure field that gets you outdoors. Insects, disease, pollination, ag industries are also huge. Some fields or animal groups may not sound super sexy, but you may surprise yourself with what grabs your interest.

 

[gwl79902]

I was in fisheries for 7 years I moved 12 times. Finally i came to realize that i really did not want my bosses job or his bossses. I went into law enforcement instead. 21 years later and getting ready to retire soon. I work lots of weekends and holidays. Had to miss some of my sons growing up which I hate.

All and all I am so glad i made the change. I have spent 21 years working outside and rewarded with tons of great experiences.

Being a game warden is not for everyone but for me it was a much better fit than bio.

 

[mountainhawks]

I see a lot of people referencing the poor pay and tough living conditions above. Don't let it discourage you. I've been a regional fisheries biologist (field) for nearly 15 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have enough money to enjoy the hell out of my free time and even bought a house in a pretty crazy market in my area. Granted, I don't have a family to support but there's lots of ways to make money outside of your career. I truly don't have that living for the weekend feeling, I'm just as excited to go capture spawning fish as I am to go fishing on the weekends. I see that as a worthwhile trade off for more money. One other thing that hasn't been mentioned are the people in the field. We all share such an intense passion for what we do (for the most part) that it's common to become great friends with coworkers. Just wanted to share a couple of the positives. It's not ALL about the money.

 

[Muzzy48]

I see some really good advice and then some where I definitely see people’s jobs arent motivational speakers.

Education
My advice is look into the job that you would like to see yourself doing then research that position as to what education you need. Don’t be afraid to reach out to places and ask questions. I was looking at fisheries major and decided on Environmental Resource Mgmt. it was something a little broader and then minored in others. I ended up wanting to do forestry until I discovered the job i was interested in required at least an assoc and not just a minor. I have a bachelors and have the same or higher pay grade as people who have masters. Yes, the master’s IMO is the new bachelors but to me it’s stemmed more from society and making a statement to people then it is anything. I had the chance to go to grad school and turned it down cuz I was “done” with school and ready to find a job. It can help but it’s not gonna guarantee you a job anymore than a bachelors.

Networking
I can’t stress enough how important this is. I’ve had seasonals get a full-time gig because of the people they met throughout the summer. Take everyday as an interview. The impression you make today could be the door that opens tomorrow.

Jobs
It can be extremely hard and sometimes discouraging after schooling to find a job in this field. Biggest thing is to not give up. Even now it seems entry level positions want some sort of experience which is hard. Been there. Keep looking for a job and you will find one. Get a job wherever you can to pay the bills but don’t give up on finding a job in a field you want. Too many people give up and end up working at Wendys or in some other related field for a long time and never go back to pursuing the job they truly want. Just get your foot in the door, work hard, and others will open up. Don’t turn down a job like a seasonal or tech job because it doesn’t fit your “standards”. I had a seasonal who was offered tech jobs but turned them down cuz he felt he was “mgmt material”. He still doesn’t have a job in the field cuz he isn’t willing to start at the bottom. Ego will get you nowhere.

Pay
The only way this should matter to you is if you cant pay the bills. I work for the govt and i could make ALOT more in the private sector(consulting). I have a family, a home, and a new f-250 to pay for and doing fine. I hunt in the midwest and this yr hunting out west as well. I take a hit on pay to enjoy the good benefits. If you learn to manage money you can do more with less. Pick the job by what you enjoy not how much it pays. IMO making 80-100k isn’t anything if your working 60hrs a week, missing events, and wishing you were somewhere else everyday for the next 35years.

I’m a fisheries habitat biologist. It’s the best job of my life. Many days it doesn’t feel like a job cuz I enjoy it that much. Im building habitat from May-October. Off hunting most of November and part of December. Im in or on the water everyday building habitat and making a difference. My dad owned a body shop. He never left me truly learn the trade as he wanted me to go to school and get a job that i could go to everyday and love what I do. He passed away a few years ago largely due to that job but it was the best advice he could of gave me and I thank him everyday for it.

Best of luck to you elkhunter!

 

[timekiller13]

I had aspirations of being a wildlife biologist most of my young life. Went to college the first time, got a degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Wildlife Biology and Ecology. Got into a masters program at a local state university. It didn't take me long to realize that this wasn't the career I thought it was. I wanted a job that kept me outdoors. The seasonal tech jobs allow you do that, but they don't pay anything and most have little to no benefits. The full time jobs were all regulatory/compliance type work, or computer modeling positions like map building/GIS/remote sensing type stuff. These jobs paid very well, but entailed sitting behind a desk or computer for 8-10 hours a day, with the occasional (like once a month) trip into the field. Of course, there was always the option of getting a PhD and working for a university. But that wasn't up my alley. After one year of grad school, I jumped ship. Spent a couple years bouncing around to different jobs before I realized that healthcare was where I wanted to be.

But, just for reference, my experiences come from the southeastern US. Wildlife jobs are much more difficult to come by in the south. I was not willing to relocate, so that limited my options. Now, if you are willing to relocate and work anywhere in the US, then I think you may have more options than I did.

 

[ClearCreek]

Several of the posters on this thread have discussed "regulatory jobs" During my career I had a fish management position in a western state. I had contact with fish and wildlife biologists that had regulatory positions, mainly with Federal agencies.

A biologist with a regulatory position once told me the regulatory positions "where not really biologists jobs" as they spent most of their time preparing and reviewing environmental documents.

Guess I got lucky, as I spent 42 years in a fisheries field position spending a lot time outdoors.

ClearCreek

 

[menhaden_man]

I’ve worked in natural resources for over 20 years across more than 15 states. PM me if you’d like to talk sometime, would be happy to offer advice. Otherwise agree with some great points above.

 

[Jasper]

There's lots of great advice in the thread above. Clear Creek, Bear_Hunter, Muzzy48 and a couple others are spot on. Read and re-read their advice. In the big picture, don't get discouraged. You may well be in your mid-30s before you settle on a career track or get that coveted agency job. In the meantime, get as much experience as you can, on as many species as you can, and use the next few years to build skills and tools that you can use in the future. More on this later.

I've been a wildlife research biologist with a state agency for a bit more than seventeen years and I've now taken on some supervisory responsibility. Luckily, I've also been able to maintain between one and two months of field time each year. I supervise a handful of other biologists and still lead my own research projects.

Coming out of my MS degree, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do, and my MS wasn't wildlife-related. I was offered a wildlife PhD, and took it, knowing that I didn't want to end up in academia but not still not having any clear career goals. Sometime during that program, I realized applied, management-based, research would give me a great lifestyle, pay me for being outside, and let me use my brain. I got my first agency job at the age of 34 after lots of seasonal work, working construction between contract biology jobs, and scraping to make it come together.

Now, I can't imagine doing anything else.

Here's some of the good: At this point in my career, I am able to take between four and six weeks paid leave each year. Our agency has a great flex time policy. When I'm in the field, most of my overtime comes back as flex. I still get annual and sick leave on top of that. Also, I'm handling animals and/or collecting data almost 60 days a year. I get to do analysis and write on top of that, too. I'm making a decent living and don't struggle to buy groceries. I'll have a reasonable retirement income, provided this current mess doesn't result in a zombie apocalypse.

Some of the bad: You will probably have to give up some field time sooner than you think to make more money, or to take a defensive promotion to keep someone totally unsuitable from promoting. Avoid the supervisory stuff as long as possible. In many agencies, it's really difficult to take a lot of (or any) leave during hunting season, especially if biologists are required to have a law enforcement commission. Take a hard look at how personnel allocate their time before applying for jobs.



Some more unsolicited advice:
One poster mentioned that you need to set yourself apart from other job applicants. This may be the most important point in the whole thread.

Entry level/technician jobs at our agency usually receive between 60-100 applicants. When I'm reviewing those applications, I'm actively looking for a reason to eliminate a candidate. I just don't have the time to pore over fifty-plus applications. Typographical errors, misspelled words, poorly written cover letters, ANY lack of attention to detail ( For example, I work for a state agency. I can't count the number of letters that I've received that say something like "I'm excited to work for the US Fish and Wildlife Service...") will get an application tossed quickly.

Do at least a little digging about the hiring manager, the agency, and the job. Make a few phone calls and find out what the job duties are. Come into the interview with a plan to communicate how your skill set can accomplish those job duties. Personally, I don't care about the title "Dr.". Not too many people even know I have a PhD. But if a candidate refers to me as Dr. Jasper in their cover letter, I at least know that they have done a little background work. I mentioned we get between 60-100 applications for each entry level job. If I'm listed as hiring manager, I get one, two, or rarely three calls or emails asking about the job. If nothing else, I'll give those applications a close look because that candidate took some initiative. If you come across well in that initial email or phone call, it's almost a free ticket to an interview.

As far as building skills, my best advice is to generate a set of marketable tools (GIS, statistics, various lab techniques, physiological analyses, chemical immobilization, etc.) that you can then apply to whatever question you might end up working on. Be able to articulate how these skills will set you apart from other candidates.

Hope this helps. PM if you have more questions.