 |
|
|
|
Job Title: Senior Naturalist
Type of Company: A nature center with over 20,000 student visitors a year.
Education: BA, Environmental Studies •• BA, Speech Communications
Previous Experience: I worked internships and temporary camp naturalist jobs for 3 years, accumulating experience, but I had to move up and down the East Coast several times.
Job Tasks: I visit schools and teach 5-8 programs on nature a day in the cool winter months. In the spring and fall, 100 or more students visit the nature center daily for programs. I also coordinate exhibits, brochures, public programs and do some research on plants and animals on the side, as well as lots of data entry, confirmations and volunteer coordination.
I also write columns for the newspaper and newsletter, take photos of happenings at the nature center, create outdoor signs and posters for upcoming events and almost anything that needs to be done. As our conservation guru, I keep track of electricity use and help to write grants proposals and reports on projects to conserve electricity. The job varies by individual and their strengths.
Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best part of my work is doing something that I personally love and feel strongly about. The worst parts are the paperwork and data collection. Almost all jobs have drawbacks. Naturalists are typically low-paid, but if you love the work then you will be happy. I think that a day spent enjoying your low-paid job is better than a day spent dreading and stressing out over a high-paid job that makes you miserable.
Job Tips: Experience, experience, experience. Get outside. Play in the woods. Explore. Play with kids, borrow some if you need to. Volunteer. Take classes in natural history. Explore. Go out with other naturalists. Get on a blog or listserve. Learn from others. Raise tadpoles. That's all I have to say, except this
Additional Thoughts: If you want to succeed, be happy, be sincere and be ready to roll with whatever happens. Nothing ever happens as planned. Ever. Be flexible, be ready to do anything from making coffee to answering odd bird calls on the phone to vacuuming to leading a nature walk on orchids at the last minute.
The inside stories from people actually working in the field.
Click a story title to show the story, and click the title again to hide it.
All Types
Career Stories are concise, real-world career overviews written by people relating their personal career experiences and wisdom. They provide invaluable insights and mentoring advice to students and career changers.
Most stories include:
Please also see our detailed information about Conservation Scientists, including:
Copyright © QuinStreet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
