Hey Sarah, I am finishing up grad school as well, and was in a similar position to yours when I finished my 4-year degree. Ecolog is one of the best places you can be, but do also have a look on university websites in areas that you think you would enjoy working/could get the best experience. Go to Human Resources webpages for these places and put in "research technician", "field technician", "biologist", or specific areas of biology that you want experience with into their search fields if they have one, for available jobs. "Physiology", "marine biology", "behavior", etc. You will likely get a lot of hits for jobs available to registered students and/or folks with graduate degrees, but I have seen stuff for post-baccs as well.
Here's another thing to think about that I actually believe might be more beneficial to you...look at laboratories and field stations around the country and beyond. I am a marine lab person, so know about places like Hopkins, Moss Landing, and Friday Harbor Laboratories. Many of these places offer Research Experiences for Undergraduates opportunities or Research Apprenticeships that are also open to folks who have just finished their 4-year degree. They are invaluable in not only getting you experience, a small paycheck, and somewhere to live - but in getting you INTO the field station and laboratory community. Doors will open that you never expected. These are also short (typically 3 months or so), INTENSE learning experiences that are meant to simulate the graduate experience. So for someone who is undecided about grad school, they really do give you a better basis for evaluating your next step. It's a scary scary place to be at a scary time, believe me I know! Know that at least in my humble opinion, you are doing absolutely the right thing. Don't subject yourself to grad school if you don't love what you're doing, and until you are competitive to get into the program that is right for you. WOrk and research experience is becoming very important on applications, and will give you the leg up you need to be attractive to multiple programs so that YOU get to make the grad school choices - should you decide this is the route for you. If you are curious about REU programs or working at marine laboratories, I am an alumni of one REU, a former REU student coordinator, and an alum of two marine field stations on the US west coast. Feel free to message me. If I don't know the answer, I can point you to some potential opportunities. All the best, and keep fighting! Things really do get better. A. On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 7:16 AM, Rose Grinnan <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Sarah, > > I am in the same boat as you, but I was one of those who went to grad > school because the economy was tanking when I was graduating and now I have > to find a job in an ocean of unemployed. I know what I would like to do but > searching for this job is very complicated by the same problem you are > faced with - there can be dozens of names for the same basic job. But if > you find a job called 'research' or 'field' technician, which is very > common, it could be any of hundreds of jobs descriptions. I have to believe > that persistence and patience will pay off, and 10 hours a day online, of > course. > > Here's to hoping! > > Good luck, > > Rose Grinnan > Unemployed botanist > > > On Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 1:29 PM, Sarah Fann <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Dear fellow scientists, > > > > I hope the more experienced scientists on the listserv can help me and my > > fellow recent graduates. > > > > The job market for a recent graduate in biology is ... daunting, to say > the > > least. Some of my peers simply went to graduate school because "they had > > nothing else to do" and hoped it would give them a competitive edge. I > took > > a different route, as I am very reluctant to invest in a graduate degree > > unless I am very sure I want a career in that field. So, like many of my > > peers, I searched for low level jobs to "get a feel" for what type of > > science interests me the most. This search has been needlessly > complicated > > by what I like to call the "name game." People keep coming up with more > and > > more innovative names for a job to make it sound so much more exciting > than > > it really is. That makes searching for a low level science job very > > difficult. For example, a recent job advertisement boasted that you > needed > > little to no experience, and was titled "Environmental engineering > > assistant." When I followed up on this (it was under the > > "science/engineering category of a job site)", I discovered it was > actually > > for a housekeeper. Searching for "internships" usually returns jobs for > > students still in undergraduate, although not always. > > > > So I ask everyone here, what would you name a position for a young > > scientist, with only a B.S. degree and little experience? It can be field > > specific or not. Where would you advertise and post these jobs? > > > > The more the merrier; as I am sure I am not the only recent graduate > > struggling with that "next step" decision. If you respond to me, I will > > compile a list and post on the server so others can benefit. > > > > Kind Regards, > > > > Sarah Fann > > Research Assistant > > Marine Environmental Research Institute > > www.meriresearch.org > > > -- Amanda Newsom Graduate Student Bodega Marine Laboratory ``Life shrinks or expands according to one's courage'' -- Anais Nin
