While I am not prone to jump into discussions on list-serves---I have to say to RK and all those who are suffering through the "Barren Wasteland" of Conservation Careers, that this is not a new reality to recent graduates, it's been happening for decades. I confess to currently have a "tenuously-funded" job in the conservation field and feel lucky for that. But, just ask the older generation who were finishing up and looking for jobs during the 1st George Bush's tenure (pre-Clinton era)....I am sure you'd hear untold numbers of stories of job-seeker despair similar to your situation...everything is cyclical!!
My personal experience in 1992--of post-Cornell graduate days in Ithaca, NY where Ph.D. level researchers were willing to outcompete and take B.S. level field technician slots from freshly-minted graduates; of working banquets and selling plasma during the year; mailing (yes, mailing-- since there was no widespread email then) hundreds of resumes around the country, hoping just to get a reply and then bringing the rejection letters down to the college town bar who would add it to the "Wall of Woe" and give you a free beer for every 5 you brought in, etc. I guess my recent experience of hiring a full-time summer field technician brought this experience full circle; where, although I only required a B.S. degree in my announcement, over 1/2 of the 50+ applicants had Masters degrees!!! Wow!! And why wouldn't I hire a M.S. applicant, more experience, more ability to fulfill the duties. Though, along with the extra experience (he did perform the project tasks superbly) came the attitude. It is an attitude that I've seen pervasive among recent graduates in our field. I can't quite put a finger on it other than to call it entitlement; like they deserve a job, a better job, because they received their degree (RK's sense of accomplishment). OK, here comes the statement that'll get me in trouble--not all conservation/ecology graduates should expect to obtain jobs or sustained careers in their respective fields (law of supply and demand), those that are most persistent and resilient might. As we know in ecology, survival is about adapting and evolving, so maybe transforming the expected ideal job scenario to some other marketable experience in the mean-time to use later... Persist and Stay Resilient -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of R K Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 8:26 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Careers in Conservation: Crossing the Barren Waste I would like to know if there's anyone else out there who has fought their way through grad school, and finished with a real sense of accomplishment, only to discover the utter impossibility of finding a job in conservation science, the sham of building a career in this field. I would like to know if there are any others who have gone a year or more since graduation with no work, no prospects, and no hope left. I'm not looking for career advice, especially not from all those who feel so very proud and superior to have a job where I do not. I've had enough contempt, scorn, and smug cold amusement to last me a lifetime. If you're employed, count yourself fortunate and move along. I'm not here to start a discussion; I'd just like to know if there's anyone else living in the same place right now. If you've gone through the endless rounds of application and rejection, if you poured yourself into hopes that have gone to barren dust, I'd like to hear from you. Send me a reply off-list.
