Horchler 1

Katarina Horchler

Mr. Walters

ISM

06 September 2019

MLA citation

“What Is a Wildlife Biologist?” EnvironmentalScience.org,

www.environmentalscience.org/career/wildlife-biologist.

McKay, Dawn Rosenberg. “What Does a Conservationist Do?” The Balance Careers, The
Balance Careers, 3 Sept. 2019, www.thebalancecareers.com/conservationist-526002.

Research Assessment #1- Career Outlook

Wildlife Conservation plays an important part in the future of our world. Researching my

career choice lets me dive deeper into the field of wildlife conservation, the many different job

opportunities, and will hopefully prepare me for future interviews. I have gained a lot of

knowledge through this research while I still have plenty of questions that I hope will be answered

through further research and interviews.

Wildlife Conservation is the career title, but it is a pretty vague but still wide reaching title.

Other similar careers include: wildlife biologists, environmental scientists, National Park rangers,

public educator and outreach, conservation documentary maker, veterinarians , and even more

specific careers like ornithology, marine biology, or entomology. The careers that peaked my

interest especially is the one of National Park rangers, because they work to protect the

environment and animals while also educating people about the environment. Another unexpected

career that touches on wildlife conservation is a documentary maker, who would have a lot of

experience in the field and would be knowledgeable about conservation. My most obvious choice

has always been wildlife conservation, which has high educational requirements. I would need at
 Horchler 2

least a Bachelor's degree in wildlife conservation, biology, ecology, zoology, or another closely

related field. Although I already knew this, it was confirmed by my research that I would need a

Master’s degree or Ph.D to get any further than an entry-level position. One thing I really wanted

to learn through ISM is the level of education people have in the field and what my potential

income would be. Do zookeepers have only a bachelors? Do researchers always have a Masters

degree? Will I have to earn a Ph.D? While this research confirmed what I had thought that I would

need a Masters or Ph.D, I would love to see how this applies to people actually in the field.

While trying to research some terminology, I stumbled across an application to become a

certified wildlife biologist. I had no idea that you would eventually need an official certification

of your study to advance. I found two types of certification, the first being an Associate Wildlife

Biologist which is a preliminary step for people who have completed the educational

requirements, but do not have the experience requirements. The other certification you can obtain

is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, which are people who have completed the educational and

experience requirements. Job tasks within this field vary greatly depending on how specific your

job is. Some general work all conservationists do includes, research/observation, advocating for

animals, interact and share information with other scientists and conservationists, create reports

and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, monitor and document animal behavior,

and constantly reading new scientific journals and current research. Some higher up wildlife

biologists may also complete additional work such as; planning and scheduling research trips,

manage other researchers and conservationists, review research, data, and reports, evaluate state

and federal wildlife programs, and participate in meetings with government officials, engineers,

and consultants. Either way you often times spend a lot of time outside observing animals or in

labs doing research. The downside of this job is that it can be physically demanding, especially if
 Horchler 3

you are out in the field doing observation. You will have to face bad weather, biting insects,

poisonous plants, dangerous wildlife, and long days. Again, these are very generic tasks that I

found but I want to know a daily list of tasks a conservationist completes and how it all leads up

to the conservation of animals.

The salary outlook is not great because many people don’t believe these jobs are important

and they're not greatly appreciated. Many wildlife conservationists are employed by non-profit

organizations. Right out of college, entry level conservationists make about 35K a year but this

can vary on where you live. As you gain experience and continue your education, a high level

position can earn about 120K, which is also dependent on what state you work in. Surprisingly

Maryland holds the highest salary average. Overall my research says an average wildlife biologist

makes around 61K a year. Now I knew wildlife biology would not make me a millionaire, no

matter how experienced and high achieving I become, but that’s not what this is about for me. I

want to pursue this field because I love animals and the environment and animals are the future of

our world. We, meaning humans, need to make sure that the environment and its animals are

protected and cherished instead of being destroyed for profit making. The career outlook of this

job is about average. In 2016 about 22,300 people worked in conservation and it is predicted that

there will be roughly 6% more jobs available at the end of 2026. Is that good for me? Does that

mean I can advance further in a quicker time or that I will be able to land a job right out of college?

Considering how important this job is in saving our wildlife and environment, the job outlook

should be greater than it is. The world needs more wildlife conservationists now more than ever to

study how the impact of the growing population will affect wildlife and the ecosystem. You may

think there aren’t many places to work within this field but there are actually many smaller

organizations that work to protect the environment as well as many national organizations such as
 Horchler 4

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, U.S. National Parks service, Zoological Association of

America, and the World Wildlife Fund. I have no doubt that I will be able to find a job in

conservation and have an impact on the environment.

After all my research I still want to pursue wildlife conservation, more specifically a career

in the field because I want to interact with the animals and environment first handedly. The career

outlook and salary are subpar at best, however that’s not what this is about for me. The high level

of education does not scare me, it only makes me more excited to keep learning about this topic

and gain a higher level of education.