WK 21

Exploring Diverse Career Pathways in Ecology

Ecology provides the foundation for a broad array of career pathways in academic, government, non-profit, and private sectors.  However, graduate training in ecology is, by definition, an academic endeavor.  This can lead to an inherent limitation in which graduate students are not provided the skills needed for success outside of academia or lack opportunities and models for career advancement.

We propose a workshop providing activities and knowledge to help students and early career ecologists explore short- and long-term opportunities to pursue career pathways beyond academia. Participants will hear about the experiences of ecologists who have taken diverse career paths, and engage in discussions that will address the challenges of taking non-traditional pathways while also maintaining scientific relevance.  In addition, we propose to include a session on what jobs (academia, private, public, etc.) are presently available and what search engines/websites students and early career scientists can use to find them.

The workshop will begin with Richard Pouyat presenting on the importance of academically-trained ecologists engaging in diverse careers.  Phyllis Thibodeau will then conduct a workshop to help students clarify personal and professional goals.  Next, Josh Scholl will give a workshop to help students find and apply for diverse jobs. Next, a panel of 6-8 ecologists will discuss the challenges and opportunities for ecologists in a variety of fields before engaging students more directly in break-out groups.  The workshop will conclude with a facilitated discussion to address what ESA can do to help students find and pursue diverse career paths.