Session Description: “A Change Is Gonna Come” and indeed is already happening in ecology in regards to careers – people with degrees in ecology are increasingly getting jobs and pursuing careers that differ from those ecologists traditionally prepared for. The objective of this session is for participants to learn from each other and invited presenters about how to be effective mentors for students exploring career options that put their ecology degree to work. Invited ecologists who have career experience or experience at preparing students for careers outside of higher education will present briefly what they look for in hiring recently graduated ecology students or preparing students for a career in that sector. Then, in small groups, attendees will share what they do currently at their institutions for mentoring and preparing ecology students for careers beyond higher education, and will discuss and list best practices and opportunities for improving career mentorship and preparing students for career readiness. Next, we will synthesize the findings and recommendations, and identify gaps or deficiencies that may be common in university ecology programs, and opportunities to improve. Our goals are to both improve the mentorship and career guidance effectiveness of session participants, and use the major conclusions in drafting a paper on effective career mentoring by ecology faculty members and effective ecology program career preparation for careers beyond higher education.