| Re: Going full time....
Hi Olly
Like you I've decided to go for a change in career. I've always been interested in wildlife and would love a future career in that area. I also work full time and can't afford to give it up so I'm doing a part time foundation degree Wildlife and Countryside Conservation course at my local agricultural college. It's one evening a week over three years with the chance of completing a full time, one year, masters degree at the end of it. The advice I was given is to get as high a qualification as possible as that will make you stand out from the many applicants after each job. (Conservation is a very popular career area at the moment).
The other thing is to get as much experience as possible. I'm doing some work experience with my local nature society, the South Holderness Countryside Society, and also for a company who specialises in wildlife related research. I've already made a few contacts through these which I'm hoping will benefit me when I finish the course. I also got the opportunity, through the SHCS, to go to the Yorkshire Naturalists Union 2006 Conference in Harrogate the other month (they paid in return for me helping with their display) where I got to meet people representing different societies. As a result of that, I am going to a wader ringing session on Spurn Point at the weekend and also have other different tasks lined up. (I'm trying different things to find out which is 'my thing'!)
My advice to you is to look in newspapers, wildlife magazines and other local media to see what events are in your area and sign up for as many different ones as you can. The wider range of work you do and the more contacts you make is going to benefit you in the long run.
Good luck. Let us know how you get on.  |