[The Woodman]

From a no bias perspective, my wife is a NE roost visitor bat licence trainer and what really hacks her off are people who want to benefit from her considerable time and effort as a volunteer trainer and as soon as they get their licence, they become instant bat consultants who rarely do the job the were trained for i.e. roost visit volunteer bat workers resulting in putting more pressure on a dedicated hard core of folks who really care about bat conservation over financial gain.

Believe me, as a bat licence holder myself with nearly 25 years experience, you never stop learning and if I was able to give any tips, I would say put yourself out as much as you can afford to. Travel to help research students with projects, join a bat (special interest) group and join in with events like checking bat boxes etc.

Every year, the Mammal Society publish a list of who's doing what in the project world. I've made some lifelong invaluable contacts by cold calling and offering to help with field work.

I think it's difficult to become a good all round ecologist. Maybe try to specialise and finally, keep a weather eye open on the political scene, politicians can influence the drivers that keep the great and the good in jobs.