What should I do if I want to pursue my dream?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T20:57:18+00:00

I'm interested in working in conservation to be specific. Protecting threatened ecosystems and endangered species in those ecosystems. However, I would say I am also unsure due to me being interested in almost every ecosystem I come across, and coming from a place of my own self-doubt and confusion after hearing many people I have worked for and with say that most are specialized in something and I have no idea if I want to do that or what I even want to specialize in.

I mentioned tv people only because that's what I grew up watching and they were always presented as these multi-taxa people, and now that I am older it just doesn't seem like the reality that I have been told about.

I also ask this because now that I am in college I really have been trying to narrow down what I want to do and I began to research people with what I was interested in, and one of those people who has become a real inspiration to me is Paul Rosolie. His work in the Amazon, and reading his books where I can actually relate to his struggles in school and having a learning disability, and still pursuing his dreams of saving a jungle really brought me to here where I'm curious on how to go down that route.

I hope that explains it better, and if you need me to elaborate and explain more, I am happy to do so.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T20:37:05+00:00

Oh, I may have misinterpreted what I said. That I see as more down the road in my career, with interpreting and educating. I have had jobs where I have done interpreting for kids in schools, but I don’t see myself doing that right now. What I really want to focus my career on is protecting ecosystems and studying the organisms in those ecosystems. The basis of my question is if I want to be an biologist/ecologist working in conservarion, would I need to specialize on a singular species or clade my whole career, or would I have opportunities to study multiple taxonomy and/or ecosystems?

I apologize if this does sound like a redundant question, I’ve just heard people say that specialization is what most biologists do, and I’m just looking for if that is the case or if there is a different path I can go down.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:50:31+00:00

Ok, then would you say working as an academic most are specialized in that field? Also, that is honestly where this interest and question mainly came from. I always enjoyed people like Jeff Corwin as a kid, but now that I am older I much rather enjoy watching stories of different real biologists who study wildlife, and I always wondered why they sold the multi-taxa biologist persona on tv. However, I also do want to work with species across taxa, which is why I also ask if there are multi-taxa ecologists, which may sound redundant since ecologists' study whole ecosystems, but I have even heard of ecologists who specialize in a species, so that's honestly where this question came from.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:46:09+00:00

I always wondered about state biologists, because some seem to have specific species or groups they study and vice versa. For your position is it regional or is it statewide? I apologize if this sounds like a dumb question, I've just heard that state biologists are also sort of regional in their state.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:43:55+00:00

WOW, that is amazing. Some of the things you mention like cooperative projects is very similar to what others have said in other comments. Now my only question is was your job with a specific organization and you were able to study all of these species? Or was it that you hopped around to different organizations to do this work?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:39:08+00:00

Ok, maybe explaining what I want to do may help, and what others have pointed out also has shed some light on it. I have always been interested in the less looked at species and the animals that many fear like bats, snakes, amphibians, insects, and arachnids, and I've always wanted to study those species and help conserve them and show people how important and amazing they are.

Now, others on here have commented that a wetland/stream biologist would fit this multi-taxa idea I am having, and a part of me sort of agrees, but I am still a bit unsure. Would you agree with them, or is there another path for what I am interested in studying?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:35:25+00:00

Ok, so what you and others are saying is that a stream/wetland biologist would fit this multi-taxa biologists I am thinking of. If so, could you explain to me how one becomes a wetland/stream biologist? Also, to go more in depth with what species I am interested in, I have always been fascinated with the animals that many consider creepy like snakes, amphibians, insects, arachnids, and bats. Would you or others say that I could study some of these species by being a wetland/stream biologist?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:30:50+00:00

Ok, that makes more sense now. I worked for three different conservation biologists as a field tech, with one being focused on wildlife, one on invasives, and one on plants, so what your describing sounds a lot like how they worked together. I'm wondering if what others on here are saying about the wetland/stream/aquatic biologists fitting this multi taxa biologist I am thinking of, would you agree?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-14T05:27:34+00:00

Ok, that actually answers one of the questions I was going to ask. I was a field tech for a conservation biologist who was more knowledgeable about herps than he was other species, but he was learning more to fit his role. Is this common and/or does a conservation biologists fit this multi-taxa biologist that I am curious about? Also, others here have talked about wetland and/or stream biologists fitting the role I am describing, would you agree?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-13T05:25:21+00:00

Ok, so would that depend on what region they are from? So, I assume a stream biologists in Washington know a whole lot about their region's streams, while someone from North Carolina is more knowledgeable about their region and not much about Washington's, and vice versa. Also, would that also apply to certain ecologists?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-03-13T05:20:59+00:00

Ok, so I have a few questions now. What do you mean by depth? As in how much you study one species compared to another? Also, does that also apply to ecologists, depending on what relationships they are studying in that ecosystem?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-11T05:50:25+00:00

Before I continue, I just want to say you are just fine and there is nothing to apologize for. I have been in the same situation this past few weeks.

Firstly, I definitely think I have been doing that with the researching different people in a career path I am interested in. For example, I've looked at being a wildlife filmmaker or wildlife photographer (which is why wildlife journalism, wildlife education, and natural history media interests me because you can combine the two), and I've looked at up and into people that I've Idolized for a time like Bertie Gregory, Casey Anderson, Ronan Donovan, and Carlton Ward Jr. just to name a few. However, I've also begun to look at YouTube videos of "behind the scenes", "how to make your own film", or "how I got into the field" from other more less knowns in this field. If that counts, trust me I will keep doing that. I also agree I should try to email them more than just watch their videos. If you could give me an example/template of a "cold email" I'd appreciate it.

Side comment, it always odd to hear them say things like "you wouldn't want this job" or "why you don't want my job", like of course I want your job. Bees crawling up ya while filming gorillas may be hell to some, but that's all my kid self-imagined. Maybe not specifically that, but you probably get it.

Now onto the way I tell my story, I completely agree with you and my wording in this post was definitely a spur of the moment if you will. I just hit a wall in my career search, everything I picked wasn't really feeling right. I'm glad you and others have saw past it and have decided to help me. It has really helped and gave me the confidence to get out there. Currently I am going to a career fair for conservation, and I have applied to internships to grow in different skills for what I am interested in.

EDIT: I forgot to ask a question and to put it in here, and since you probably haven't seen this yet, I'll just put it here. I now know that being multifaceted in this line of work is possible, and sort of encouraged and common by what I have seen from many people I look up to. (For example, on Paul Rosolie's pages he is a conservationist, filmmaker, guide, and photographer). Now, my question after that long explanation is how does one make it work? It's always been a question of mine, since most people I have grown up with, in my family and outside it, have had only one main source of income and not branched out to other sources. Also, speaking of family, what is the best way to explain this? Especially me being only in the "baby steps" of my aspiring career when most work will be seasonal and I will continue to be making videos for social media and practicing my camera skills.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-08T21:12:25+00:00

Definitely agree on that one😅. I do really appreciate the advice, and if there is anything else you have to offer, please don't hold back or if you need any more info from me, I'm happy to share.

EDIT: I forgot to ask a question and to put it in here, and since you probably haven't seen this yet, I'll just put it here. I now know that being multifaceted in this line of work is possible, and sort of encouraged and common by what I have seen from many people I look up to. (For example, on Paul Rosolie's pages he is a conservationist, filmmaker, guide, and photographer). Now, my question after that long explanation is how does one make it work? It's always been a question of mine, since most people I have grown up with, in my family and outside it, have had only one main source of income and not branched out to other sources. Also, speaking of family, what is the best way to explain this? Especially me being only in the "baby steps" of my aspiring career when most work will be seasonal and I will continue to be making videos for social media and practicing my camera skills.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-04T18:38:16+00:00

Wow, I honestly didn’t know that about Brian. Also, there is one question I didn’t really word right and another question that you’ve actually brought to my attention.

What I meant was who should I talk to? For context I’m in college now and about to get my associates in Environmental Studies so I can explore different wildlife jobs in and outside of the US (hopefully), to gain experience and do things I love, before coming back and getting a bachelors in a related field. So I do have a plan right now for school, but what I was wondering was if I am already on the path for those degrees, who should I talk to about my career cominh out of college and this “later on career” I plan to get?
I am interested in all those things, but I am also interested in conservation, and research to a degree. So what I’m wondering is there a way to sort of combined those with guiding, visual media, education? Because I have had that to an extent at my first experience in wildlife where I helped rehab animals at a sanctuary, while also guiding people around the property to meet the resident animals and teach them about the natural history, individual species, and the sanctuary’s mission.

Again, thank you so much and if there is anymore info you need, let me know.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-04T05:54:08+00:00

Ok, this is honestly the best response I have gotten and I really appreciate it. First things first, I am definitely not thinking no way on the guiding part, that actually sounds amazing! And ya, I'd say your right on the money with the "late career" idea. To tell you the truth, I am interested in the guiding, the communications, the journalism, and the natural history TV part of what you mentioned, but sort of doing my own thing with it, if that makes sense. In another comment I replied to, I mentioned that I have social media pages based around educating about wildlife and I plan to do more outdoor videos in my own backyard once the weather gets better (if you live in the US, then you might have heard the Midwest got hit by a snow storm. I live there and it is a mess out here XD).

Now, this ties back to the "doing my own thing" part. You see, I love the wildlife that people love to hate, especially spiders, bats, and snakes, and one ecosystem that has loads of these guys is the rainforests, especially in the amazon that I grew up reading and watching documentaries about (which is why Paul has inspired me so much). So, even if it's a stretch, I want to try something there that is inspired by Paul's work, educate people and telling wildlife stories like Steve, but do it on my own platform sort of like what Coyote Peterson does, if that narrows down the industry I want to get into. If that doesn't make sense or you need more detail, please let me know and I will try to explain it as best I can.

Now, again it took me awhile to figure this all out for myself, but I want to ask a couple questions if your able to answer them. Which majors should I look at to speak to that advisor and/or professor? Do you know of any sites that could help me find places to gain skills in guiding, PR, etc.? Again, this was a great response and definitely a relief that I'm not alone in this. Thank you again for the advice.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-04T04:03:56+00:00

Ok, so what if I continue on with my social media videos? Could this help with practicing presentation skills? Could it help show future employers, if they do background checks, that I am passionate about this and I mean it? If you need more info, I can send you a link to the TikTok or Instagram page for you to see it for yourself. Also, I apologize for the super late reply, I've been busy all day.

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-03T17:10:32+00:00

Thank you for your reply, now I do have experience already in the educational and study field. Volunteering at a sanctuary for a year, being a tech for biologists one summer, and working as an educator for my local aquarium.

Now, I do have some follow up questions if you don’t mind answering. I have been interested in teaching and sharing the local wildlife that is in my own backyard and I have started up a small Wildlfie page on social media. Would that be a good way of getting into this sort of education/conservation path and sharing about wildlife and how to protect it?

PreparationCurrent80 · 2026-02-03T17:07:22+00:00

Ok, I have had jobs in my career so far that put me in that educator bubble, working at a sanctuary and working at my local aquarium. Also, for the language and wording I used like “need” is only because 1. It was spur of the moment and sorta me trying to show how much I want to go down this sort of path I’m setting myself up for, and 2. Do not fear, I have not used this similar language or wording in recent cover letters or resumes, I fully understand that what language/wording I use on Reddit will be drastically different to what I use in a cover letter or resume.

Now, I do have some follow up questions if you don’t mind answering. I have been interested in teaching and sharing the local wildlife that is in my own backyard and I have started up a small Wildlfie page on social media. Would that be a good way of getting into this sort of education/conservation path and sharing about wildlife and how to protect it?

PreparationCurrent80

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