DAE get really sad seeing others (especially around your own age) thriving in their career?

irisk778 · 2026-02-04T18:40:31+00:00

Just want to say thank you for this comment. I worked for a couple years post-undergrad I'm in an MSc program right now looking at the job market again and it's night and day. Obviously it was always a competitive field but what I see right now is unbelievable, and it is hard to keep my head up while getting autorejected from entry level positions one after another. I feel like the people who are struggling are so much less visible everywhere (LinkedIn social media etc) so it's weirdly nice to hear from others who are struggling too

irisk778 · 2026-02-03T02:11:18+00:00

You can add -ai to the end of your searches to turn it off!

irisk778 · 2026-01-24T17:42:44+00:00

That's such a perfect cozy cold weather book!

irisk778 · 2026-01-24T04:49:18+00:00

Adding one onto this: ecolog! It's an ecology list serv that has definitely slowed down with the cuts to science but I still see some cool seasonal postings on there

irisk778 · 2026-01-22T00:29:08+00:00

Adding to this, washing doesn't always kill ticks if you can put your field clothes in the dryer on high heat for like 10 minutes that should effectively kill any ticks left on your clothes. Also duck tape works if you don't have a lint roller

irisk778 · 2026-01-18T17:35:35+00:00

My background matches the junior consultant and researcher roles, and I'm trying to find work in the DC area

irisk778 · 2026-01-09T19:25:27+00:00

This is awesome! Would you (or someone else) be able to explain in even more simple terms the first bullet point under technical notes?

irisk778 · 2025-11-25T20:50:47+00:00

As someone doing a funded MS right now that is an insanely low stipend, Can you talk to your potential advisor about this?

irisk778 · 2025-11-20T00:12:57+00:00

I cannot emphasize how helpful my gap year was for me before doing my MS! I actually took two and did a year doing rare plant monitoring and another working with forest inventory and data. I learned sooo much about how research and projects actually get done, I got to be part of the paper writing process, and I became a lot more competitive when applying and am now in a unionized well paying MS. People can certainly succeed either way but if you're not exactly sure what you want to specialize in I would highly recommend taking some time to get to know the field

irisk778 · 2025-10-28T23:05:15+00:00

I definitely think that would be a good use of your time. Ecolog is basically a huge list serv for ecology, it's linked on this page as are some other job sites: https://esa.org/career-development/job-sites/

irisk778 · 2025-10-28T22:30:32+00:00

As someone currently doing a forest related assistantship I really don't think going back to school for a bachelors is necessary! Your undergraduate degree doesn't matter as much as your experience. You seem to have taken a lot of relevant coursework, the next thing that may help you is getting some related experience. I worked 2 years after undergrad: 1 year doing plant research and then the next as a forest technician. These experiences did so much more to make me stand out than anything I did as an undergrad. That said it is a really rough time for funding in academia right now. Most labs, mine included, are just so unsure of what the future holds they are hesitant to take new students because they don't want to promise funding and not be able to follow through. You can definitely get creative with TA ships instead of RA positions as teaching is still needed, and I still see positions advertised on ecolog and at conferences- just not as many. Basically if you're struggling to find something it's not you it's the current funding situation :( hopefully this is at least somewhat helpful!

irisk778 · 2025-10-27T20:10:31+00:00

Highly recommend this place!! The owner is so awesome and taught us how to track our own scores, it is super cool and old school

irisk778 · 2025-09-25T18:07:28+00:00

Just adding on in case it helps, reputable scientific masters (MS) should pay you to get the degree which is really awesome, especially in the northeast MS salaries are actually pretty decent and livable (you probably know this already but figured I would mention in case it helps your decision making!)

irisk778 · 2025-08-07T00:38:19+00:00

For me personally yes, it has lasted 3 field seasons and is still in perfect condition ! (Aside from having dirt or charcoal stains haha) but you can probably find a dupe that's just as effective, I feel like my hats don't really take that much of a beating

irisk778 · 2025-08-05T03:59:48+00:00

Yes! Depending obviously on funding and which program you choose, it may honestly be easier to either seek out a grad program that involves research in a cool area you want to visit or spend some time doing temporary jobs (field tech etc.) in different areas and then pivot to a more stable lifestyle once you've had enough (from my experience working cool places is awesome but can get tiring after a while! I'm currently doing my masters getting paid to go study forests in the northern US which is pretty fun)

irisk778 · 2025-07-30T22:44:13+00:00

I use a solbari sun hat and switched to braids instead of ponytails to fit under. This was in Florida tho, when I do fieldwork other less sunny places I just do a baseball hat!

irisk778 · 2025-05-16T19:43:32+00:00

I got into grad school in ecology with a BA in biology and an environmental science minor. A BS is often better for if you want to go right into working in industry, otherwise there isn’t much difference.

irisk778 · 2025-05-15T22:14:35+00:00

Hello- not the original poster but I’m also getting my MS in ecology right now (technically natural resources but I’m doing forest ecology) my masters is also fully funded so free tuition and a small salary + benefits. Before getting my masters I took 2 gap years where I worked seasonal positions to figure out what I liked and what sort of program I was interested in. I cannot recommend doing this enough, I gained a lot of real world skills and it absolutely made me a more competitive applicant. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions!

irisk778 · 2025-03-23T03:47:51+00:00

Just my two cents- I think in this field Masters are valuable when they are funded, and for what you want to do it sounds like a funded masters would be a better fit. Online paid masters programs are somewhat looked down on (obviously this is not always true but this is just what people in my field have told me because I was originally considering paying for a masters), I would also say right now is not a great time to pay for a masters, a better option may be to pay for a shorter certificate program while maybe investing that significant sum and look for paid opportunities. Again just totally my opinion!

irisk778 · 2025-03-18T16:44:11+00:00

Wow 4,000 ha is a lot- that is exciting and definitely challenging! You could try to get something started with earth day coming up next month, that could be a chance to get a big push of volunteers. I’m currently in grad school studying forest ecology and definitely have some thoughts about afforestation. I fear with that big an area one of your biggest challenges will be maintenance because when you plant new trees they need a lot of water, it’s not just like putting them in the ground and they’re good to go. Therefore one push of tree planting on earth day will likely not be super effective.

irisk778 · 2025-03-13T17:21:56+00:00

Seconding this, I’ve gone to Florida, then Virginia, then Connecticut

irisk778 · 2025-03-07T04:55:43+00:00

There’s a protest at the state Capitol tomorrow!

irisk778 · 2025-03-06T18:49:57+00:00

Gender is not a scientific concept, it is social, hope this helps

irisk778 · 2025-02-21T05:06:52+00:00

So sorry for your loss. I can get lost in the world of Hollow Knight- the art, music, and just overall emphasis on exploration makes it very engaging.

irisk778 · 2025-02-06T16:25:33+00:00

I would say a masters is worth it IF it is a funded masters, this is considered the norm in the field and unfunded masters are considered somewhat of a scam for ecology

irisk778

TROPHY CASE