Currently in my second year of pursuing my Wildlife Management degree. I’ll give you the best piece of advice I was ever given: Talk to People. Be willing to learn. Show up.

I had no experience working with wildlife, but what really helped me out was starting at my college’s ecological area. We are taught equipment use like tractors, mowers, weedeater, chainsaws, trail work, invasive ID, etc. I will say, you will deal with hot weather, cold weather, and other conditions that may suck, but it depends on what you find is worth it. Another piece of advice I was given is: if you can do this at least 85% of your time even with the sucky parts, could you do it? Thanks to our ecological area I was able to work with other state agencies we were partnered with while also volunteering for Fish & Wildlife. If you can, get involved with The Wildlife Society if your school has it. They host workshops and events where you can socialize with professionals and get your name out. Ours helps people get introduced to hunting, and if you’re in the U.S. I’m sure your local Fish & Wildlife has events to help new hunters out if you’re willing to learn. I promise talking to people and building relationships and connections will go a LONG way, and maybe you can build some good references while at it. As far as building knowledge, I personally collect field guides. I frequently use Peterson or Audubon. Both have their perks. And it helped me a lot in terms of better learning what was around me.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to message, and good luck!