Now that the academic year has ended, the big wave of seasonal field jobs has
abated, as have the inevitable posts by graduating students hoping to find one.
And I have to admit, I have gotten a little jaded. I put myself in the shoes of
one of those young people...
...Tropical rainforests have had a lot of exposure for many years now, it is no
surprise when a young person is inspired to pursue a career in conservation,
with hopes of making a difference in the tropics. But as you search for
opportunities, what do you find? Every opportunity in a tropical environment is
a volunteer position or an unpaid internship. Some cover your expenses; some
expect you to cover your own airfare; some even charge you a fee. But, you
rationalize, it's an investment in your future; you will gain a new skill set
and valuable experience for your resume, make contacts in the conservation
world for your network.. So you take the unpaid job. You have a wonderful
experience, you learn a lot. But then you begin to notice that every season, it
is the same. Every position in the tropics is unpaid. If you were an
organization with limited resources, why would you pay someone when there is a
steady stream of idealistic young people eager to work for free? As the young
person, how many of these unpaid jobs can you afford before you have to give up
and go mitigate wetlands for a strip mall developer, or count dead bats on a
wind farm?
It can't possibly be that way for everyone. I am interested in the stories of
young people who succeeded in pursuing this dream sustainably. How did you make
it happen?
Jason Hernandez
