Career Advice & Resources for Beginning Biologists
Resources for the Vocationally-Challenged
Should I go to Graduate School?
If you are hunting for a grad school, I recommend you read Cynical Advice for Graduate Students, then Modest Advice for Graduate Students, and then Advice to undergraduates considering graduate school.
If you happen to be female and are considering science as a career, you may also want to check out the WIB website
Once you have a grad student position, take a summer and read these.
Are There Any Jobs Out There for Me?
Are you hunting for a more serious opportunity? (as in a job). Here are a few links that you may find useful. Some of these are more geared towards marine biology and aquatic science, but that is my bias and therefore my resource.
- AAAS Professional Network
- American Fisheries Society Jobs Bulletin
- American Society of Limnology & Oceanography
- American Zoo & Aquarium Association
- BioScience Job Search
- Careers & Jobs in Marine Biology & Oceanography
- CSIRO Employment Opportunities the Australian govt science agency
- Cyber-Sierra's Natural Resources Jobs forestry, wildlife, soils, etc.
- Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M - Job Board Great! (not just Texas)
- EdOp Net excellent for fish & freshwater jobs
- Environmental Jobs awesome for advocacy, education, and technician positions
- Environmental Careers Organization lots of internships and such
- United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EvolDir the occasional field opportunity, lotsa molecular positions & assistantships
- FAO vacancies - work for the U.N.'s fisheries or agriculture agencies
- Federal Jobs Digest
- US Forest Service
- Iowa Dept of Natural Resources
- Marine Conservation Biology Institute jobs and internships page
- Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources
- Nature Conservancy jobs page
- NOAA
- Organization of Biological Field Stations job board
- Sierra Club jobs page
- Smithsonian RTP ...intern at one of the world’s best museums
- Summer Courses & Internships for marine biology
- Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources
- US Federal Employment
- World Fish Center employment
Putting Your Application Together
There is a lot of advice on campus to help you put together an effective package for that job or grad school.
Be sure to visit the Career Center on campus. Here are two downloadable files that I hope that you will find useful...
How to Ask your Professors for Letters of RecommendationThe other downloadable files regard your cv. Science applications require a curriculum vitae, NOT a resume. The cv is allowed to be >1 page long, but is still concise and without ANY fluff (e.g., no hobbies). Look at Prof. Carlin's cv or, probably more useful, download sample student cv's for students interested in molecular or field/organismal biology.
