The Uncertain Road Ahead

Even in the third grade, being an environmentalist was important to me. I had my mom help me start an environmental club; The Earthworms, we called ourselves. And I was constantly saving money to buy acres of rainforest or adopt whales. Respectfully playing in nature, or fighting to protect it, really are what make me happy. Other than my various forms of art, it is the major sum of my being.

Because of this spiritual component, throughout my life I have bounced from one version of an environmental job to another. As a child, I wanted to be a marine biologist. The first two years of college I wanted to be an environmental journalist. Then back to marine biology. Now, I have come to a cross roads. I don't necessarily want to be anything precise and exact--as long as it has an lofty outdoor component and is for the greater good of mother nature, I'll be perfectly content. More than content, I'll be happy. I don't want to study marine biology exclusively anymore. I want to have the flexibility to study any species in any ecosystem I want. There are so many places out west I would love to live, and very few, if any of them, happen to be on the coast. Although I will always have a special place in my heart for sea turtles, I think there are plenty of people studying sea turtles in the world, and I can't see myself happy any longer studying just sea turtles.

This is somewhat problematic, because I am doing a master's project on sea turtle genetics. But, I have decided to stick to my guns, and finish my master's project nevertheless. Coming out next June with an MS in Ecology certainly won't hurt me in the quest for a job in my interests. And being acquainted with conservation genetics is important for anyone wanting to work in conservation biology. This focus on sea turtle genetics does limit my scope somewhat, however. To counter act this, I am using my spare time (funny thing for a grad student to have, I know, but I guess I am lucky) to branch out into other areas of ecology that I am not as experienced in. I have arranged a volunteer position with the Audobon Society this summer. Sea turtles may not be found in many places in the US, but birds are EVERYWHERE. And, I am one of those people fascinated by birds. Many people, even fellow ecologists, think birds are boring. I, however, am fascinated by them. If you are one of those people that thinks birds are boring, I suggest you rent Winged Migration. It will change your mind, I hope.

I plan on focusing on birds this summer, and the skills I will get by working with the Audobon Society will be essential if I want to apply for a job with other conservation oriented NGOs in the future. Perhaps in the fall, I start self educating on mammals, or plants even. I plan on starting to seriously look for jobs about this time next year, and hope to have something lined up to leave San Diego by June 2006. Although I am doing better in San Diego this time around that I ever have, I don't want to live here any longer than I have to. I don't know where I'll end up, maybe back to the Northwest, maybe Lake Tahoe, maybe the Southwest, Idaho or Colorado! None of these places have sea turtles, and right now, that is actually a plus. All I know, is this new outlook on the uncertain road ahead has opened so many doors. I can do anything I want. And doing what I want, is precisely what I am going after.