Path to Becoming Successful Wildlife Professional

1. Making yourself in demand for the wildlife profession.
Normally at University wildlife departments our professors may receive emails, phone calls from the likely employers such as National parks, NGOs etc. seeking students as volunteers or paid interns to help with research or management on NPs, and usually there are qualifications that these employers may desire such as undergraduate or graduate degrees, specific work experience or personal character attribute.
Then if it happens you are there and match the qualities then you stand a chance.

#So what makes the the wildlife professional in demand? well, this is the topic which needs another thread.

*But i feel that this question is very important and as wildlife professionals we need ask ourselves what qualities that our future employers look for in potential employees and what we can do to meet those needs, then we will be one more step ahead.

2. New expertise but old values
There is this phrase which says "the more things change, the more they stay the same". 

To some degree this may apply to professional wildlife management and conservation where there is no substute for the basics.

It is true that as technology improves there is high demand for the skills in data analysis, GIS, GPS systems, aerial or remote imaging and various social networking skills.

-But no matter what, same traits asked by employers have been valued for decades, which on top of the list is a solid education in wildlife.

-Although there are some jobs  in this field which does not require a university degree but if you want a full time job as a wildlife manager or ecologist generally will require you to have at least a bachelor of science in wildlife management and often more preference to graduate level degree.

Also employers requires wildlife managers to be well knowledgeable in ecological theory and wildlife species management with strong understanding of human dimensions and well developed written and oral communication skills, we also need to understand the wildlife policies and the Act.

Beyond these you need to be competent in the field with experience performing a variety of techniques with the major species of concern.

Finally in order to be a successful wildlife professional you need connection, that we need to be connected to others in the profession which can often be achieved by attending student and professional meetings and other wildlife organizations in your area.

3. There is absolutely no replacement for experience
Another important character is hands on experiences.
When we are undergraduates we normally go the field, so we should make the most of it as much as possible acquiring various techniques and understanding many species as possible.

*Attend all trips offered by classes, workshops and conferences, volunteer on the field related to wildlife.

-By doing this we invest in ourselves and future and there may be much benefits along the way of volunteering such as money. (and Yes it is true) for example professors normally hire undergrads or grads to assist them in their research work and usually pay them some allowances.

Each experience we get is important and we may never know where it will be needed, so we need acquire them as much as possible such as animal and plant work, habitat manipulation, policy development and public interaction.

4. Character matters
These includes responsibility and dependability, punctuality, time management and good judgement, these are not optional they are highly demanded.

5. Be positive

Positive attitude is another intangible quality that many employers seek.
Normally us including all professions in our field we may face harsh and very stressful conditions such as during extremely hot days, threats from poachers, violent animals and so many others but inspite of that, you as a wildlife manager need to keep positive attitude and sense of humor, then you qualify as member of the team.

also positive attitude is important because we wildlife professionals are always on public eye, so the image project reflect both us and our organizations.

Even on our online platforms such as facebook etc we need to use them wisely and positive so they can build our careers instead of destroying it. If we want to be taken seriously we should watch ourselves and what we post everyday.

6. Leave your comfort zone.
-Here am talking about keeping our minds and options open.
For example you may have desire of working near your city such as Arusha National Park Tanzania, but then you get hired at Ruaha NP, so you need to step up and go there because we may not know what the future holds for us. So we should be ready to leave our comfort zone.

All these things brings us back to basics : hard work, faithful, openness to new experiences and determination can make a way to success in wildlife field and life, so then let's dream big.