Breaking through Wildlife Career Despair: Why Helpless Thinking Won’t Actually Help
If you’re like most people pursuing a wildlife career, at some point, you’ve felt like you’re giving it your all, but going nowhere. Like a field vehicle stuck in the mud, you’re pressing the gas pedal as hard as you can, but the wheels are just spinning, flinging mud (maybe even in your face - I’ve been there!) and you’re in the exact same spot.
Or maybe you’ve felt like you’re furiously treading water, moving your body as fast as you can, you're exhausted just trying to keep up, but no matter what, despite all of this effort, you’re still in the same place - or even worse, sinking.
Maybe things seem so bad for you that you feel like you’ve reached a dead end in the road with no way out…Maybe you’re ready to scream or cry or both. Or have already cried all of your tears and just don’t know what to do.
Chances are you feel helpless, bitter, upset, disappointed, and just plain sad. The rejections seem to be piling up, but you don’t know where you went wrong.
When you’re feeling like this, it’s so easy to point to all of the reasons why this is happening to you. It’s so easy to find all of the reasons why you can’t and why it won’t work out.
Maybe you’re telling yourself:
- It’s too competitive - you’re applying to jobs that literally hundreds of other people are applying to…
- You’re competing against people who have years of experience on you…
- School never gave you project management, stakeholder, R software, or (fill in the blank) experience…
- That it isn’t your fault (it isn’t!)
- And more…
But the thing is, this kind of thinking won’t get you to where you want to go. It won’t get you your permanent dream job in a wildlife career. And in fact, it will actually keep you stuck.
How do I know this? In the eight years of being on and off the job market after my PhD, I found out first hand how competitive it was. In my nearly seven years of graduate school, no one told me this. As long as I didn’t do academia, which I knew was super competitive, I thought I would be all right and easily get a permanent job.
I did everything right and was even getting interviews, however, I was still watching others with more experience (in one case 10 years!) get the job over me, even though I had already had 12-17 years of experience myself (depending at what point I applied for jobs).
I was caught in a cycle of job rejections, grew bitter, blamed the system, and felt like I was never going to break through. It was so easy to fall into this helplessness mentality, And it felt good - because it wasn’t my fault - I could blame someone or something else. Every time someone would ask me about how it’s going when applying for jobs and what my next job would be, I would have this big story and gigantic disclaimer about my situation and the state of wildlife careers.
And even though it wasn’t my fault, I realized that there were things I could do and looking back, things I should have done. We can’t change the past, but like the Maya Angelou quote goes, “when we know better, we do better.”
In this episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast, I’m getting deep and vulnerable with the experiences that I’ve gone through and sharing with you what I’ve learned from thinking this way, as well as showing you that there’s a much better way to think that will actually get you results.
It might get a little uncomfy here (but it will be worth it!): I’m asking you to go deep and be truly honest with yourself. Are you commiting to the story of why things aren’t possible for you? Why they are difficult and hard? Why you can’t do it or why things aren’t working out for you?
Or are you willing to commit yourself to the equally possible story that you can do this and that things are possible for you, you just need to find the way?
I'll share some real talk about money (because let's face it, this career doesn’t pay well, especially in the beginning, and you’ll probably have to make sacrifices)), dealing with imposter syndrome, and how to keep pushing forward when it feels like everything's against you.
And for those of you thinking, "But Stephanie, you don't understand my situation," - I hear you. We'll talk about overcoming all sorts of obstacles, whether you're a person who’s been historically excluded from wildlife careers, dealing with a chronic illness, or feeling like you're too old to begin your wildlife career.
The best part? You'll hear stories about real people who've made it work despite everything that was working against them. Trust me, if they can do it, so can you.
Specifically, here's what I cover in this episode:
- How and why the helplessness attitude is holding you back (and how to kick it to the curb!)
- The secret to making the most of free resources (even when you're broke)
- Why and how treating your career like a science experiment can be a game-changer
- How to build an unstoppable mindset (even when you feel like completely giving up)
- Practical steps to take control of your career starting today!
And if you're feeling fired up after this episode and want more support, I've got your back. Check out my free job tracker and my course on Winning Wildlife Job Applications. These are the exact tools I wish I had when I was struggling.
Remember, you're not alone in this. I’m here to help you strategize the path to your dream career to make a better world for wildlife and yourself. So take a deep breath, let go of the bitterness and disappointment, start believing again that you can do this, and start making things happen. You've got this, and I'm here to help every step of the way.
I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka (formerly Schuttler), a wildlife biologist of nearly 20 yrs with 20+ peer-reviewed scientific publications, author of the book Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know (https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Job-Wildlife-Biology-What/dp/B08JDYXS4G/) and founder of Fancy Scientist. My channel and the Fancy Scientist LLC is dedicated to connecting people to science and nature, breaking stereotypes of, and empowering scientists. I help aspiring and struggling wildlife biologists get the right training so they can get jobs, live out their life’s purpose and make a difference in this world.
Sign up for my next free job training: https://stephanieschuttler.com/trainingwaitlist/
Want to learn about cool animals, conservation, and get tips about careers in wildlife biology, science, and more? Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/StephanieSchuttler and join my email list: https://stephanieschuttler.com/
I’d love to meet you. Connect with me on social media:
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Join the “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology” Facebook group to connect with other aspiring wildlife biologists, post your questions and get free advice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gettingajobinwildlifebiology
Listen to the Fancy Scientist Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/29swiuHG4TWKbS9gRZrORW
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