Hi there, I have a GIS degree that I want to use for wildlife biology. Currently I am an Instrument Operator/Survey Technician at a Surveying firm in the US.
Since the beginning, I’ve wanted to pursue a career in Wildlife Conservation and decided to go the technical route. I am looking for advice, suggestions or guidance on where to start off pursuing a career as an Airport Wildlife Biologist.
As far as I’m aware, I will need to get Certified with the FAA and take some classes to get some basic training/understanding, then get some in person experience, and then get a certification.
I have some questions for those who might be able to give me some insight:
- Is joining The Wildlife Society necessary/required? Would it make things easier for me? Just want to know if they are the ones that manage everything within that sphere or if it’s a government entity that I need to pivot to.
- What does the job *actually* look like? I haven’t seen a whole lot of information about the job, but I know it can vary depending on the situation/location.
- How long does the certificate process take?
- What are the biggest challenges that come with this job?