Fancy Scientist with Dr. Stephanie Manka

When it comes to careers in wildlife, one of the things you’ll hear me say over and over again is that you need to go after what you want - you can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen. YOU have to make them happen. But what happens if you don’t know how to go after what you want? You aren’t sure exactly what to do?  That was the case for Chitra Rekha Basyal, one of my students in the Suc...

This week’s episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast was inspired by an extremely honest and vulnerable article by Georgina Mayhew called The Conservation Career Trap . When I posted this in my Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology Facebook group , it sparked an overwhelming response from others sharing similar sentiments or fears that the same would happen to them.  Some standout comments included:  “E...

The wisdom of Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass has lingered in my mind and heart for quite some time. This episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast is pretty different from past ones, and I'm excited to explore with you the bridge between science and spirituality I hope you’ll have an open mind to explore with me. Robin’s book inspired this podcast, leaving me with lots of...

I have so many followers interested in careers in wildlife rehabilitation so I am especially excited about this week’s episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast. I sat down with veterinarian nurse and wildlife rehabilitator, Joey Solimine AKA Joey of the Jungle. Joey is not your average adventurer - she travels all over Central and South America volunteering at different wildlife rehabilitation cente...

Around the world, carnivores have been and still are heavily persecuted. Although the percentages are low, they do kill livestock, pets, and even people. The most common knee-jerk reaction for people is to do something about it, which almost always means killing the animal. For conservationists and wildlife lovers, this is a tough pill to swallow; it seems unfair to punish an animal for doing what...

I'm thrilled to bring you another exciting episode this week on the Fancy Scientist podcast with National Geographic explorer and science writer Jon Waterman. Jon is not only an author of an impressive 15 books, but a modern-day explorer who's ventured into many remote and wild spaces. In his latest book, "Atlas of Wild America," published by National Geographic, he takes you to No...

This week’s podcast is a little different - instead of interviewing a guest or even doing a solo episode, it’s an excerpt from a professional development session in my Successful Wildlife Professional program.  I had my students watch a podcast interview of Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. Chances are, you’re probably thinking, what in the world does slimming undergarments have to do with wildl...

A big lesson that I learned from studying abroad in Kenya is that the key to understanding a place's wildlife and conservation issues is to connect with the people living there. When my travels led me to Brazil, I knew I had to seize the opportunity to learn about its unique conservation challenges and the incredible research being done there through the passionate scientists who working on th...

Lots of people think that the only way you can work in conservation and make a difference is by studying threatened animals to learn more about them so that we can save them. But there are a million ways to make a difference and drive impact in this field, especially when you follow your heart, pursue your passion, and open yourself up to creative possibilities. In today’s Fancy Scientist podcast...

After recently moving to the Chicago area, I have been captivated by the urban wildlife in the area, particularly the coyotes. Seeing them in broad daylight, not just at dusk or from afar, has been a remarkable experience! (I’ve only seen a coyote once in my life and it was in Yellowstone National Park before) I wanted to learn more about the work being done to understand and appreciate urban spec...

Navigating career paths can be a daunting challenge. We pour our time and effort into applications, only to be met with rejection after rejection. Many aspiring wildlife professionals can relate to the frustration and self-doubt that arise from these setbacks. In the pursuit of our dreams and career goals, we often find ourselves facing moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. Thoughts of inadequacy...

Experience is critical to build your career in wildlife, ecology, or conservation biology. When you’re just starting out though, this can be hard to get. Even unpaid volunteer positions can be treated like jobs where you apply and can get rejected. Some of these volunteer positions are through organizations abroad, especially Africa, where they tell aspiring wildlife professionals that they can ge...

As a wildlife professional, I understand the struggles that many professionals in this field face when trying to secure a job. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the larger goals and overlook the smaller, yet crucial, steps needed to succeed. Pursuing a wildlife career can be a challenging endeavor that demands significant effort and perseverance. Perhaps you’re currently wondering what the secret...

I love hearing success stories from people who have finally landed their dream jobs, especially after challenging and twisty career paths. I always like to say, your current situation is not your final destination, so I believe to strive toward your dream relentlessly. Additionally, most professors do not know how to advise for non-academic jobs. Have you been frustrated that your university has n...

When I give advice to young wildlife professionals or those aspiring to go into this career, I always tell them to reverse engineer it. To “start with the end in mind,” (a quote from Stephen Covey), but what if you don’t know what the end looks like? Or what happens if you thought you wanted something and you went after it, but then you realized maybe you want something else. And if you decide to...

Have you ever thought about starting an environmental career, but instead chose a more “safe” and “secure” route? Or maybe you are currently tempted by it or you simply didn’t know how to go about a wildlife career and took a path that was more easily laid out?  Is there a part of you that still wonders “what if?” but worries it might be too late or are too scared to step out of your comfort zone?...

It’s no secret that the wildlife or conservation field can be competitive, and many of you have always asked me, “How do I get my foot in the door?” or “Is there any chance that I will get a permanent job in the future?” And my answer is always yes. If this is what you truly want, you can get it, but it will require strategy. Gone are the days of just getting a degree and a job quickly, which will...

You may have heard me on social media talk about how I am writing a kids’ book and unless you are new to the podcast, you will already know that I wrote a book called Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know . I am so excited to announce that my kids’ book, My First Book of Earth , is now available for pre-order and will soon be available everywhere on August 2nd...

I know that so many of you out there are struggling to get jobs in wildlife biology. I see all of these posts in the wildlife Facebook groups, and when people join my own Facebook group, Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology, I reach out to them and ask them what they’re struggling with. I truly understand how tough it is out there to get a job. There is more competition than ever before, and the requ...

One of my favorite podcast episodes to share with people is  #46: Starting a Wildlife Career at 40: Interview with Jeffrey Hunter . In this episode, I interview Jeffrey Hunter of the National Parks Conservation Association on how he left his corporate job to pursue one in wildlife at 40.  One of the people listening to this was Ron Lewis. During the pandemic, Ron was let go from his engineering jo...

Whenever I talk to someone who wants my help, I always ask them “What is your ultimate career goal?” and frequently the answer is “something with endangered species. We’ve all seen the videos of scientists opening up a cage with a wolf inside, and it sprinting out of it to return to the wild where it belongs, or some variation of that with another species. These videos are so inspiring and uplifti...

Students always ask me – how do I choose my research? When I was in graduate school, this question lingered over me for the first six months. How in the world, out of all of the things to study do I pick something? Most people will tell you to follow your passion – but what happens if you (like me) are passionate about many things? How do you choose? Or what if you aren’t sure what you are passion...

I was having some struggles in my business – specifically how to talk about my program to potential student. I was thinking about purchasing a new course to help me with this problem and I was asking my mastermind group members what they thought. It was a big chunk of change: $2,000. Normally we encourage each other to invest in ourselves, but one of my members felt like I already had the training...

On this week's podcast, I talk about a hot button issue and one you probably wouldn't expect from a wildlife biology and conservation based podcast: money. I always knew I wouldn't make a lot of money in my career, but was surprised at how low the salary levels were for the jobs I qualified for.  And lately there's been a lot of talk about things like unpaid internships and volunte...

Productivity seems to be more of a career-oriented topic, but this is actually really important in wildlife and conservation work, and it’s something that is often overlooked. When I was in graduate school and working as a postdoc, I often felt so overwhelmed with all the work I had to do. I know that many other people out there feel exactly the same way. There’s several reasons for this. First, t...