Use courses to help define your interests and career goals. See Selecting courses . Accumulate skills as well as knowledge. Many entry-level jobs require skills such as identifying plants or animals, using maps and GIS systems, writing, and producing graphics. Practical skills such as driving on unpaved roads, changing a tire, simple carpentry, first aid, and constructing fencing are also valued by employers.
Academic careers require advanced degrees .
See Some thoughts on choosing a graduate school . Without an advanced degree, you may be able to work as a research assistant . Even if you only clean fish tanks, such a job is an excellent way to obtain experience that will prepare you for another job-and help persuade someone else to hire you. Most non-academic jobs for conservation biologists and other environmental biologists are with government agencies or with environmental consulting firms . A few are with companies large enough to have their own ' in-house' staff to help them meet environmental regulations instead of contracting with consulting firms.