Career Help
So you want to be a biologist, but you are not sure how to gain experience?
You have come to the right place! Below I have created a list of places to search for work and volunteer opportunities in the US and abroad. I have included as many helpful notes as possible to make the process easy. I will likely be adding to this page with time so that I can provide tips for people entering this field. So check this page again for updates!
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
This is the part of the process where I think many people get left behind without even realizing it. That was the case for me. If you are getting an undergraduate degree, chances are there are professors doing research at your university. I was completely unaware of this fact for at least my first two years of undergrad. Turns out, there are often opportunities available for motivated students interested in helping out with research!
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If you are currently doing an undergrad degree, here are my suggestions to you:
Contact a Professor
First, go to your department website and see if there is a "Research" tab. Under that, there should be a list of faculty and their research areas. Find someone whose research sounds interesting. If they have a lab webpage, go to it! If you are having trouble finding more information, Google some of your favorite professors to see if they have lab webpages. Once you have found someone that does research that is of interest to you, send them a professional email asking if there are opportunities for eager undergrads such as yourself!
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If you are struggling to find a professor then ask your academic advisor, chat with an instructor, or if there are TAs or graduate students, talk to them.
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Opportunities with research labs often do not pay, which is a huge bummer, as it creates an extra barrier for so many people. Ask around about paid opportunities though! The university could have funding sources out there for undergraduate research. If you can't afford to work for free, then don't!
Grants and Fellowships
This pathway is usually preceded by the previous one. So develop a good working relationship with a professor so they can help you! It is important to know that there are different types and levels of funding you can get. Internal grants and fellowships are ones that only people from your institution or department are able to apply for. Those are usually pretty easy to get, though the money might not be jaw-droppingly good.
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There are also fancier opportunities you can apply for. These will almost certainly require a professor or graduate student mentor to guide you. There are many many different ones out there, but here are a few to start with:
NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program
Write a Thesis
Some universities force you to write a thesis, while others have it as an option. Find out what the requirements are for doing an undergraduate thesis. Again, it could be something tied to the work you have already done with a professor's research lab, so making those connections is vital!
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Doing a thesis requires a lot of time and effort. You have to pick a research topic, probably collect some data, analyze it, and then write about your findings. You will also need to read up on the topic quite a bit. In the end, doing a thesis will demonstrate that you have initiative and are able to follow through on things. THIS IS A GOLDEN TICKET FOR YOUR C.V.!!!
Post-Undergraduate Opportunities
Welcome to the Wild West of research opportunities!
Volunteer Gigs
Volunteering is not uncommon after undergrad, but at this stage you should not need to settle. Of course, if you are desperate to work for a certain local organization and you know there is a pipline for volunteers to get jobs later, then by all means, do it! Other types of volunteer opportunities exist too. Some of which fall in the "pay to play" category. If international experience is what you desire, this could be you way to get it! Here are some places to search:
Field Jobs
There is a wide range of opportunities out there among the field jobs. Some will be with state and federal agencies, universities, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and so on. If you are not sure what your ideal career is, apply for field jobs in each of those categories. Here are some places to search:
ECOLOG-L (make a free account so you can search their list-serv, or join it and get emails from them)
PARC (for herp people like me!)
Graduate School
If you are confident that grad school is for you, then congrats! But be warned. The process of getting accepted can be rough... (this section is still in progress)