Starting Out -Steph's Story

If seventeen-year-old me could see myself now working as an ecologist, I would be very confused. Most importantly I would be asking what on earth an ecologist is. When choosing my undergraduate degree, I had no idea that roles like this existed (which is concerning considering how vital they are). When I went into my zoology degree I expected to relocate to Africa and work in conservation. The mainstream media coverage of the environment in the UK is so heavily focused on external species and conservations issues that I, like many others, was unaware of much of the issues surrounding native species and habitats. I was shocked throughout the process of my degree, learning more about wildlife in the UK, its importance and the threats it faces and became increasingly interested in the interactions between species and their environments rather than just the animals themselves. It wasn’t until the third year of my undergrad that I discovered the world of ecological consultancy and I wish I had discovered this earlier. The more research I had done on the sector the more I became certain that this was the career I desperately wanted to pursue. While I understand and appreciate the necessity of infrastructure (and definitely enjoy the benefits it brings to my life) It’s vital that it is developed in a way which is the least disruptive to our environment and the wildlife that inhabits it. Becoming an ecologist was a career which would allow me to aid in that, to help mitigate the impacts of these developments and protect the natural environment.

I knew I would have some roadblocks on the path to securing a job in this sector. As a single parent, I was apprehensive about pursuing ecology as unfortunately, survey season hours and childcare hours do not align well. I am lucky to have a strong support system that pushes me to pursue my passions and agreed to help with childcare arrangements. However, having discovered the sector so late in my academic career I knew that my lack of experience would also be a major roadblock in securing a job. Studying full-time and working to support myself financially made it particularly difficult to gain the amount of experience usually required for graduate roles. I was fortunate to gain some experience in bat surveys through a consultancy in the season before my final year of university however I knew this was still not enough to secure a role. In my final year, COVID-19 threw another spanner in the works and made gaining further experience and job prospects even more difficult. As my undergrad was in zoology, I decided to undertake a Master’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Biology which was geared more specifically towards ecology and would allow to gain some of the skills required to become a successful ecologist. My independent research project focused on bats and their association with green roofs and gave me the opportunity to further develop my survey skills, bat sound analysis, and gave me a much deeper insight into bat ecology and green infrastructure. 

Nearing the end of my master’s degree in September 2021 I started looking for roles in the sector. As most early-career consultancy roles are seasonal and highly competitive, I had prepared myself for a lengthy wait to break into the industry. During my search I found Cairn Ecology’s website, I reached out to Lorraine, and she scheduled an interview. I have had many interviews in my life, but I have never been as nervous as I was for this one. Lorraine and Michael instantly put me at ease. Lorraine explained the ethos of the company and the passion with which she and Michael spoke about the company, its culture, the projects they work on, and ecology as a whole made me certain that THIS was the company that I wanted to work for and learn from. On my second interview, Lorraine offered me a position as a graduate ecologist, and I immediately phoned my best friend crying because I genuinely landed my dream job.