Are you a graduate student or postdoc considering an academic career at a small college or university? Do you have a love for teaching and ecological research, but want to do both well? Many of us are trained to be productive researchers at primarily research institutions, but too often we leave graduate school having no idea how to get a job at a small college or university. If you would like to understand how small schools hire, how professors juggle research and teaching early in their career, or are just plain curious about the academic life at small colleges, this session is for you. Join us for a discussion led by professors at small institutions. A panel of college faculty will answer questions regarding the processes of grad school preparation, hiring of faculty, tenure application, and getting funds for faculty/student research. We will then have small “break-out” sessions where a few audience members team up with each faculty member so that you can get more in-depth answers to your queries. We will then reconstitute the entire group and discuss any major themes or concerns we have discovered.