An ecologist goes to Washington: Exploring career pathways in policy

Ecology provides the foundation for a broad array of career pathways in academic, government, non-profit, and private sectors.  However, graduate training in ecology is, by definition, an academic endeavor.  This can lead to an inherent limitation in which students are not provided the skill sets needed to be successful outside of academia, particularly in governmental positions in public policy.  I will discuss the importance of embedding ecologists into the policy process, personal tradeoffs that are inherent in careers outside of research and academia, and the ways in which ESA can encourage and embrace ecologists working in public policy.