What does an aquatic ecologist do?
I work on a range of projects doing aquatic ecology fieldwork in marine and freshwater environments. Like assisting with data analysis, and writing environmental assessments and reports.
How did you get into your job?
I did my undergraduate degree in marine geography and found through that that I loved marine ecology. I went on to do a masters in marine conservation where I developed my marine ecology interest and skills. I started applying for graduate roles and got my current job on a graduate scheme through that.
What qualifications do you need?
You need to do a degree in a relevant environmental discipline with an interest in ecology. You don't necessarily have to do an ecology specific degree (I did geography!) but it's important that you get some ecology experience/knowledge. In both my degrees ecology wasn't the core of the degree but took the opportunities to do ecology specific modules and dissertation topics. You could also get that experience by volunteering for a wildlife trust or ecology organisation.
Other than qualifications, what do you need to do this job?
You need to love being in the outdoors as being an ecologist can mean spending a lot of time on site (sometimes in the rain and cold!). You need to be adaptable as you could find yourself working on a wide range of projects, especially when you first start.
What’s most rewarding thing about your job?
The ecology space is quite exciting at the moment with lots of new developments going on in the space. It is rewarding to be part of a team that cares about looking after the planet and improving the ways we can do that.
What's the most challenging thing about your job?
It's not all exciting and sometimes things can get very hectic or very slow (there are high and lows in consultancy!) and you have to learn to ride the wave.
What do you wish that you'd known when you were starting out?
That you don't have to be an expert to get involved in different projects.
