Written in an informal and engaging style, Saving the Earth as a Career is an ideal resource for students and professionals pursuing a career in conservation. The book explores the major skills needed to become an effective conservation professional by offering useful advice on a range of topics.

Preface ix Preface to the second edition xi Read this road map before you begin xiii 1 Is this the right career for you? 1 What is a conservation professional? 1 Conservation contributors 3 Diverse compensations 6 Location, location, location 8 Your image 10 Talk and experience 11 2 Establishing an undergraduate foundation 14 Universities and degrees 14 Course work 15 Course performance 17 Experiences outside the classroom 18 References 24 Standardized tests 25 Changing course 26 Switching careers 27 Next steps 28 3 Selecting an educational program 30 The key elements: University, topic, degree, and advisor 30 When to begin? 37 Some scenarios 37 4 Applying for admission 46 Making contact 46 Personal essay or letter 49 Initial conversations 50 Application mechanics 50 References 51 Visiting 52 First impressions 54 Interviewing a prospective advisor 55 Interviewing other students 58 Interviewing other faculty 60 Making a decision 60 5 Designing a program of study 62 Your goal 62 A project 64 Course work 65 A balancing act 65 Teaching 67 Internships 68 Comprehensive exam 69 Investing in your department and yourself 70 Extracurricular activities 73 Communicating with your advisor 75 An advisory committee 77 When things go very wrong 79 A final word on work styles 82 6 Designing and executing a project 84 Selecting a topic 84 Setting realistic expectations 85 Framing the problem 87 Writing and presenting a proposal 92 Executing a project 98 Non-completion 111 Writing a thesis or final report 112 Final defense 114 7 Attending conferences and making presentations 116 Which to attend? 116 Conference information 120 Attending talks and other sessions 121 Networking 122 Professional-society activities 124 Presentations 126 8 Writing papers 138 A thesis versus a collection of papers 139 Writing a professional paper 141 Authorship 148 Selecting a journal for your paper 149 Submitting a paper to a journal 152 Your paper comes back from the journal 152 Other kinds of publications 158 9 Finding a job 162 What to seek 162 How to search 165 When to apply 167 How to apply 170 Accepting a job 176 10 Making a difference 179 Savior syndrome 179 Compassion fatigue: The flip side of the savior syndrome 183 Making a difference as a student 184 Making a difference as a conservation professional 188 Life style 193 Conservation ethics 194 Index 199