Career Roadmap
April's work combines: Travel, Environment & Nature, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
University of Georgia
Doctorate
Forest Resources Production and Management
University of Georgia
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Human Resources Specialists:
Graduate Degree: Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Had a passion for wildlife so I went on a study abroad to Kenya, where I met a Peace Corps volunteer.
2.
I graduated with a biology degree and did 2 internships - in a zoo and wildlife rehab center.
3.
I applied to Peace Corps and got sent to Niger, W. Africa to work in environmental education.
4.
In Niger, became more interested in human/wildlife interactions, so decided to go to grad school.
5.
Got the opportunity to study pygmy hippos in Sierra Leone, spent 2 years there.
6.
Wrote a 209 page dissertation, defended, consequently got sick of academia.
7.
Applied to ~80 jobs, then got an interview with Peace Corps.
8.
Got the Peace Corps Dallas recruiter job, so travelled to Dallas.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
People said I should stay in academia because I have a PhD - become a scientist, professor, and use my PhD.
How I responded:
When I was offered a job as a recruiter for Peace Corps (which by no means needs a PhD), my doctoral adviser said "Are you sure that's what you want to do?" My colleagues and friends stopped talking to me. I felt like I had disappointed them by not continuing and taking the route that the rest of them had taken - they'd become post-docs, professors, etc. The thought occurred to me one day: "It's my life. I should do what I need to do to be happy. I don't need to please others." I took the job.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was the first female in my family to go to graduate school. I was told by my uncle that "sometimes there's too much education for a woman." I just ignored and carried on.