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Wildlife conservation without degree??! HELP!

I post so many questions because I’m literally lost right now but basically wildlife conservation and ecology is my DREAM. There’s nothing I want more than to feel like I’m making an impact.

I really struggle with school and college because of severe anxiety but it seems like the only way to get into conservation is having uni degrees and A levels etc. I only currently have a level 2 city and guilds animal qualification which I know is nowhere near enough.

I’ve considered online courses or an access course with Open University but would this even be beneficial? Has anyone managed to get into this career field without going down the A level and university route?

Any advice appreciated, feel like giving up :frown:

Reply 1

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by melissa.17

The problem is that it is lots of people's dream, so if you aren't fixed to get a degree, you are going to have to work out an alternate route. That will almost certainly have to begin with a wide range of volunteering, so you might have to find alternative paid work to sustain that.

It's a competitive area to work in because it is driven by people's passion, which means that salaries can be low and competition is high. BUt experience is very important, so if you aren't in a position to get qualifications, then you need to get experience.

There are actually quite a few distance learning opportunities for wild animal/zoo/conservation work - the BIAZA website is a good link to use to track them down.