What was your path to your first permanent position?
Ask a Biologist Monday 10/23/23
Answers from Biologists:
BS, 1 seasonal, 1 intern, 4 yrs MS, substitute teaching, 7 yrs. PhD, perm job at yr 5 of PhD.
Community college, 2 yrs undergrad, an internship, 2 temp positions, then it finally happened.
3 yrs undergrad-wrong path 2 yr detour, 3 yrs new undergrad, 3 yrs seasonal, 4 yrs pt time grad and work.
4 yrs undergrad, 3 yrs seasonal, 2.5 yrs grad school, 1 yr seasonal, finally in a permanent position.
3 yrs undergrad, 1.5 yrs masters, 3 months volunteering, and 3 months seasonal work.
3.5 yrs undergrad for a BSc, then applying to almost 50 jobs (Australia).
5 yrs undergrad, 6 months unpaid internship, 4.5 yrs seasonal, and just now a permanent job.
4 yrs undergrad, 4 yrs seasonal jobs, 3 yrs grad school, then a permanent w/nonprofit.
4 yrs undergrad, 1 yr internships, 2 yrs grad, 4 yrs temp jobs.
4.5 yrs (took semester off for seasonal position), 2 yrs seasonal, 2 yrs term, 3 states.
2 summer internships during 4 yrs of college plus some volunteering and being a tech.
5 yrs undergrad, 3 yrs work in an unrelated field, 1 long term/8 month seasonal position.
3 BS over 5 yrs with research/internships in school.
2 yrs seasonal work, 1.5 yrs federal contracting, 1 more seasonal job, 1.5 yrs grad school.
5 yrs undergrad, 2 internships, 4 yrs seasonal, 3 yrs grad school, 2 more seasonals, then perm. Moved a lot.
Summer seasonal and grad project. Volunteer during undergraduate.
4 yrs undergrad, worked in labs during that time.
Undergrad, unpaid internship, 1 yr volunteering, temp position 9 months became permanent.
Hired as on-call during my last yr of undergrad. Turned permanent after graduating.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs grad school, 1 postmasters in specialty area, permanent position.
4.5 yrs undergrad and 3 yrs seasonal work.
6 yrs undergrad including 2 summer terms at my job. 4 yrs of terms, now 6 months/yr “permanent”.
4 yrs undergrad, 1 yr unpaid volunteer, 6 yrs temp seasonal.
5 yr undergrad, 4 yrs tech position, 3 yrs grad school.
4 yrs undergrad, 1 yr seasonals, currently in 3 yr position with agency that should renew.
4 yrs undergrad, 4 summers of seasonal work, now a grad student.
Undergrad, seasonal at NGO, 3 yrs grad school.
4 yrs undergrad with paid internships in summers, 4 yrs seasonal, permanent.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs seasonal, 2 yrs Americorps, 3 yrs masters, 1 yr student pathway conversion.
6 yrs undergrad, 4 internships and GIS cert, 4 yrs graduate with full time job and promotion after graduation.
Oils and bird monitoring, consulting, both with slow layoff seasons. Now full time.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs Americorps, 3 fed seasonal jobs, then permanent.
4.5 yrs undergrad, then getting lucky that the lab I interned for during undergrad was hiring.
4 yrs undergrad, 7 yrs seasonal jobs in 5 different states during and after college.
5 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs seasonal, 2 yrs Peace Corps.
Undergrad, seasonal positions, graduate certificate, then permanent.
Undergrad with paid internships, industry job for 6 months, then master’s degree.
4 yrs undergrad, 5 yrs seasonal tech, 2.5 yrs MS.
4 yrs BS, 1 seasonal job, 5 yrs MS, 2 years with Pheasants forever.
4 yrs undergrad with 2 internships, 3 yrs grad school, 9 months unemployed.
5 yrs undergrad, 3.5 yrs seasonal (9 different jobs across the country), 2.5 yrs grad school.
4 yrs undergrad with internships, 3 yrs intern/seasonal work.
11 seasonal positions in 4 states before getting a BA then permanent.
4 yr undergrad, 3 yrs seasonal, half of a master’s (1 yr).
2 internships in high school, 2 internships in undergrad, 1 lab job, 3 seasonal tech jobs.
3 yrs of casual contracts alternating between 2 jobs and unemployment.
BS engineering, 3 yrs job, quit w/savings to endure 3 yrs tech work, 2 yrs MS.
4 seasons of ecology work as a tech.
4 yrs unrelated undergrad, 6 months unpaid internship, 2.5 yrs part time consulting, now permanent job.
3 yrs community college, 3 yrs BS, 2.5 yrs seasonal.
4 yrs undergrad, 5 yrs seasonal.
4 yrs undergrad, season of volunteering, 2 yrs grad school, 2 yrs seasonal.
Converted to permanent upon completion of pathways 2 yr probationary period.
Seasonal during undergrad, recent grad pathways position.
4 yrs undergrad, 1 yr internship, 3 yrs with one org, 2 yrs seasonal, now getting MS.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs grad, 4 months paid internship.
Undergrad, internship, 2 years contracting.
Undergrad, 2 seasons as a tech, 1 season as a lead.
4 yrs undergrad, 6 months seasonal work.
4 yrs undergrad, 7 yrs seasonal, 3 yrs term, 7 yrs permanent, now MS online while working.
4 yrs BS, 2 seasonal jobs, 2 yrs grad, 1 more seasonal, 1 yr odd jobs.
BS 4 yrs tech, MS, 1 yr tech position, 2 yrs temp.
4 yrs undergrad w/summer seasonal jobs, 4 yrs seasonal, on-call, and temp work.
Volunteering at my local conservation center.
4 yrs undergrad volunteering, 1 unpaid internship, 2 paid internships.
3.5 yrs undergrad, 5 months continuing in lab I was working in during undergrad, then permanent.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs seasonal, 1 professional training, 8 months applying.
4.5 yrs undergrad w/3 internships, working in lab for 2 yrs, and independent study.
DHA internships for 5 months then permanent.
4 yrs undergrad, multiple volunteer positions during undergrad.
4.5 yrs BS with seasonals during summer, 1 yr temp job, 2 yrs MS, 2 yrs temp jobs.
4 yrs undergrad, 4 yrs part-time tech, 1 yr sci aid.
2 yrs CC, 2 yrs undergrad, 7.5 yrs tec work.
Undergrad w/internships and study abroad, 2 yrs permanent, 4 yrs MS, now back to permanent.
7 yrs undergrad, 6 yrs seasonal, 2 yrs grad school, 1 yr volunteering.
4 yrs undergrad w/2 seasonal jobs, 1 yr in different field, 1 seasonal job.
15 seasonal jobs, 15 off season jobs, 1 independent grant/research project. Full time at 31.
2 seasons while in undergrad, 3 seasons after.
4 yrs undergrad, 3 yrs seasonal, 4 yrs grad school, 1 yr postdoc with another to come.
BS, unpaid tech job, 2 yrs lab analyst, 3 seasonal jobs.
5 yrs undergrad, 5 yrs PhD, 6 months applications.
4 yrs undergrad, 1.5 yrs seasonal, permanent (which I quit).
4 summer jobs during undergrad, permanent after graduation.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs grad, 1 yr seasonal.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 yrs grad school, 6 yrs tech positions in 8 states.
Internship in high school, 4 yrs undergrad, 8 yrs seasonal (6 states).
4 yrs undergrad, 3 yrs grad school, 3 tech positions.
4 yrs undergrad, 2 seasonal jobs.
2 yrs community college, 2.5 yrs undergrad, 8 seasonal jobs, 2.5 yrs grad school.
BSc, internship at federal agency.
Writing my own grant for my current project, but still seasonal most of the yr.
