Never Give Up on Your Wildlife Dream Job: Interview with Francisco Llauger

I love hearing success stories from people who have finally landed their dream jobs, especially after challenging and twisty career paths. I always like to say, your current situation is not your final destination, so I believe to strive toward your dream relentlessly.Additionally, most professors do not know how to advise for non-academic jobs. Have you been frustrated that your university has no experts in the field you wish to pursue and you feel lost? Most aspiring wildlife professionals look forward to landing that dream job after graduating college, but especially from graduate school they expect little difficulty in getting one. But in reality, that’s not always the case. How do you cope when you haven’t reached the wildlife career you’ve been working towards so hard?In this episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast, I interviewed Francisco Llauger, someone who had these kinds of struggles (similar to mine after graduate school), but is now finally working with herpetofauna at the Houston Zoo— his dream job. From talking to lots of you on Zoom, I know that many of you have experienced or are currently experiencing what Francisco has been through. But after some detours, with the right mindset and attitude through the help of the Successful Wildlife Professional program, Francisco has finally landed the career he worked so hard for! Specifically, we talked about:The importance of mindset! How to equip yourself with the skills and mindset you NEED for the career you want that is not being taught in academia;Going from graduate school to a job outside of his field and making the transition back;The challenges and turning point he experienced while pursuing a job; andWhat made him decide to join the Successful Wildlife Professional Program, what it’s like to be in the program, and the positive impacts it brought himAnd MORE!I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka (formerly Schuttler), a wildlife biologist of nearly 20 yrs with 20+ peer-reviewed scientific publications, author of the book Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know (https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Job-Wildlife-Biology-What/dp/B08JDYXS4G/) and founder of Fancy Scientist. My channel and the Fancy Scientist LLC is dedicated to connecting people to science and nature, breaking stereotypes of, and empowering scientists. I help aspiring and struggling wildlife biologists get the right training so they can get jobs, live out their life’s purpose and make a difference in this world.Sign up for my next free job training: https://stephanieschuttler.com/trainingwaitlist/ Get a free chapter of my book “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know” to see how I can help you in your career: https://stephanieschuttler.com/getting-a-job-in-wildlife-biology-book/ Want to learn about cool animals, conservation, and get tips about careers in wildlife biology, science, and more? Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/StephanieSchuttler and join my email list: https://stephanieschuttler.com/ I’d love to meet you. Connect with me on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/FancyScientistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fancy_scientist/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fancyscientist/pins/Join the “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology” Facebook group to connect with other aspiring wildlife biologists, post your questions and get free advice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gettingajobinwildlifebiology