When Your "Dream Job" Isn't What You Thought: Finding Career Alignment in Wildlife Conservation: Interview with Dylan Karl

Have you been applying and applying to wildlife jobs or experiences only to hear nothing back? That’s exactly what happened to Dylan Karl despite having a degree from a prestigious university specializing in wildlife, a Master’s degree, years of experience, and a wildlife biologist certification from The Wildlife Society. Dylan had seemingly everything, yet, he was applying to 30-50 jobs every season, but nothing was landing. Dylan’s story is even more unique. Dylan was one of my Successful Wildlife Professional students, and when I first started working with him, he was working in a wildlife job, but unhappy. He felt that although he was technically involved in wildlife work mitigating damage at airports, he wasn’t having the impact he wanted, and felt like he was spending a lot more time killing wildlife rather than saving it. So Dylan decided to join the Successful Wildlife Professional program and get help. And it paid off almost instantly! Within two months of the program, he applied for and got his dream job of working with Mexican wolves. This was a huge win and we were both so excited for his future! Because of these incredible results, I knew I had to have him on the Fancy Scientist podcast to share. But when I interviewed him, I was surprised he was no longer working there! It turns out that his story took an unexpected turn. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for reality to not match up with expectations in our field… Dylan had always imagined himself as a bridge between wildlife and people, helping manage conflict and promote coexistence. But what he thought was a non-lethal position in Arizona turned out to not be so non-lethal after all, due to pressure from ranchers pushing for the lethal removal of federally protected wolves. This didn't sit right with him, and that misalignment caused him to rethink what he actually wanted out of his career.Luckily, he had the tools he learned from the Successful Wildlife Professional to lean back on. He used the trainings on understanding the jobs and workplaces and personal exercises to uncover his own desires and strengths to re-identify his dream job. He combined this with the wildlife-specific protocols in the application section to write competitive cover letters and resumes for his new dream path. He now works as a Preserve Management Assistant for the prestigious The Nature Conservancy in northwestern Minnesota, helping to manage approximately 300,000 acres of tallgrass aspen parklands through tools like prescribed burns and seed spreading. Every morning he wakes up feeling like he's taking care of the animals he loves’ homes.Dylan also gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at the Nature Conservancy and what prescribed fire management actually looks like, including how burning 400 acres of land can transform a smothered wetland into one teeming with native wildflowers, frogs, fish, and water birds just a month later. After the interview, I break down the key takeaways so you can apply them to your own path, including why "proven experience" beats just experience, why knowing your end goal changes everything, and why the workplace you choose matters just as much as the work itself.Specifically, we talk about:Dylan's winding path from watching Steve Irwin as a kid in Cincinnati to managing 300,000 acres with The Nature Conservancy in MinnesotaHis experiences with the Peace Corps, the Cincinnati Zoo, wind turbine curtailment, spotted owl research, and USDA Wildlife ServicesWhat it felt like to be in a position that looked good on paper but isn’t aligned with your valuesHow you can still work in wildlife, but not feel like you are following your dream or having the impact you wantThe gap between the Steve Irwin version of a wildlife career and what most wildlife jobs actually look likeWhy sending 30 to 50 applications a season and taking the first offer isn't a career strategyWhat caused Dylan to break through and land his dream job on Mexican wolves within a couple of monthsHow Dylan used The Successful Wildlife Professional to get clear on what he actually wanted and land the Nature Conservancy jobHis tips for landing a job with The Nature Conservancy, including why seasonal positions are the right entry pointHow prescribed fire is used as a conservation tool, and what it's like to return to a burned unit a month later and find it thriving with lifeThe spotted owl courtship behavior story you didn't know you neededAnd more!Jumps Links3:28 Meet Dylan Karl4:50 Dylan's Winding Career Path5:24 Working at The Nature Conservancy6:26 Prescribed Fire & Conservation11:40 Dylan's Education & Background15:25 Peace Corps, Zoo Work & Master's Degree18:45 Working for USDA Wildlife Services22:51 The Non-Lethal Wolf Job That Wasn't24:19 Landing at The Nature Conservancy27:37 Is There a Bait & Switch in Wildlife Careers?31:46 Why Dylan Joined Successful Wildlife Professional32:36 Carpet Bombing Applications & Career Misalignment35:32 Finding His Dream: Habitat Management40:31 A Moment of Success in the Field42:36 What Makes Dylan a Fancy Scientist45:20 The Owl That Defended Her Mate46:49 How to Get a Job at The Nature Conservancy49:18 Is the SWP Program Worth It?Dream of being a wildlife biologist, zoologist, conservation biologist, or ecologist? Ready to turn your love of animals into a thriving career?🌿🐘 Then…🐾 Get my FREE Weekly Wildlife Wrap-Up where every Friday, I share strategies on how to stand out and get hired in wildlife, conservation, and environmental careers using a framework that's landed my students permanent jobs, internships, and more: https://stephanieschuttler.podia.com/wildlife-wrap-up📚 Read 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/I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka (formerly Schuttler), a wildlife biologist of 20 yrs who is on a mission to empower wildlife professionals and break stereotypes of scientists so they can get jobs, live out their life’s purpose, and make a difference in this world.🎥 How I became a wildlife biologist: https://youtu.be/zBvHRDO7gIg Full show notes:https://stephanieschuttler.com/fancy-scientist-podcast-158-dylan-karl/Let’s connect! 🤝✨Website: https://fancyscientist.com/Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gettingajobinwildlifebiologyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FancyScientistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fancy_scientist/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgschuttler/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/Twitter: https://twitter.com/FancyScientistThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fancy_scientistBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fancyscientist.bsky.socialPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fancyscientist/