Stuck in Limbo

I know it has been quite some time since I last posted.  In May of 2017 I completed my degree, so I now have a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Wildlife and Environmental Biology....and have been completely unable to find work.

I have been dealing with severe depression which is not helped by the lack of job prospects.  I really wish that someone had explained to me that the only jobs available are for those people who are extremely physically fit.  In the past 7 months I've had interviews with 3 different companies and they always go with someone else and are not willing to let me know what I could have done better.

Add in that I now no longer have a vehicle thanks to mine being sent to a junkyard and it makes getting out there and physically LOOKING for work very difficult.

Overall, everything sucks.

Problems at work

So I currently have a job on campus that has NOTHING to do with my degree.

Anyway, there is a bunch of BS going on and now I've had enough.  Spoke to HR so they know everything and have recommended that I bring it to the attention of the head of Academic Affairs who oversees the department I work for.  So now I have an appt with Academic Affairs Thursday at 3pm before I go to work to report on all the BS that happens

MIA

Sorry its been a while.  Not much new going on.  I did start volunteering for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program again.  They were so grateful that I was just blown away!  They gave me hugs and told me over and over again how happy they were that I could help.  Why can't my job be like that?

No EPA

Well, I didn't get the position with the EPA...said that my background was great but that they didn't think that I would "fit in." Oh well.  I am going to start volunteering again with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program at the end of the month so that will be good.  Mostly it will be office/data entry type stuff as I helped them transfer a good portion of their data to a new system a couple of years ago, but they did say that there may be the potential for some light field work too so fingers crossed!

OMG Are you KIDDING ME!!!!!!

I am SO angry right now I can barely write!  My mother-in-law just called me because she wanted me to come over and remove a bird's nest from her balcony that would have required a LADDER to get to!!  Are you KIDDING ME!!!  She KNOWS that I'm in wildlife PROTECTION!  She KNOWS that I always tell people to LEAVE IT ALONE!!!  And she has the NERVE to call me to tell me that she wants to destroy someones HOME!!!

NEVER mind that most states, INCLUDING THIS ONE, have laws protecting birds AND THEIR NESTS!!  You need fricken permits and licenses to be able to remove a nest that is causing a HEALTH RISK which I can GUARANTEE that this nest was not hurting anyone!!

So I told her all this, including that neither myself nor her son would help her because it is morally wrong.  She then proceeds to tell me that she is scared to go out on her porch.  Most birds will just leave if a person gets too near the nest, there are very few that would attach a person especially ones that nest in human buildings.  Seriously!  There is NO WAY that she can try to guilt-trip EITHER of us into helping with this destruction.

And then she tried to say that she'd get in trouble with the apartment complex because they are not supposed to have animals on the balcony.  Really?!?!?!  I can guarantee that they were talking about PETS not WILD ANIMALS!!

Told her that it was the responsibility of the complex to hire someone with the correct licenses and permits and that again it could only be removed if it was causing a health hazard.

UGH!!!!!

Done!.....for this semester

All grades are in, not too bad but not as good as I was hoping for.

Wildlife Bio: C+
Evolution: B
Reading for Bio Sciences: B+
Writing for Bio Sciences: A
Cell/Molecular Bio: A-

Waiting to hear back from one of my professors on the classes that she would recommend I take, then will decide if I will be taking extra courses to try to get my degree with honors.

Now have to work on getting ready for interview with the EPA...fingers crossed!!!

Finals Week - Rethinking

So it is finals week!!  Had my Evolution final on Monday, I think I did okay, though my professor was a little shocked that I finished it in under and hour when we had a three hour block for the test.  Oh well...should hopefully find out next week how I did.
Got my Writing for the Biological Sciences grade...A...yay!  Apparently my teacher was really impressed with my final report which was about something that I don't really know much about...sooo....cool!
I have the wildlife bio final tomorrow, which I'm a little worried about, but we'll see how it goes....studying a lot today for it, especially since it is cumulative!  Then I have my cell and molecular bio final on Thursday, but not too worried about that one.  As long as I get at least a 75 on it, I will have an A in the class.

On another note, I spoke with another one of my professors about my concern about my physical and medical issues that will keep me from being able to do field work and thus limiting the possibility of me becoming a wildlife biologist, and that I would really like to work in endangered species breeding and conservation.  He suggested I look into becoming a Conservation Geneticist and work in a lab where I can play with the animals, and just send someone else out to collect them!  Sounds like a plan to me.  So I'll be completing my wildlife biology bachelor degree next spring (only have 5 more required classes so might as well finish it up) and then look into graduate programs where I can be paid to conduct research in genetics.  In the mean-time, I'm looking to see what other courses my school offers that might help me get into grad school.