Creating a Path

I am excited at the prospect to form further connections with animals that I am regularly in contact with during an internship position.  I feel torn.  I loved doing research, the life, the schedule, the intensity, and the reward.  I also keep coming back to working with animals.  Animal research, such as the technician positions that I am looking at seems to integrate these two interests to an extent, though I am unsure how similar it would be to Sherkin, since I do not think they would need to work with the tides, and it’s not quite the same experience as helping injured wildlife.  I am leaning towards rehabilitation now, just as I was leaning towards research when I was still on Sherkin.  My interests seem dependent on my environment, and so, constantly change.

Although, the change is no longer so drastic.  Early last year, I was pursuing the Peace Corps with the possibility of securing an environmental education position, somehow working with marine life, but the details were never divulged to me.  It was recommended that I gain more experience in this area, so I sought out a position to do so.  During this time I developed a renewed interest in birds from my last semester of college when I conducted an independent research project on them.  I was fortunate enough to get in at Sherkin, but this forced me to cancel my potential Peace Corps plans, as the dates of the positions conflicted.

While on Sherkin, I developed an appreciation for the ocean and the life that it supports.  I loved the field work and was actually able to see myself doing such work for more than just one season.  I wanted to remain by the sea.  I also wanted to work with animals a bit larger than the invertebrates on the rocky shore.  I thought that marine wildlife rehabilitation would be a good idea, but I also still wanted to work with birds, and there were so many interesting internships coming through my inbox.

Yet, I do not have the necessary qualifications for most birding positions, with limited identification, handling, and survey experience.  There are also only so many facilities accepting interns with the stipulations that I require in the realm of marine wildlife rehabilitation, so I started to settle with applying for inland positions as well.

This is how it has all developed, and in less than a year’s time.  I want to do something with animals.  This much I know.  But when it comes to crunch time, what will I choose?  How will I choose?  If I am accepted to a variety of positions.  I have to develop a more solid sense of what my goals are for this year and for the future, in order to determine what will be of greatest use to me.