Michelle Kneeland, DVM

Wildlife Veterinarian & Wildlife Health.org Founder

Because the wildlife health field is still relatively small, I know it can be challenging to connect with mentors.

I’ve been on both sides of the mentee/mentor relationship.  I currently have students that I actively mentor, and I myself have mentors that I turn to regularly.  So it’s not one or the other, and you never outgrow the need for mentors in your career (and life!)

A mentor can play different roles in varying degrees of interaction.  A mentor can be someone you work with closely in a job or professional capacity for a period of time.  Or they can just be someone you talk to only once but they provide you with valuable insights and guidance…. and everything in between. 

What Makes A Good Mentor?

It’s about the person, not their position. Sometimes people in the highest/most prominent positions make the worst mentors.  

On the other hand, someone who’s just a few years ahead of you might make an awesome mentor.  These people may be more willing to share their experiences with you, and they may be easier to relate to and build a relationship. They may also have more time availability compared to someone further into their career that is juggling more demanding duties and responsibilities.

A mentor is more than just a person to give you career advice and help you get a job. The best mentors are those that really believe in you, invest in you, and will support you through whatever twists and turns your career takes.

The more you interact with someone, and especially if you work together and that mentor can vouch for you professionally, the stronger role they can play in your career development. 

Finding A Mentor

Finding a strong mentor can take time.  So that’s where reaching out to lots of people can be useful, even if most of those contacts won’t develop into a deeper relationship or a job. 

The typical mentors we tend to think of are school professors or bosses at work. Indeed, these relationships can serve as the basis for a great mentor/mentee relationship. 

But it’s harder if you’ve already graduated and lost touch with professors, or you haven’t found a job yet that’s in your desired field. Or maybe your school doesn’t offer a program related to your desired field.

So where to start?  You’ll need to do some serious detective work and Google is your best friend.  Start searching online for wildlife health professionals, especially anyone in your geographic area that you might be able to meet or work with in person.

Here’s some tips for finding professionals that may be able to serve as a mentor and guide you in your career in wildlife health:

• Find out if your state employs a wildlife veterinarian or wildlife biologists that have a particular focus on health/disease. See if you can find their contact info on your state wildlife agency website. State vets and biologists are often very busy with a ton of responsibilities on their plate, so you may not get a response but it is always worth a try.

• Check out our listing of wildlife health centers across the U.S and investigate the staff pages of any programs that interest you.

• Don’t forget to investigate smaller NGOs/Non-profits that work with wildlife and may have a vet on staff or conduct research related to wildlife health.  It’s not just about universities or government agencies!

• Browse articles in journals such as Journal of Wildlife Diseases and Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, or just do a Google Scholar search for wildlife health or any specific topic you’re interested in.  If any recent research articles really spark your interest, reach out to the corresponding author (they typically have their email address listed at the beginning of the article).

• If you can afford the membership fees, joining professional groups such as the Association of Wildlife Vets or Wildlife Disease Association can be helpful, and you can search the member databases to see who’s out there.

• Conferences/meetings are always great places to meet people.  Attending the big national/international meetings can be expensive, so if that’s not doable for you right now look into smaller regional wildlife conferences. 
  • For example, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and regional chapters of The Wildlife Society host smaller regional conferences across the country, and often wildlife vets and biologists studying wildlife health/disease will attend these meetings too.
  • It’s true that many conferences are being canceled this year, BUT the silver lining is many of them have opted to host virtual meetings. While you won’t get the same face-to- face interaction, you will save on all the travel costs and this may allow you to attend meetings you wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.

I Found Some Contacts….Now What?!

1.) Reach Out

Once you identify some potential contacts, the key is don’t be afraid to reach out to them!  The worst that happens is you get no response, so you’ve got absolutely nothing to lose. 

• The key is to be respectful of their time and show you are serious/professional. Tell them exactly what about their work interests you, attach a copy of your resume/CV.  Keep the initial email relatively brief. 
• If you get no response after a couple weeks, it’s OK to politely follow-up. If you’re still not getting a response, don’t take it personal and move on. It just means they weren’t the right connection for you, and that’s OK.

2.) Build That Relationship

If it’s not someone based near you, you can still reach out and ask to connect remotely. 

• It can often be helpful if you have a few specific questions you’d like to discuss, rather than proposing just a vague informational phone call.  They will be more inclined to answer you and give you their time if you present specific topics you’d like to discuss and show you’ve already done your homework.

If it’s someone in your geographic area, offering to volunteer with them is a great way to start building a relationship.

• Offer your time to assist with tasks that they probably would love to get done but they don’t have the time to do themselves.  This might include data entry, data analysis, sample processing, organizing, etc.

• The point is to start building that relationship, and if you prove yourself to be committed, capable, and dependable, you may be given opportunities to assist with more “exciting” projects such as field captures and research projects.  You may also be at the top of the list for any internships/job opportunities that come up.  

(Just a side note to be aware of: If you’re not currently a student, there may be labor law restrictions (in the U.S.) for certain for-profit organizations that dictate whether or not you can legally volunteer your time without getting paid. But it never hurts to ask!)

The objection I often hear to this advice is, “But I can’t volunteer, I have bills and need a paying job!”

I’m not saying you need to volunteer full time, 40hrs per week. Offer to do whatever you can. Maybe it’s just a couple hours a week, or a couple days per month, or however you can make it work around your job/school schedule.

The actual number of hours you commit is irrelevant- as long as you make those hours count:

• Show up when you say you’ll be there, stick to the plan (don’t cancel last minute unless an emergency)

• Show up on time

• Give 100% of yourself to whatever job you are doing, even if it’s not something that necessarily excites you. Strive to be the best at whatever task you are doing. Put in that extra effort.

• Show genuine enthusiasm and curiosity. Ask them lots of questions, pick their brain. Listen. Do some research in your spare time to learn more about their work or a specific wildlife topic on your own.

• Remember that this is a 2-way street.  Have a service attitude- if you put in genuine effort to help your mentor, in turn they will help you and your efforts will be rewarded 10-fold. 

Don’t Ask for the Roadmap….Ask How to Navigate

Many students find themselves paralyzed by choices and potential career paths, and they just want to know what the “right” answer is.

Common questions include:

• Should I go to grad school…or vet school? 

• Do I need an advanced degree?

• What’s the best university to go to?

• What job should I apply to?

But there is no “right” answer, and every person’s path will be different.  What proved to be the right path to success for one person is often not the right path for another person.  

This basic fact is equally as exciting as it is frustrating. You have so many options and opportunities ahead of you, figuring out which path is YOUR right path takes time, trial and error, and experience. 

Your mentor’s job is not to give you the right answer, but to help you find your own answer.

But that’s all part of the journey. Choosing a career in wildlife health is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. 

Need Some Support? We’re Here to Help!

You can always consider me a type of mentor as well- I’m here to help you however I can! Don’t be afraid to reach out to me personally via email: michelle@wildlifehealth.org

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out our other wildlife health career guides on the Student Career Guides Page

We’re also getting ready to launch our brand new online community- The Wildlife Health Career Network!

This will be an active, open, supportive & safe community – where members who are interested in pursuing a career in wildlife health can learn from each other, share resources & experiences, and ELEVATE each other toward our common goals.

Details on how to join this community will be sent out via email, so make sure you subscribe to our list! If you haven’t subscribed yet, fill out the form below.