<p>Hi all. I will be graduating this coming Spring with a degree in biology, and I am wondering when I should begin searching and applying for jobs. I know a lot of industries like finance, accounting, and business begin recruiting as early as October, but I am unsure about field biology jobs. With the semester coming to an end in a little over a month, the “real life blues” are starting to creep up on me. </p>
<p>Just a little background about me: This past summer I had a full time internship assisting with a street tree study, and I acquired another internship at a park in early October that is two days per week at 8 hours a day. My first internship was a bit more science-oriented, while this new one is more labor intensive (ie: removing invasive vegetation, planting natives, tree pruning, etc.). Further, I am doing research for a course with two other students under the guidance of our professor, and will hopefully be getting published by the Spring, so that could be a nice little notch in the ol’ resume. I’m still in contact with my supervisor from the summer (may be going back for some data crunching help), so I’ll definitely utilize him for a job search, but I still don’t know where to start really. Getting hired at my current internship is extremely unlikely as I quickly found out that their department is severely under-financed. </p>
<p>It is a harsh reality that I may have to leave New York City in order to pursue a career in field biology, so that is why I have gotten two internships within the Parks Department; I hope to be more appealing to them if there are vacancies in the future. It’s great working for them, too, and has been nothing less than enjoyable. I will move if I need to, but it will be a tough decision since all of my family, friends, and girlfriend are here. I understand many of the positions are seasonal, and I’ve been on USAJobs in the past just to see what’s out there (not much at all!). Any advice on the application process in this field is greatly appreciated. I thank you in advance!</p>