Ask for a Viable Career in Environmental Education

I have been wondering…

Are the skills that make you an effective environmental educator working against you when it comes to advocating for the professional and economic value you bring to a project?

Funding in environmental education (EE) typically revolves around grants, donations, and event fees. Leadership positions can take the form of seasonal, part-time, or low-paying roles. Often, leadership takes the form of a dedicated volunteer. In this, the signal I hear is a call to be generous with your knowledge and time.

To apply one's EE experience outside of the field requires a different kind of thinking. The freelance and consulting worlds operate differently. Freelancers can't work for free and can't get by charging a few dollars per person for their services. It's tempting to follow the familiar path of doing what nonprofits typically do and producing traditional EE deliverables.

You can't do this. You need to pay for your own insurance policies, manage your own healthcare, cover monthly expenses, and save a little something of your income each month.

To work with partners outside the field or to apply your experience in an entirely different sector, I am hearing two things that need to happen. The first is a shift in thinking. I hear a need to shift from "I do nature programs" to "I design systems."

The second shift is a shift away from accepting what's offered to you (e.g., the entry-level pay of an advertised pay range) to asking for what you need. By accepting less, people (especially women) unknowingly put into motion a chain of events that impact their professional growth and financial stability.

What are your thoughts?

Learn more about the book Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide. You can find this book wherever you shop for books. You can also find it at TALATERRA’s storefront at Bookshop.org.