A Day in the Life of a Conservation Officer: Helping Kids Pick a Career

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=356&v=7YYHIZN5noM

If you have a little person who is always chiding you for not sorting the recycling properly, loves animals, or have a special love for mystery stories, a career as a Conservation Officer might be a good fit.

I had no idea, but Conservation Officers look after the environment, fishing, and hunting, but also have the same powers as an RCMP officer. They make sure people aren’t hunting animals they shouldn’t or overfishing in a sensitive habitat. Conservation Officers are the ones that come out when a bear has managed to get itself into a schoolyard, or say travel into downtown in a garbage truck (remember that?).

If they’re not based in a city, Conservation Officers will often have to go out in the back country, so a love of the outdoors is key. There are even officers who rate bloodhounds for tracking wildlife that are causing problems – like bears that keep coming back to populated areas.

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To become a Conservation Officer, you need three to four years post-secondary education. Salaries range from $53,000-$66,000 and the employment outlook is good, according to WorkBC.

This post is sponsored by the Government of BC. Map your career plan with Blueprint Builder. Visit this easy-to-use tool to explore career paths, find the right education and funding, and search for jobs in your field. Visit workbc.ca to find out more.

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Erin McGann

Erin McGann is the former Managing Editor for Vancouver Mom and Toronto Mom Now. She drinks just a bit too much coffee, is a bit obsessed about sourcing local food, plays the cello moderately well, spends too much time on Twitter, keeps honeybees on a rooftop, and has a thing for single-malt whisky. Erin is working on a novel set in turn-of-the-century Vancouver, which her husband, son and dog have to hear about all the time, and also blogs at Erin at Large.