The Wilds

Restoration Ecology Apprentice

May - August 2018 • Cumberland, OH

What I liked

I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with the Restoration Ecology staff. They taught me so much that can be applied outside of a classroom experience, and for that I am so grateful. This internship changed my perspective on job opportunities and future career goals. It was absolutely amazing.

What I wish was different

This may be a seemingly trivial thing, but I do wish I got paid. Renting a room and utilities in the cabin was quite expensive. Overall, though, that is the only thing I wish had been different. Otherwise, the entire experience was memorable. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Advice

It is important to always reach out and ask for help. There are experienced people in the field that are there for a reason! They are there to help you when you're stuck with research questions, personal things, etc. Never hesitate to reach out to your supervisor or anyone else you're working with to ask for assistance.

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Restoration Ecology Apprentice

May - August 2018 • Cumberland, OH

What I liked

This internship was an amazing learning opportunity, because I got to design and complete a research project. I learned many different survey methodologies, increased my network, and even wrote a formal research paper and presented a poster for my research. Not to mention, The Wilds is an extremely cool place to work.

What I wish was different

While I am interested in plants, plants are not my main interest when it comes to ecology. I was able to work around this by integrating wildlife into my research, but I do wish my internship could have focused more on wildlife.

Advice

Your internship is 100% what you make of it. When I was interested in something the wildlife interns were doing, I would ask their supervisor if I could tag along as well, if I had time outside of my duties as a restoration intern. That way, even though my base internship wasn't /exactly/ what I want to do for my career, I was still learning things that will help me in the future. If you're interested in a slightly different aspect of the work your company is doing, don't be afraid to ask if you can do some of that work/attend those events/trainings.

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