Over-educated and Underfunded
Weird, wacky and wonderful stories and sketches from biologists in the field.
By Vincent DiringerBiology is a fairly broad section of science encompassing everything from the study of cells to cladistics as well as conservation and astronomy. Such a vast multitude of majors also entails a similarly large and varied array of pathways leading towards them. All Paths Lead to Biology is a series by the Broke Biologists delving into the stories of how biologists have arrived to where they are and what drives them. All while she was growing up, Emilie Priou grew up wanting to work with wildlife, “I had two internships in zoos when I was in high-school, so I always kind of knew what I wanted to do,” While the French national was unsure as to where her interests would take her, she was certain that biology would be her calling card in the future, “I remember seeing a documentary teaser for a woman doing a wildlife show in Brazil and I just thought it was a dream job, you get to travel, educate people about nature and provide them information on how to protect it - and you get paid for it! It really was my dream job.” However, Emilie’s scientific journey was about to be confronted by France’s rigid academic structure. The education system in France is such that you must graduate high-school with a specialty out of Science, Socio-Economics, or Literature - and while the choices are scarce, they are also binding. Once you have graduated with a high-school diploma in one specialty, your tertiary options are confined to that track and are very subtly nudged towards France’s four main career lines: medicine and engineering (Science), business (Socio-Economics), and law (Literature). The apparent focus on medicine coaxed Emilie away from the Science track, opting instead for the Socio-Economic specialty, realizing only after graduation that most doors to a biology degree in France had been inadvertently closed by her decision. “They asked us too early for us to choose a specialization, had they asked a year later I’d have chosen the science track - I was stuck.” Facing a complicated tertiary path and still unsure about what she wanted to do, Emilie decided to take a gap year to help sharpen her focus “Don’t be scared of challenges...It's when you’re out of your comfort zone that you learn the most!” This led to the budding biologist accepting a six-month engagement with Sun Bear Outreach that was split between advocacy and communications in France, and field experiences in Indonesia. The time spent working with this rehabilitation and conservation center for sun bears would serve as her first exposure to the Wildlife conservation sector, and one that left a lasting impression, “It was hard work. I was only eighteen at the time and I learned so much and just grew a lot.” From then on Emilie started looking at options to pursue a wildlife or ecology-related degree in France but after finding very little on offer domestically, shifted her focus overseas, eventually being accepted at Liverpool John Moores University. As an undergraduate student, she found herself yearning for more experience in the field and soon chose to pursue internship positions in Malaysia at the Lang Tengah Turtle Watch as well as CorSeaCare in the Mediterranean. The current pandemic meant that the 21-year old had to finish her Bachelor’s back home in France, but also enabled her to start a new project, “Its called Conservation Journey. I wanted to use my experiences to help people who wanted to study in this field and are a bit lost. I want to inspire, inform, and unite - to have a positive impact on people.” Graduating in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Wildlife Conservation, the newly accredited biologist is seeking to pursue a Masters in Environmental Law while working on documentary filmmaking and learning about the wildlife trade. “Don’t be scared of challenges. If there is an opportunity you’re scared of but excited about, then that’s the best opportunity you can take. It's when you’re out of your comfort zone that you learn the most!”
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About the AuthorsThese stories come from several biologists working in the field around the globe. Archives
July 2020
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