One day I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram and a video stopped me in my tracks. This reel was from a 26-year old with a permanent job, offering some excellent career advice, well beyond his years. I was intrigued, but when I read his bio, saying “Steve Irwin X Tupac,” I was instantly hooked! Landing a permanent job is tough when you are first starting out, so this is an accomplishment in itself. Some of my friends with Master’s degrees didn’t get theirs until their late 20s or early 30s, and here was this young man without an advanced degree in one at 26. But what also struck me was the advice he was giving. A lot of the things are not necessarily hard or complicated, but simply what most people don’t do because it does involve stepping out of your comfort zone. These are the kinds of things that actually get results, and the same kinds of things I tell my students to do, but that most people aren’t willing to do…(cough cough intentional networking)... And of course his style of science communication really captured my attention! With an Instagram bio that read “Steve Irwin X Tupac," I had to learn more. And what better place than the Fancy Scientist podcast? José Juan Rodriguez Gutierrez works on threatened and endangered species in rural Humboldt County, California (he prefers to keep the organization he works for private). His job sounds like a nature lover’s dream: getting to conduct wildlife surveys out in the forest, often setting up camera traps to understand the population dynamics of endangered species like the Humboldt marten. He’s also worked on the California Condor Recovery Program, prairie, stream, and other restoration initiatives, as well as salmon research to name a few. José spends most of his time in the forest and lives in a small town of less than 20,000 people, yet he grew up in Long Beach, California, a big city with millions of people and stores at every corner! I ask José how he was able to land a permanent job at the young age of 26 and his personal path into place that looks so different from how he grew up. We get into practical tips for starting wildlife careers as José shares his unconventional approach to networking, starting with classmates and peers rather than jumping straight to established professionals, the mentors who went beyond their job description to make a real difference for him, and how he kept his career moving during the pandemic by teaching himself GIS when fieldwork wasn't an option. There are also some more unexpected parts of José’s journey, including one of the ways he's passionate about getting conservation messages out: combining his love of hip-hop with the wildlife world. As a kid, he was shy and self-conscious about his accent, never picturing himself in front of a camera or a crowd. But his passion for communicating conservation superseded that, causing him to step out of his comfort zone, pursue a communication degree, practice, and hone his skills. And the results are incredible: He’s grown his Instagram to nearly 20,000 followers since I first came across him and his posts reach hundreds of thousands of people! José opens up about how this wasn’t always easy, and the more uncomfortable parts of building confidence and communication skills, something he had to work on early in his career. His passion for conservation overrode his insecurities, as well as his desire to reach all kinds of communities, especially the ones he is a part of. He’s especially intentional about communicating conservation back to his own community and other underrepresented groups historically excluded from science and nature education. As the child of immigrant parents, he felt isolated growing up, not speaking English at first, and rarely seeing anyone who looked or sounded like him in the wildlife field. Instead of leaving that part of himself behind, he wants Latino kids to see themselves in this work too. He believes they (and you!) belong in nature, even if you have not spent much time in it yet. You’ll see that one way José does this as well as sets himself apart from other wildlife professionals on social media is through blending messages of conservation with hip-hop culture music, lending to his "Steve Irwin X Tupac" tagline on his Instagram bio. When he received a grant from Save the Redwoods League to study California condor reintroduction, he even made one of his three deliverables a hip-hop song about the species. You're going to walk away from this interview inspired, excited, and with a huge smile on your face, because not only is José’s journey inspirational, but he's also super funny, has a diverse range of interests, and is beyond passionate about this field. He provided so many amazing tips, many of which I share with my own students, so make sure you stay tuned to the end, where I break down the most important concepts to take away to give yourself the competitive edge in this field. I’m so inspired by this episode that maybe I’ll add “Elle Woods x Jane Goodall” to my Instagram bio. Specifically, we go over: What José does on a day-to-day basis working on endangered species conservation in a remote landscapeHow José landed a permanent job so young; his tips and and the unconventional, yet simple actions he took that lead him to successHow José went from living in one of the biggest cities in the US to working in a remote field location and what it’s likeHow Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) became his first form of mentorship and helped him navigate applying to collegeWhy communication is so critical in conservation especially to groups historically excluded from the sciences, a necessity and not a luxuryWhy it’s important to include creative messaging and his style of blending hip-hop and conservation, including his record about California condors. Why "Steve Irwin X Tupac" perfectly describes his approach to conservation communicationHis approach to networking, starting with peers before reaching out to more established professionalsThe mentors who shaped his path, including a high school teacher with a Ph.D. who chose to teach in an underserved communityJosé’s unstoppable and “can do” attitude: How he kept his career moving during the pandemic when everything shut down by teaching himself GISHow he honed his communication skills by practicing and speaking by talking to himself in the mirrorHis process for creating the short-form videos that have grown his following like wildfireWhy no job is truly permanent, and how to build a career that can adaptAnd MORE! Jump Links 5:13 Working in wildlife: camera traps, condors, and field life 13:52 The reality of seasonal jobs and low pay in conservation 15:00 Optimism amid a competitive job market 16:39 How José got into wildlife (from TV to career) 17:36 Family, toys, and childhood influences 20:22 Blending hip-hop and conservation 26:22 Curiosity as the core scientific skill 30:47 Landing a permanent job (after 3 tries) 32:27 Internships, mentors, and getting a foot in the door 39:29 Networking tips that actually work 50:51 His social media process and mindset 53:45 Outro and key takeaways Dream of being a wildlife biologist, zoologist, conservation biologist, or ecologist? Ready to turn your love of animals into a thriving career?🌿🐘 Then… 🐾 Get my FREE Weekly Wildlife Wrap-Up where every Friday, I share strategies on how to stand out and get hired in wildlife, conservation, and environmental careers using a framework that's landed my students permanent jobs, internships, and more: https://stephanieschuttler.podia.com/wildlife-wrap-up 📚 Read Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Job-Wildlife-Biology-What/dp/B08JDYXS4G/ I’m Dr. Stephanie Manka (formerly Schuttler), a wildlife biologist of 20 yrs who is on a mission to empower wildlife professionals and break stereotypes of scientists so they can get jobs, live out their life’s purpose, and make a difference in this world. 🎥 How I became a wildlife biologist: https://youtu.be/zBvHRDO7gIg Full show notes: https://stephanieschuttler.com/fancy-scientist-podcast-159-jose-juan-rodriguez/ Let’s connect! 🤝✨ Website: https://fancyscientist.com/ Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gettingajobinwildlifebiology YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FancyScientist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fancy_scientist/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgschuttler/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FancyScientist Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fancy_scientist Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fancyscientist.bsky.social Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fancyscientist/
