“How many of the people you work with actually land the job they want in conservation?”

I’ve been asked this question many times.

And I answer it honestly: very few.

Most end up somewhere they hadn’t considered. In jobs that didn’t exist when we started working together. In projects and businesses they built themselves. In careers that looked nothing like what they described to me in our first session.

And almost all of them are more fulfilled than they imagined possible when we first spoke.

So what’s going on?

You might not find your dream job in Google search results – and that’s perfectly okay.

The job title might not be the point

There’s a quiet assumption built into it.

It assumes the job already exists. That it has a title. That it’s out there waiting – if only you could figure out how to get it.

And for some people, that’s absolutely true. If you can name your dream job and point to it – brilliant. That’s exactly what we’ll help you move towards.

But in my experience, most people who come to coaching don’t arrive with 100% clarity. They arrive with a sense of what they want their work to mean, without yet knowing what form it will take. They want their skills to matter, their values to show up, and their days to feel like something other than endurance.

That’s not a problem. That’s a perfect starting point.

Some people can name their dream job and apply for it. But most people who come to coaching end up somewhere they hadn’t considered – that’s even more fulfilling.

The pattern I keep seeing

Here’s what I’ve noticed, after coaching conservationists around the globe.

They got there by getting clear on what they were really after – and letting that clarity guide their search.

I’ve worked with someone who arrived convinced they needed to retrain and compete with fresh graduates – who instead launched a business.

I’ve worked with a career switcher who planned to move into conservation communications – who ended up creating her own organisation instead.

I’ve worked with a conservationist who planned to change organisations – who instead created an entirely new role where he already was.

None of these were overnight transformations. But there’s a pattern in all of them.

They stopped trying to find the right answer. They started getting honest about the right questions.

Without clarity about what you’re really after, your job search or career change might feel like a maze.

So what is career coaching, really?

It works alongside the practical stuff – the job searching, the CV, the interviews. All of that matters, and we support it.

But at its core, coaching is a process of getting radically clear on what you actually want – beneath the titles, the expectations, the “sensible” options – and creating a career that fulfils the essence of it.

Most people I work with don’t know exactly what that looks like at the start. And that’s exactly where the work begins.

The question underneath the question

When people ask me, “What are the chances I’ll land a conservation job?” – I understand what they’re really asking.

Is this possible for me? Is it worth trying?

And the honest answer is: I don’t know exactly where you’ll end up. Neither of us can know that at the start.

What I do know is this: the people who invest in getting clear – on what they value, who they are, and what they’re truly after – tend to find a way. Not always the way they expected. But a way that feels far more like them than anything they’d planned.

Getting clear on what you’re really after will guide you on your way.

A question for you

Most people spend more time planning a holiday than they do understanding what they actually want from their career. What would change if you gave it even one intentional hour?

Try this. Find somewhere you won’t be interrupted (maybe even a different environment than your usual one), and ask yourself:

• When have you felt most alive in your work – and what was present in those moments?
• What would work that feels like you actually look like?
• What do you want your work to give you, beyond a pay cheque?

There’s no right answer. But sitting honestly with those questions might be the most valuable thing you do for your career this month.

If you’d like support finding your answer – and turning it into a real direction – we’d love to support you. Book a free discovery call here.​

P.S. Many people don’t land the job they thought they wanted. And most of them are glad.

Author Profile | Kristi Foster

Kristi Foster is the Head of Coaching at Conservation Careers and has a Master’s in Conservation Biology. Her own conservation career journey has led her across the globe from East Africa to the Amazon, working with organisations such as Fauna & Flora, the World Agroforestry Centre and Ecotourism Australia. Since joining Conservation Careers in 2019, she has coached over 100 conservationists in career direction and fulfilment, and consulted in job applications, interviews and more. Today a key part of her mission is supporting conservationists to transform who they are and want they do in the world. Learn more.