What colour are your career sunglasses?
Quick question: What colour sunglasses are you wearing when you look at your career?
Because we all wear them.
You might be looking through grey lenses:
“There aren’t many jobs.”
“It’s too competitive.”
“I need a master’s degree to stand a chance.”
Or maybe yours are amber:
“I need more volunteering experience before applying.”
“It’s too late to start.”
“Employers aren’t interested in career switchers.”
Or perhaps your glasses are tinted a very sensible, practical brown:
“I should aim for something realistic.”
“I can’t afford to take a risk.”
“I’ll stay where I am until it’s safer.”
I’ve worn most of these at different points in my career. My personal favourites are the “I somehow slipped through” pair and the “I’m not enough” pair. I wore those for years.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these. They’re just lenses.
But you know that moment when you take off your sunglasses and suddenly remember how vivid everything looks without them?
When you forget you’re wearing lenses, you start believing that’s just how the world is.
If your glasses highlight everything that’s broken – funding cuts, politics, low pay – that’s all you’ll see.
If they tell you you’re an impostor, you’ll probably avoid the conversations that could open doors.
If you’re convinced you don’t stand a chance, you won’t apply. And not applying is the only way to absolutely guarantee you won’t get it.
Our lenses don’t just colour what we see. They quietly decide what’s possible for us. And if you’re not aware of them, they’ll run your career for you.
So here’s my challenge for you:
- What “truths” do you hold about working in conservation?
- Which of those are facts… and which are lenses?
- What strategies have you built around those lenses?
- From inside that view, what feels impossible?
If you’re curious what’s possible outside your current view, this is exactly the territory we explore in career coaching. Not just polishing your CVs, but examining the interpretations shaping your decisions.
Explore our 1-on-1 Career Coaching Programmes anytime.
In the meantime… I invite you to take off your sunglasses for a moment – and make sure you’re choosing the lenses you want.
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.