How To Become A Conservationist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a conservationist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a conservationist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.72 an hour? That's $49,329 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 1,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreConservationistUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,329

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.8

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.42%

Asian 1.38%

Black or African American 0.44%

Hispanic or Latino 2.07%

Unknown 3.31%

White 91.38%

Gender

female 37.82%

male 62.18%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.0

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a conservationist

Explore conservationist education requirements

Most common conservationist degrees

Bachelor's

48.0 %

High School Diploma

22.9 %

Associate

16.6 %

Start to develop specific conservationist skills

Skills	Percentages
Natural Resources	13.21%
USDA	12.37%
Wildlife Habitat	9.49%
Water Quality	8.82%
Conservation Programs	6.33%

Complete relevant conservationist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New conservationists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a conservationist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real conservationist resumes.

Research conservationist duties and responsibilities

Manage native grass to improve wildlife habitat and reduce woody encroachment.
Create folders for programs such as EQIP, CRP, CSP, and AWEP.
Help with CRP and EQIP contracts and FSA compliance reviews.
Utilize Arcmap to prepare soil and planning maps for CSP applications.

Prepare your conservationist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your conservationist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a conservationist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Conservationist Resume templates

Build a professional Conservationist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Conservationist resume.

Apply for conservationist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a conservationist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do conservationists rate their job?