She’s Seeking Work of a Different Nature

Kathleen Copus has been grappling with “grass is greener syndrome.” After 10 years in nonprofit administration, Copus is convinced that her work life would be markedly better if she jumped the fence to a corporate job.

“I’ve done the museum, nonprofit world,” said the 31-year-old Los Angeles resident. “Though I’ve enjoyed parts of it, I got burned out. The lack of resources, the need to stay very late, the lower salaries--these were all frustrations for me. Now I want to be on the other side.”

From 1990 until last year, Copus worked in a variety of administrative roles at such organizations as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Bay Area Book Council.

A few months ago, she left her job at the Natural History Museum to travel and mull over her next career move. She’s now doing temporary work and going on a number of informational interviews, but she hasn’t found a good fit and isn’t sure of her next step.

For help, Copus consulted New York City-based career counselor Renee Rosenberg, who told her to take a closer look at corporate culture.

“I have news for you,” Rosenberg said. “In the profit world, it’s the same thing. It’s politically charged, there [are] long hours and all the rest too.” Rosenberg encouraged Copus not to rule out nonprofit employment. She should focus instead on finding the type of work she might enjoy.

To help Copus get started, Rosenberg had her describe seven events in her life that gave her a sense of accomplishment. Among these, Copus listed leading nature hikes, conducting a historical walking tour of Annapolis, Md., and building a Web site for a friend.

Rosenberg also had Copus take a highly detailed personal evaluation test at https://www.careervectors.com. After nearly seven hours of testing, research, and analysis, Copus gained considerable direction. She was able to list 32 specific job titles that interested her, including wildlife adventure tour manager, park naturalist and botanical garden educational coordinator. She told Rosenberg that she intended to do additional research on the positions she found most exciting.

Next, Rosenberg asked Copus to explore the Reilly Guide (https://www.dbm.com/jobguide), a comprehensive career resource site. The counselor also advised Copus that once she has selected a single vocational target, she must overhaul her resume.

Copus’ current functional resume, which first lists her generic skills, followed by her employment positions, is not an effective tool, said Rosenberg, who explained that hirers tend to view functional resumes with suspicion.

“They think you’re trying to hide something,” she said.

Here is additional advice that Rosenberg and other experts offered Copus:

* Consider nature education. Opportunities abound in this field, with U.S. national parks alone supporting more than 300,000 jobs. Various environmental organizations seek nature interpreters, visitor center guides and tour program managers to staff their sites.

These positions are often good transition jobs for people such as Copus with liberal arts backgrounds, experts say. A love of nature and a desire to teach are more important than an extensive knowledge of science, which can be gained over time, said Marvin Ronning, director of planning for Save the Bay in Providence, R.I.

Becoming a nature teacher for young children might be a way for Copus to break into environmental education without having to complete courses in biology, natural science or environmental science, said Ree Brennin, senior interpreter at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“But the higher level you teach, the more education you’ll need,” Brennin said.

Copus also may wish to contact the Nature Conservancy in Arlington, Va., which will be hiring 40 conservation project directors to develop strategies for habitat conservation at its branch offices, said Paquita Bath, the conservancy’s director of staff development and recruitment. Copus’ fund-raising background would prove helpful for this job, as would her critical-thinking skills.

* Investigate ecotourism administration. Ecotourism, a $335-billion worldwide industry, is considered the fastest-growing sector of tourism, as travelers are becoming more concerned about preserving the delicate ecosystems of such destinations as Costa Rica, the Amazon, Kenya and even Antarctica.

Should Copus wish to enter this field, she can contact such organizations as Conservation International in Washington; Earthwatch Institute in Maynard, Mass.; and the Ecotourism Society in Seattle, about entry-level desk-job opportunities, said Mark Spalding, a lecturer on international environmental policy and law at UC San Diego.

To gain educational credentials that might allow her to assume an ecotourism-related managerial position, Copus could enroll in online courses, such as Humboldt State’s one-year ecotourism certificate program (https://www.humboldt.edu/~extended/special/ecotourism.html) or the University of Denver’s master’s and certificate courses in environmental policy and management (https://www.du.edu/ucol/disted.html).

If Copus wishes to lead ecotours, she’d be wise to take advanced courses in plant ecology, rain-forest ecology, marine biology or other subjects that may be relevant to the locales she intends to visit, said Emily Young, assistant professor of geography and regional development at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

She also should familiarize herself with the areas’ culture, flora and fauna by taking extended personal trips to those destinations, suggested Gary Cotter, a program director for Baja Expeditions in San Diego.

* Get technological experience. Copus says she’s interested in educational television programming and Web site development, but she’ll need to do a great deal of preparation to gain entry into these fields.

Entry-level television production jobs (gofers and runners) are limited and competition for them is fierce, despite their poor pay, stressful conditions and notorious hours--$300 to $500 per week for 10-to-15-hour days, including weekends, said 14-time Emmy-winning producer Arnold Shapiro, who teaches a UCLA Extension seminar titled “Making the Perfect Pitch: A Guide to Selling in Hollywood.”

“This is an overcrowded field and not something you can do part-time as an avocation,” he warned.

One way Copus might make a transition into the field and avoid “gofer hell” is to consider accepting a public television fund-raising position, which would use skills she’s already developed, suggested Barry Cronin, vice president for content development at JuniorNet in Boston.

Barbara Goen, a senior vice president at KCET, Los Angeles’ public television station, agreed. “Someone with a nonprofit fund-raising background is very attractive to us because they understand our needs.” She adds that because KCET is a small organization, employees are given the chance to move between departments should they wish to explore other television-related careers.

Finally, Copus may be able to combine all her interests--nature, educating and media--as a Web site assistant at an environment-oriented organization. A basic knowledge of HTML, Internet savvy and administrative know-how are required for this job, said Francesca Molinari, vice president of human resources at Central Park Conservancy in New York, who’s currently interviewing applicants for such a position.

Copus’ next step will be to further investigate these diverse options. She’s got 32 job titles to explore. And while she narrows her list, she might think about sampling the roles by doing volunteer work, suggested Becky Champion of the Georgia Conservancy in Columbus, Ga.

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Time for a Change

* Name: Kathleen Copus

* Occupation: Administrator for nonprofit group

* Desired occupation: Employment in for-profit sector

* Quote: “I am drawn to the nonprofit world for its heart and vision

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Counselor’s Recommendations

* Reconsider the nonprofit world.

* Consider jobs that will allow her to express her passions: nature, educating others, public service.

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Meet the Coach

Renee Rosenberg has been a private career consultant for 15 years. She also serves as the alternative-careers liaison for the United Federation of Teachers’ Peer Intervention Program in New York City.