Interview with: Ms. Lydia Aruleba, Ecologist [ The Churchill Tribune 2012] 1. What does being an ecologist entail?

You become an expert on environmental problems and also advocate or work for protection of the air, water, animals, plants, and other natural resources from pollution or its effects. 2. What are your main responsibilities at work? My job involves testing, monitoring and disposal of any materials considered to be a potential environmental threat. 3. What would a typical day at work look like? Each day at work, I usually analyze and give reports from previous field work that our company has done. Sometimes when theres an emergency such as an oil spill we go out to do field work. 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your job? Both the advantage and disadvantages will usually lie in your working environment. Right now, a major disadvantage is having to wake up, unprepared, in the middle of the night because of an accidental pollution that requires immediate attention. However, I love the satisfaction gained as I help to protect and maintain our planet. 5. What skills and abilities do you think are necessary for someone to succeed in your job? Research skills, the ability to solve problems, the ability to gather and analyze information, and well-developed oral and written communication skills. 6. What do you enjoy the most about being an ecologist? The flexibility of being able to work in all kinds of environments. You find your ideal work environment during field-work experience and through gaining a broad understanding of local, national and global environmental issues. 7. Why did you choose this job? The fact that it prepares me for a variety of other jobs and also gives me an opportunity to give back to the environment. 8. What is the general range of salaries for an ecologist? Between $60,000 to $120,000 a year. 9. What do you do in your first year? Field work, for instance I worked on different types of remediation and sample analysis projects. 10. Is your job stable? There is both stability and prospects for more opportunities because a lot of issues are rising everyday that needs the attentions of ecologists. More people are needed in this profession so there are hardly any layoffs.

11. How much free time do you have? I am always busy at work and always have to work extended hours to finish everything. Im allowed four weeks of vacation per year. 12. Whats the work environment like? The work environment is always busy but it can vary from indoor to outdoor because our reports are always done indoor but all field work is obviously done outdoors. 13. Are there any opportunities for advancements? There are always opportunities for advancement. For example, whenever there is a change in your job or work surroundings, you tend to learn things about your line of work that you never knew before. 14. How easy is it to find a job? There are always job opportunities out there, especially in the northern part of the province but also in almost all other sectors as well. Theres a 50% chance of relocation every time theres a job change but relocation may not be an issue depending on your area of interest. 15. What advice can you offer for people that may be interested in becoming an ecologist? I would say go for it! Not only are you doing something great for the earth, you also reap the reward of all your efforts in the form of greater knowledge and experience.