________________________________________________________________________________ Skills and Personal Qualities Needed A botanist needs: A logical and enquiring mind. To be able to keep accurate records of research. Good problem-solving skills. Good communication skills to convey technical information to people with little or no scientific knowledge. To work well in a team and on their own initiative. A methodical approach to work. Good computer skills. Leadership skills to work with students, volunteers and junior staff. The ability to motivate people to donate funds or become involved in conservation. Knowledge of a foreign language if intending to work overseas or with plant collections from abroad. Your Long Term Prospects There is no established career structure for conservation and field research workers. Progression usually involves taking on more responsibility for projects and advising or managing others. In universities, botanists may be promoted from researcher to lecturer, then to higher grades such as senior lecturer, principal lecturer, reader, professor or head of department.
Today, we're excited to share our Alumni Spotlight about Megan Cannon (Lake) from the Class of 2009 Digital Arts & Design program. Continue reading to learn more about her! "Penta prepared me for life after graduation by the early introduction to industry technology. This allowed for intuitive knowledge that was invaluable in college and in my professional life. My favorite memory from Penta was when our class had the chance to work with an outside company on their website... in our senior year. I remember being chosen by classmates to work on the flash animations, it was a really fun project. Learning to work creatively with client companies was a really great experience to have before graduation. Right now, I'm a self employed fine artist. I currently work in almost exclusively traditional art media, but I use my digital art skills constantly as part of my creative process and online presence. Getting education in accessible, real-world fields early on is a great way to get a realistic idea of what you do or don't want to do for a living.