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The World of Work

Chapter 1

Not Your Typical 9-to-5 Job

Page 13

Not Your Typical 9-to-5 Job

Many people dream of attaining a steady job with normal work hours and a reasonable commute, perhaps in a large cosmopolitan city. Others desire something else.

Here are two people who knew from an early age that they didn’t want a typical 9-to-5 job. With determination and tenacity, they managed to find work in areas that they are passionate about.

Staffan Widstrand

wildlife photographer and nature conservationist

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

As a child, I remember having it all figured out: I was going to be an ice hockey star during winter, a soccer star during summer, and a pop star during spring and autumn.

Later on, I wanted to be an archaeologist, and explorer, and a photographer.

How did you get started in your field of work? I was in love with the natural world from the start. I wanted to know everything about animals. At 13, I became passionate about birds, and I still am. I also became passionate about other places, other countries, other cultures, and other languages.

The horizon, and anything beyond it felt like a promise, not a threat. I started taking pictures at 13, but it took until I was 25 before I started my own company as a photographer.

Before that, I was trained as an army officer and as a metal worker, but after a while I realized that none of that really was my thing. So I became a nature tour guide at 22, taking eco-tourists all around the world − and being paid for it!

I was also a picture editor at a major book publishing company.

What inspires you?

I feel very strongly about a number of things − human rights, indigenous peoples’ very special rights, democracy, freedom, and tolerance. But the issue I have chosen to really go deep into and try to make a difference for, is nature conservation and the survival of our natural heritage.

We must take better care of and respect this ancient heritage of ours, not only for ethical reasons, but also for pure human reasons. We need our natural heritage to lead happy lives, to feel real joy, and to be able to understand ourselves.

What has been your favorite experience in the field?

There have been so many − human experiences, cultural experiences, natural experiences − camping among lions, touching a wild polar bear’s nose, sleeping in the rain forest, and waking up to monkeys.

Shannon Switzer

writer and water conservationist

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

When I was little, I actually wanted to be an animal. I would literally run around on all fours pretending to be a dog, horse, cheetah, dolphin − I morphed into different animals all the time.

By the time I got to middle school and high school, I had moved on to wanting to be a zoo veterinarian or trainer at SeaWorld.

How did you get started in your field of work?

I’ve always loved the outdoors, the mountains and ocean alike, and growing up in San Diego allowed me to explore both of these diverse ecosystems. I got doubled Environmental Studies and Biological Sciences, which gave me ample opportunity to get out in the field.

What inspires you?

The ironic part about my dedication to conserving fresh water is my love for its salty cousin. Don’t get me wrong. I love exploring rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, and I know that fresh water is our most precious and limited resource on Earth. That alone is enough reason to be dedicated to preserving it.

However, the true driving force behind my obsession with keeping fresh water clean is my desire to keep the ocean clean. My belief that we should be able to enjoy spending time in our rivers, lakes, and oceans without worrying about it adversely affecting our health is what motivates me daily.

What has been your favorite experience in the field?

A moment that will always be frozen in time for me occurred when I was photographing whale sharks. I had been following a shark who suddenly disappeared down to depths.

I brought my head up out of the water to determine where the rest of my small team had gone. When I put my head back in the water, I discovered another whale shark directly beneath me.

We swam together for nearly 20 minutes.

Fortunately, he was headed in the direction of my team. Once we had nearly reached them, he paused. He stared at me with his curious round eye and then turned and headed in the direction from where we had just come.

There’s always something surreal about spending time with a wild animal that has chosen to approach and hang out on its own terms. In this case, I felt like I’d made a new friend.