Could you introduce yourself a little bit?
My name is Paula Jonsson and today I live in Stockholm. I did my bachelor鈥檚 in biology and my Master鈥檚 in Ecology and Sustainable Development at Link枚ping University (2016-2021).
Could you describe your overall experience in the master鈥檚 program of Ecology and Sustainable Development?
It was a great program! The first year I got a deep understanding of the scientific grounds of ecology and did my internship at The Swedish Hunting and Management Association. I was also able to go to Ecuador for three weeks during the class 鈥淐ase studies in conservation and sustainable development鈥�. During the second I did my thesis project about improved estimation of hunting harvest.
Could you tell us about your current job and your main responsibilities?
I work at the County administrative board (L盲nsstyrelsen) in Stockholm where I work with wildlife management. My main duties are management of the great cormorant, wolf, and lynx. This involves monitoring these species, permit reviewing and inform the public about wildlife. It also includes talking about wildlife in media och conferences.
How did your previous education help and support your current job?
For me, it was very important to have a job when I graduated. With the bachelor鈥檚 in biology with focus in ecology my knowledge was very broad. To compete with others, I realized that I needed to create a niche for myself. I always knew that I wanted to work with wildlife and population ecology. That鈥檚 why I took the opportunity to do my internship at The Swedish Hunting and Management Association, and my master thesis with focus on wildlife management and GIS. For me, this was perfect
Which specific skills or knowledge gained from the master鈥檚 program; do you find most applicable in your daily work?
GIS, population ecology, ecological networks and especially how to present results in a simple and informative way.
Have you developed any social networks from your master鈥檚 program? And which types of social networks have been most helpful in your carrier?
Absolutely! Except for my master鈥檚 thesis and my internship, during the summer 2020 I worked at the university together with my supervisor for my master thesis, Tom Lindstr枚m, where I did a study on crop damages caused by wildlife. Both Tom and my supervisor at The Swedish Hunting and Management Association, G枚ran Bergqvist, where I did my internship, were my references when I applied to my current job.
What advice would you give to graduates of this program?
My best advice to give is to make these two years your own. Other than that, all the teachers at the master鈥檚 program are eager for you to do well after the program. If you are an ambitious person and you want to learn and do well after the program is over, the teachers will help you! Also, you will meet great classmates, and a tip is to work closely together and help each other out.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I don鈥檛 think that I can say this enough but that the teachers at the program are excellent!