@jameson_nagle I think you have made a really valuable contribution to this discussion with your honesty and your willingness to share your struggles. I think there are other people in your position. It’s really tough. And you should take pride in all the iNaturalist observations you’ve added–you’ve posted a ton!
I think you hit the nail on the head–there are more jobs using up the planet than there are jobs protecting and replenishing it. I know a lot talented people who have struggled finding work in natural resources. It’s probably going to take government spending of some kind to create more green jobs.
But please don’t be hopeless about this. There’s plenty of time to make career changes. First and foremost, take care of yourself. I kind of gave up on getting a job in academia earlier this year and honestly it’s been a huge relief. Try and be the best version of yourself, whether you end up in the oil and gas industry or as an ecologist at the nature conservancy.
In terms of jobs, we started a wiki for job opportunities (see link below). Besides ecology/wildlife etc. you might seriously look into is working on forest fire abatement and post fire restoration on the West Coast. There is going to be a ton of public and private sector work this winter cleaning up and replanting after all these fires. There are also a lot of nervous landowners that are going to be willing to pay a lot to mitigate fire risk around their homes. And you’ll be able to get out into really beautiful places! (lots of awesome iNaturalist users and wildlife too ).
I’m rooting for you. Part of what this forum can do, perhaps, is help us iNaturalist folks connect and get through tough times.