There aren't many schools (nothing off the top of my head) that offer degrees specifically in herpetology. Most herpetologists I know have degrees in biology, zoology, wildlife, etc.
As for jobs... Here's my $0.02. I graduated with my first degree in biology in 2005. It got me nowhere, so I went back and got another degree in wildlife management in 2008. During the time I was in school, and since I've graduated, I've:
-Worked a dozen different jobs
-Filed taxes in 6 states
-Moved over 20 times
-put 120,000 miles on my car (since 2008)
Unless you go into lab research, almost all the field biologists I know are 'gypsy biologists', moving from job to job (and town to town) with the seasons. If you're lucky, you land 2 field jobs in a year, but most often you're unemployed in the winter and living in your parent's basement (or worse yet, working at walmart!).
If you work hard and make a good name for yourself, you can score some good jobs. If they're there. If there are no herpetology jobs funded, you have to think about what else you're going to do. Like me, last year, I worked with endangered shorebirds. Avian reptiles just aren't the same!
A lot of field biology jobs are funded by the Federal government (US FWS, USFS, USGS, etc.). If there's any sort of shutdown or sequester, forget about getting a job. Using myself again for an example: While I have been unofficially offered my shorebird job again, there's a hiring freeze on all non-essential Federal employees because of the sequester. If this isn't lifted by the time field season starts (mid-April), I won't have a job this summer.
Then you gotta think about the working environment, both physical and social. Most herp jobs don't stop when it's raining. Or cold. You could be spending 15 hours a day in the rain, cold and soaked, trying to keep your equipment dry and working.
Do you like working with small groups of people? Do you really? Because chances are you'll work with the same 3-5 people 7 days a week, 10 or 15 hours a day. If you're lucky, you have your own housing. Otherwise, you're sharing accommodations and living and working with the same people, 24-7.
Unless you have a 'winter job', you better be good at managing money, since you'll make it all in 6 months, and have to make it last all winter when you're not working.
