Possible Careers

[caudatadude28]

I want to work with animals. I know that you cant expect a lot of money...But I would like to make 30K-80K. I just want to know all the options. I know zoo keepers,biologists, but then I go blank. I am looking at being a biologist right now. Just looking for some firsthand or reliable advise and wisdom. Thanks for replies.

 

[Jacquie]

A vet? Wildlife conservation officer? Animal refuge?

 

[Abrahm]

There are quite a few options but most of these jobs tend to be highly desirable, with few open positions. They are highly pursued by very dedicated individuals so it can be difficult to get a foot in the door.

My advice is that you will need to work very hard to get a job working with animals. You'll need to go to college and get good grades. More importantly, when you are in college you will need to do everything you can to make yourself stand out. Take as many internships as you can every summer working with animals. Be diverse and take field, veterinary and zoological positions. During the school year try to work in an animal related setting. Try on campus jobs. They may allow you to maintain their Xenopus or mice colonies.

You are going to have to bust your hump to do what you want. It is not impossible, but you are going to have to really want it. I expect you'll only break into the lower quarter of your expected salary.

 

[slowfoot]

To be a biologist, you can't just like animals, you have to also love science. You're going to spend a lot of time writing papers and grants, performing statistics, reading (and reading, and reading...), teaching, etc. Just liking animals isn't enough.

My advice to anyone considering a career in biology is to work in a lab as an undergraduate. That's how I started out. You'll find out pretty quickly if research is the right thing for you. It can be quite a bit of hard work. Also, consider that for most types of research you'll end up having to sacrifice some of the animals that you love. It can be avoided if you stick to only certain topics, but most people don't think of that before they start studying amphibians.

I will give you my boring life story as an example

When I was an undergraduate, all I wanted to do was be a vet. I knew I wanted to work with animals and I thought that was the only way I could do it. After working for two miserable years on graveyard shifts at an animal hospital, I decided that it definitely wasn't for me.

Fortunately I started working for a lab on campus, maintaining their axolotl colony. I enjoyed it as mindless work. Then I got to help on an experiment looking at Ambystoma genetics. I enjoyed that even more. I decided I wanted to go to grad school and be a 'herpetologist'. Yep, I was young and stupid.

I applied to labs I found interesting and I got into one that was focused on courtship behavior in plethodontid salamanders. I moved to a new state and started my Masters degree. I ended up working on chameleon behavior (rather than salamanders), but what I did still fit in with the major theme of the lab. In two years, I had a Master's degree (and a husband )

The most important thing to keep in mind when applying to graduate schools for the sciences is that you're not looking at a particular school so much, but a particular professor who is working on projects that you find interesting. There's some leeway, but generally you'll have more freedom as a grad student to choose your own projects if you enter a lab in a basic science department (evolutionary biology, botany, zoology) as opposed to a molecular department (micro, cell biology, etc). And don't 'just apply': you've got to contact the professor, talk to him/her, visit the lab, to have the best shot.

Anyway, I really enjoyed grad school. It was a lot of work - you're basically taking classes, teaching, and doing your own research. You're expected to teach right away (unless you're on a research fellowship), even if you have no experience. If you're in a science department, your tuition will usually be covered and you'll be paid a 'stipend': around $16,000 a year. It's enough to live on.

I got my Master's and went on to get a PhD - basically same procedure as before. For a PhD, you're expected to come up with a number of connected projects that you write up for your dissertation. You're expected to publish papers in research journals. You teach. You take classes. You do research. Most programs say they expect you to finish in 5 years, but it will probably take you 6. I worked on lizard behavior, and my dissertation was a mix of field work and lab work.

You should consider your research projects carefully: Do you really want to work with an animal you 'love' when your project might require you to kill a large number of those animals? Even if your actual experiment causes no harm to the animals, many institution guidelines require you to destroy the animals at the end of your study. If you want to do fieldwork, how hard is it to find and work with your creature? It's something to think about.

Right now, I'm working as a postdoctoral fellow. I make about $30,000 a year and I'm 32 years old. It will be at least another year before either I or my husband can apply for a faculty position. That's another thing to consider about going into biology: you will be 'poor' for a good long time. You will also have to move to where the jobs are - it's not something you can just do anywhere. If you're interested in a research position, you'll also have to fight for grant money constantly. You must always be publishing. You really, really have to love the science.

Anyway, I don't mean to seem down on it - I love biology! But just consider the time and effort needed in the field. If you have any questions about anything, I'd be happy to answer them.

 

[Kaysie]

Erin, your post is a great post. I think that basically covers what 99% of people go through. Seasonal, grunt labor, busting your butt to get ahead, and still being poor.

Just to throw in my $0.02. I work at a National Wildlife Refuge. I haven't worked with animals in weeks. Sometimes I do surveys, but a lot of my work is paperwork, or odd tasks that the other biologists don't have time for. I've had to write reports for the program I headed up earlier this summer, and that took weeks. Lately, I've been making educational posters and powerpoint presentations, some about the program I headed up, and some about what biologists do. These will be used for educational outreach in our visitors center and elsewhere.

Remember, AJ, it's not about how much money you make, but about how happy you are at your job. If you want to make a lot of money, you're in the wrong field. Quit looking at the dollar signs.

The best advice I can give you is exactly what Abrahm said: experience. Volunteer! Do the cruddy jobs! Join organizations! Volunteer some more! It's a LOT of hard work to get into biology. There are very few jobs. I've been searching for a job to line up after this one for 4 months, and there's nothing. Especially in the winter. So I will probably have to go back to Michigan and volunteer somewhere doing some job that's really not fun. But it's experience.

 

[Otterwoman]

HI Erin,
That was a really great post. Thanks for taking the time to write up your experiences and put them out there.

So if you really like to "work" with animals, perhaps a good option is to find a "Clark Kent job" (I just learned that term) that pays enough to allow you the free time to pursue any interests you want, animals or otherwise.
That's what ended up being my lot, and I love the freedom.
You can always volunteer in an animal shelter or other place in your free time. Then you can pick what you do and learn, and you can learn plenty on your own. You can concentrate on whatever interests you, and not get bogged down in gruntwork or things you wouldn't want to do (say, that involved experimentation that would sadden you). Another thing you can do is become a wildlife rehabilitator, which involves finding another one to "apprentice" with and then also taking a test and becoming licensed to do that (at least that's how it works in New York state, I read the materials that prepares one to take the exam). [Note: that's a volunteer thing, you don't get paid for that, and in fact, you might end up having to spend a bit of your own money on it, though you can also get donations]. Sometimes being in a field takes the joy out of it, and being a dilettante is more fun.

 

[Kaysie]

I'll chime in here again.

Sometimes being in a field takes the joy out of it

You have no idea. I was telling GreatWteHunter that when I came down to see him, that's the first time I had been herping for fun in 6 months. Seriously. When I do it for work, it sucks.

I can survey the same site for 3 days in a row, and not find anything. But I have to continue to survey in the same spot, as that's part of the protocol. And I hate it. It's so frustrating to not find ANYTHING, let alone the species you're looking for. When you do it for work, it can be a total drag. And it makes you not want to do it for fun.

I don't know how it is for other people, but I like a job that's not doing the same thing, over and over and over and over. I like a lot of variety. And here, I get a lot of variety. I've surveyed for salamanders and dragonflies. I've trapped for flying squirrels and snowshoe hare. I've collected berries and cones. I did some 'bricks and mortar' projects. I led a crew of teens for 8 weeks, trying to impart on them every piece of biological information I knew. I've talked to the public; I've taken pictures.

And no job's going to be 'perfect'. No matter how much you love your job, you'll have days that just plain suck.

When you get to college, take a variety of classes. Do a variety of volunteer projects. You may say now that you want to go into field biology, but it may be that you really like lab work better. I originally studied microbiology, but then realized I really hated being inside all day.

 

[freves]

This is a good thread. I'll throw in my own experiences now. I graduated with a BS in biology in 1995. I was not really sure what I wanted to do when I grew up, and as a matter of fact I am still not. I thought about zoo work. I volunteered at a local zoo for about a year and sent out a few resumes. Like it has already been mentioned I figured out that I basically was going to have to wait for someone to either die or retire so that I could get a job that would qualify me for food stamps.

Petstore work was out. I managed a small, local place for a few years while in college and that was enough to make me realize that I wanted to go into a different direction. I ended up taking a grunt job in a dialysis center for a few years in order to pay off a few college bills. At that point I realized that no matter what I wanted to do I was going to have to go back to school. I seriously considered graduate work in herpetology. My two biggest issues were my grades (I partied a bit too much at times while getting my BS) and my drive (I was not sure if I wanted to spend all of that money and time just so I could still be poor). I even applied to and was accepted at VA Tech for special student status, meaning that I could take classes without being in the actual program, with that credit being counted if I ever decided to properly enter the graduate program. Then I got the bill for those two classes. I had also been considering nursing and quickly realized that I could pay for almost an entire two year nursing program (at a community college) with what it would cost me for a few grad classes at VA Tech. So needless to say I became a nurse.

Now I have that "Clark Kent" job (love that analogy Dawn!). I actually have a pretty good job compared to many people. I am a shift manager on a behavioral health unit. I am responsible for lots of paperwork and rarely have to do much "grunt work" often associated with nursing. I make a decent salary that allows me to pursue my other interests as well as enjoy a few amenities in life like going out to eat once a week or so and having HBO. Some days I absolutely hate my job but usually I am indifferent to it. I certainly am not passionate about it.

So, to reiterate what has already been said, make good grades, do lots of volunteer work, and be prepared to not have lot's of money if you decide on pursuing an animal related career. If that is what you truly want however then you will be happy in the end, and at the risk of sounding too cliche you cannot put a price tag on happiness.
Chip

 

[mangomoose]

i really want a job in herpoteogy, but i dont know what it takes to be one or what you do when you are one, except the obivious. i really need the job info!