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How to pursue
a career in zoology:
The following is
a description of what you'll need to know to pursue a career in
zoology. These ideas are my opinions, and they may not necessarily
work for you, but they should serve as a general guideline to pursuing
your own career in zoology. Remember, there are many pathways you
can take to achieve your goal in becoming a zoologist; just make
sure that every decision you make along the way points towards your
ultimate goal. If you don't see an answer here that you're looking
for, I've provided a number of other resources (books and internet
links) that will also be informative. You can also email me with
your questions. Best of luck to you!
Recommendations
based on my experiences:
Education:
A job in the field
of zoology will require at least a Bachelor of Science in biology
or a related field like wildlife biology or zoology. A Bachelor's
degree takes about 130 credit hours, or 4-5 years of school at a
university or college. With a Bachelor's degree, you can get a job
as a field or lab technician, where you'll be responsible for anything
from animal care to habitat management to data collection. If you
want to conduct your own research, you'll need to have at least
a Master of Science degree or a Ph.D. in biology or a related science.
With these graduate degrees, you'll carry out or conduct your own
research. You'll be responsible for leading others who are helping
with the research, and responsible for analyzing, interpreting,
and writing reports about the collected research data. A Master's
degree takes 2-3 years of additional schooling, and a written thesis.
A Ph.D. requires 4-6 addtional years of schooling, including a written
dissertation.
What kind of classes
does a zoology major have to take? What classes did you take in
school?
Classes for a zoologist
will range from molecular biology to organic chemistry to physics,
and lots in between. Specialty classes depend on a variety of your
personality traits. I was interested in population biology and ecology
of reptiles and amphibians, so I took classes like ecology, herpetology,
evolutionary ecology, and zoogeography.
Biology, however,
is THE most important class you'll take in working towards your
degree in zoology. If fact, most zoologists actually major in biology
and specialize in a certain area within zoology during graduate
school. So believe me, you'll be taking not one, but LOTS of biology
classes! Some are hard, and some seem like they have nothing to
do with what you are interested in, but believe me, EVERY ONE of
them will benefit your abilities as a zoologist some day. It never
ceases to amaze me how some of the classes that I thought would
never benefit me as a zoologist actually have.
Get a jumpstart
on your zoology education with these
academic books
What school to choose:
I get asked a lot about
which school(s) a person who is interested in pursuing a zoology
career should attend. There is no simple answer to this question.
It will depend somewhat on where you live and how much you plan
to spend for your education. The only requirement that I recommend
you have for your prospective university or college is that they
offer a Bachelor of Science in biology. Almost all of them do. When
I was in school, some colleges offered a B.S. in zoology or wildlife
biology, but these programs are, in most cases, being phased out
with a standard biology program. So just look for a school that
has a strong biology program and make sure it has other requirements
that you may personally need (like proximity to your home town or
tuition costs).
How do I choose a good
graduate school?
Although it really
doesn't matter a whole lot where you get your undergraduate degree,
the opposite is true when pursuing your Master's or Ph.D. Be sure
to research the university departments you are interested in, and
make sure that there is a professor there that specializes in the
type of research you want to do in your own career. For example,
if you are interested in herpetology, be sure to find a department
that has a herpetologist on staff. Also, make sure that (s)he is
doing research that you are really interested in - this person will
be your thesis advisor if you decide to go there. Therefore, when
selecting a university, be sure to contact your potential advisor
and ask questions about their research, and about what your potential
thesis topics could be if you decide to work under him or her. While
in graduate school, be sure to attend professional conferences -
that's where you'll meet other people and find work opportunities.
Where to find a program
in biology at a university or college:
Here's a really good
source for finding colleges and universities by major:
http://www.petersons.com/
This is the Peterson
Guide website. They also publish an annual with listings...you should
be able to find it in the reference section of any large library.
Try searching for a college with a biology program (there's tons
of them out there), and then try narrowing your search to zoology
or wildlife biology. It's also a great resource for locating a graduate
program.
Salary info:
Just like any job,
t he pay for a zoologist generally increases with each additional
degree, and with the amount of experience you have. Check out the
U.S. Office of Personal Management's website to see approximately
how much a zoologist can earn with different amounts of education
and experience. Here's the site address:
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/
Click the "Search
Jobs" button. In the keyword box, type "wildlife."
Select area, then scroll down and click the "Search for Jobs"
button. You will see a list of current job openings that include
salaries in the job descriptions. Notice that the more education
and experience you have, the higher salary you can command. Also
notice that you may have to travel far away in order to do interesting
work. I moved from northern Illinois to southern Mississippi to
take a job once. Also notice in the job descriptions what kind of
experience you'll need, as far as college classes and work experience
goes.
Jobs a zoologist
can do:
There's many different
jobs that a zoologist can do, from being a lab technician, to a
veterinarian, to being an animal caretaker/trainer/breeder, to being
a wildlife biologist. Each job requires different experience, training,
and each has different tasks specific to a job.
Check
here for books
that provide descriptions of the range of careers available to zoologists
Job
specifics:
On a daily basis what
tasks, responsibilities and pressures does a person in this career
face?
I spend about 50% of
the time in the field collecting data, and about 50% of the time
in the office analyzing the data and writing reports. The field
data collection period is usually timed to correspond with the active
period of the animal under study.
As with every job, there
are goals that are typically tied to financial constraints. Our
job is to get as much research out of the budget as possible. That
means carefully planning the research project, and making sure that
data is carefully collected, analyzed, and interpreted in a timely
manner.
I study populations
of endangered vertebrates, which is kind of specific. When in the
field, I record data on the habitat of the animals, I capture and
mark animals so I can estimate the population size, I record data
from each animal (including age, sex, and body measurements) so
I can assess the structure/health of the population, and I record
certain behaviors of the animals (whatever is pertinent to the question
being asked in the study). In the lab, I process any data taken
from the field, which is primarily done on the computer. A lot of
'number-crunching'. When I've detected patterns in the data, I interpret
them in a written report, which is ALWAYS the goal of research:
to generate a report of the findings.
What will the job of
a zoologist be like in the future? What is the outlook of this career?
As more habitat is lost
every year, zoologists will become more and more like conservationists.
Necessary personality
traits:
Intelligent, creative,
a love for nature and the outdoors/wildlife. The ability to be able
to work in extreme conditions of weather, be able to work in harsh
environments, the ability to 'connect' with nature.
Most and least enjoyable
aspects:
The best part about
being a zoologist is that you're doing something that you really
love to do. That makes job stress virtually non-existant. Disadvantages
include low entry salary, limited advancement of salary, and the
possibility that you may have to move a long distance to take a
job. In addition, be prepared to get at least a little depressed
when you learn how much we, as humans, have altered this planet
and caused the extinction, or near extinction, of many animals.
Probably the worst part of my job is conducting work in an area
that has been totally degraded by human impacts to the point where
it is uninhabitable by native animals.
How did you get started?
I started down this
path because I knew that I would be happy studying animals. So I
entered college as a zoology major. From talking with my counselor,
reading, and taking a variety of classes, I discovered what my strengths,
weaknesses, and interests were in the field of zoology, and tailored
my career around that.
With one of your specialities
being in reptiles, have you ever worked, actually touching, an alligator
or crocodile? What interests you most about reptiles?
Yes, I have handled
alligators, but they were small ones (2-3ft in length). They are
incredibly powerful animals, even at that size. I love reptiles
because they are so different, primitive-looking, and beautiful.
Do you handle rattlesnakes
often?
I have handled rattlesnakes
several times, most often with a pair of snake tongs, a metal tool
3-4ft in length which has a 'gripper' at one end. A friend of mine
was doing rattlesnake research in southern Mississippi, where I
was conducting research on gopher tortoises. I caught several rattlesnakes
for him (eastern diamondback rattlesnakes)....this is how I would
do it: I carried with me a large nylon bag, about 3 times the size
of a pillow case, and my snake tongs. Whenever I found a rattlesnake,
I would lay the nylon snake bag on the ground with the opening towards
the top, and the bottom of the bag on the ground surface. I would
then carefully pick the snake up with the tongs, being careful not
to squeeze too hard, but firmly enough that it couldn't escape,
and then gently lay the snake on the bag. Then I would release the
grip on the snake, grab the edge of the nylon bag with the tongs,
and pull up, so the bag would slide up around the snake. I'd lift
the bag all the way up so the snake was in the bottom of the bag,
then lay the bag down, stretched out. Then I'd lay the tongs across
the bag, and slide it down towards the snake. The snake would then
be trapped in the bag. While the tongs blocked the snake in the
bottom end of the bag, I'd twist the top end of the bag and tie
it into a knot. The snake could then be safely carried, as long
as I held the bag at a distance from my body. Please DO NOT attempt
to do this on your own! I have spent years studying the behavior
of snakes, and I would not recommend that anyone does this unless
they are very experienced in snake biology and behavior.
What projects are you
currently working on?
The company I currently
work for specializes in providing environmental consultation to
clients who are interested in developing an area, but are required
by law to protect the environment at the same time. I'm currently
working on a project near Bel Air Estates in Los Angeles where I'm
collecting data regarding red-tailed hawk nesting success. I'm also
working on a number of other projects, including burrowing owl,
coast horned lizard, and bird nest surveys throughout southern California.
Over the past several
years, my research interests have also taken me into archaeology,
where I work as a zooarchaeologist. As a zooarchaeologist, I identify,
analyze, and report on animal bones recovered from archaeological
sites, making my interpretations about the humans who lived at the
site from the perspective of their use of animals.
I'm also currently
working on several manuscripts from previous studies I've conducted.
I've submitted a number of manuscripts to scientific journals; some
have been accepted for publication, whereas others are still in
the peer-review process.
Be sure to check
out books
about techniques used by professional zoologists
Websites
of interest:
http://www.ecojobs.com/
http://www.eco.org/
http://environmental-jobs.com/
http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/
http://www.seaworld.org/careers/careerinfo.html
http://www.jobsabroad.com/listings.cfm?fkinterntype=103
http://www.cas.okstate.edu/career/what_to_do/zoology.html
http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/depts/zoology/schools/jobs.html
http://www.sfzoo.org/about/keeper.htm
http://careers.ns.utexas.edu/Student/Career%20Options/Zoology.htm
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/carct/veterinary.html
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/zoology/careers.mhtml
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/carct/zoology.html
http://www.fonz.org/getinv/careers.htm
http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/academic/factsheets/sci_math/zoology.shtml
http://departments.weber.edu/zoology/Careers.htm
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/millerharley/careers.mhtml
http://www.student-manual.com/study/subjects/zoolog/zoocareers.htm
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/zoology/careers.htm
http://www.byu.edu/ccc/advising/career_book/bioagric/zool.htm
http://www.paulsmiths.edu/academic/environ/engines/fish.html
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