I Want To Be A Wildlife Biologist I Always Wanted To But I Dont Know What To Start Ou
02-08-2011, 12:04 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1
I Want To Be A Wildlife Biologist I Always Wanted To But I Dont Know What To Start Ou
should im going minor in behavior and do a major in wild life managment idk what to start out in please go to the website and see whats the best thing to start out in i have no clue
02-08-2011, 07:24 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 650
I have a B.S. in Zoology with specialization in wildlife management from Southern Illinois University. When I picked this major I was hoping to get a job with a state agency or a university as a wildlife researcher. Now, I am a team leader in a factory that builds seats for Toyota vehicles.
I picked a major that I thought would get me a job I'd love doing. It's a great plan, but when the admission people helped me set my courses they didn't suggest that I look into the job market ahead of time. I really wish I would have given it a bit more consideration. I found out that without a master's degree it's hard to find a job, at least in this and surrounding states. If I was willing to move *far* away from home and my family, jobs are easier to find. Look around and talk to some people that do what you're wanting to do. They should be able to tell you what you need to do to get yourself going in the right direction. Make sure you have a plan ahead of time and not just a general dream like I did. I haven't given up yet. I will use my education someday...
Best of luck to you. It's a very exciting and interesting area of study.
rw
I picked a major that I thought would get me a job I'd love doing. It's a great plan, but when the admission people helped me set my courses they didn't suggest that I look into the job market ahead of time. I really wish I would have given it a bit more consideration. I found out that without a master's degree it's hard to find a job, at least in this and surrounding states. If I was willing to move *far* away from home and my family, jobs are easier to find. Look around and talk to some people that do what you're wanting to do. They should be able to tell you what you need to do to get yourself going in the right direction. Make sure you have a plan ahead of time and not just a general dream like I did. I haven't given up yet. I will use my education someday...
Best of luck to you. It's a very exciting and interesting area of study.
rw
02-09-2011, 09:03 AM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
Your thread title said "Biology." Biology is a pretty specific major. My son is a biology major at Texas A&M University. They'll spell out a program of in-major classes you must take and even a program of core curriculum courses (outside of your major) you'll need to take -- English, US government, etc. Worry about these more or less determined courses first. In the biology field you will be taking a log of chemistry. My son has had to take 5 chemistry courses so far and there is at least one more coming. Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Organic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II, Biochemistry I, Biochemistry II, maybe more. Also, courses in genetics. These are hard science (versus "soft" science) courses. I would be suspicious of a biology degree that did not have a backbone of such "hard" science courses. Check the accreditation of your university.
My opinion is that a young person should choose a major that will provide them with a broad background. A Biology degree, for example, ought to do that. It should provide a broad background in chemistry, biology concepts, and focused classes on some of these broad biology concepts (like the class on genetics identified above). If instead the degree is too narrow and focused on a specific aspect of a field -- wildlife management -- you don't have much flexibility when you graduate. Also, it seems to me there is danger that you won't get the comprehensive background that would support building detailed knowledge later, for example in a graduate program. Getting a degree in a major that provides a broad background provides a lot of flexibility.
The part of the human brain that is involved in making long term strategic decisions is not mature and wired up at the age of 18. Further, even if mature, a young person does not have the appropriate set of assumptions to feed into the strategic decision making mill to spit out sound long term career decisions. To avoid picking on you, let me share with you some of my son's assumptions, in the state they were in before he recently turned 21. My son says he isn't going to have children. I'm not sure, he may even have said he isn't going to get married. He likes girls, but so far hasn't exhibited a lot of skill in dating them or persuading them to go on dates with him. He wants to be out in nature and observing animals and such. I suggest that maybe he is going to get married, maybe he is going to have children, and maybe he is going to want to live in a community that has good schools so his kids can get an education as good as he had and maybe be close to top quality medical facilities, and that maybe this will have an influence on his career choices. When I say this he looks at me as if I'm from Pluto or as if I'm not following the rules of the game. I think this is good proof of my theory that 18 years olds, 19 year olds, 20 year olds, and even 21 year olds are singularly unfit to make life-long choices of career.
Given this theory, it is desirable that young people study something that is somewhat flexible and allows for some variation from the original plan. There are lots of ways to apply a biology degree that is general rather than focused tightly on wildlife management. For example, you could be a high school biology teacher. For example, you could become a patent attorney (go to law school) or a patent agent (no law school) and write chemical patent applications using your vast chemical knowledge. Probably can't do that with a wildlife management degree. So . . . get a solid major in a field that gives you broadbased knowledge that supports changing your mind later as your goals and criteria change.
That's just my two cents. You don't have to take my advice.
My opinion is that a young person should choose a major that will provide them with a broad background. A Biology degree, for example, ought to do that. It should provide a broad background in chemistry, biology concepts, and focused classes on some of these broad biology concepts (like the class on genetics identified above). If instead the degree is too narrow and focused on a specific aspect of a field -- wildlife management -- you don't have much flexibility when you graduate. Also, it seems to me there is danger that you won't get the comprehensive background that would support building detailed knowledge later, for example in a graduate program. Getting a degree in a major that provides a broad background provides a lot of flexibility.
The part of the human brain that is involved in making long term strategic decisions is not mature and wired up at the age of 18. Further, even if mature, a young person does not have the appropriate set of assumptions to feed into the strategic decision making mill to spit out sound long term career decisions. To avoid picking on you, let me share with you some of my son's assumptions, in the state they were in before he recently turned 21. My son says he isn't going to have children. I'm not sure, he may even have said he isn't going to get married. He likes girls, but so far hasn't exhibited a lot of skill in dating them or persuading them to go on dates with him. He wants to be out in nature and observing animals and such. I suggest that maybe he is going to get married, maybe he is going to have children, and maybe he is going to want to live in a community that has good schools so his kids can get an education as good as he had and maybe be close to top quality medical facilities, and that maybe this will have an influence on his career choices. When I say this he looks at me as if I'm from Pluto or as if I'm not following the rules of the game. I think this is good proof of my theory that 18 years olds, 19 year olds, 20 year olds, and even 21 year olds are singularly unfit to make life-long choices of career.
Given this theory, it is desirable that young people study something that is somewhat flexible and allows for some variation from the original plan. There are lots of ways to apply a biology degree that is general rather than focused tightly on wildlife management. For example, you could be a high school biology teacher. For example, you could become a patent attorney (go to law school) or a patent agent (no law school) and write chemical patent applications using your vast chemical knowledge. Probably can't do that with a wildlife management degree. So . . . get a solid major in a field that gives you broadbased knowledge that supports changing your mind later as your goals and criteria change.
That's just my two cents. You don't have to take my advice.
Last edited by Alsatian; 02-09-2011 at 09:13 AM.
02-09-2011, 01:08 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Waipahu HI USA
Posts: 2,915
If you want to work as a wildlife biologist, get field experience. See if your state DNR has an intership program. I got my first work as a biologist working for the state of SC in Rockhill through an internship program they had with Auburn University. I seined ponds, ran & washed boats, cut kudzu, and jumped over a pile of snakes.
Most land grant colleges have projects that involve field work, and are often paired up with enviromental contractors. In college, I used to trap & sort aquatic insects to track impacts on freshwater communities from a cotton pesticide, Asana. I have friends who cruise timber to determine standing board feet in forests, private & public for logging companies.
If you're interested in making a few quick $$ before getting oriented in life, get your degree (and don't shy away from organic chemistry, it'll help a ton) and start looking at being a fisheries observer. The contractors hire observers on short-term contracts, and most observers do a few contracts before taking a few months off. I was an observer for a long time in AK and HI, and moved on to be an observer trainer for NOAA for 12yrs.
There'll always a need, and the contractors are always taking applications. If you can handle working offshore, it's a good way to make $$ for grad school or whatever. Observers work out of Miami, the Carolinas, eastcoast, Gulf of Mexico, westcost, Alaska, and Hawaii. The fisheries and boats are all different, but many observers carry several certifications, and move between programs for the adventure and experience.
For terrestrial stuff, I think Dames & Moore, Inc. is one of the bigger contractors. There are others.
Most land grant colleges have projects that involve field work, and are often paired up with enviromental contractors. In college, I used to trap & sort aquatic insects to track impacts on freshwater communities from a cotton pesticide, Asana. I have friends who cruise timber to determine standing board feet in forests, private & public for logging companies.
If you're interested in making a few quick $$ before getting oriented in life, get your degree (and don't shy away from organic chemistry, it'll help a ton) and start looking at being a fisheries observer. The contractors hire observers on short-term contracts, and most observers do a few contracts before taking a few months off. I was an observer for a long time in AK and HI, and moved on to be an observer trainer for NOAA for 12yrs.
There'll always a need, and the contractors are always taking applications. If you can handle working offshore, it's a good way to make $$ for grad school or whatever. Observers work out of Miami, the Carolinas, eastcoast, Gulf of Mexico, westcost, Alaska, and Hawaii. The fisheries and boats are all different, but many observers carry several certifications, and move between programs for the adventure and experience.
For terrestrial stuff, I think Dames & Moore, Inc. is one of the bigger contractors. There are others.
Last edited by JoeA; 02-09-2011 at 01:11 PM. Reason: fixed a typo
