Career Choices?

Originally Posted by Golden Gate Geckos

I just wanted to say this is a GREAT thread!!!

why thank you, but wheres YOUR input, id like to hear it being that your one of the more looked up to members on here.

This is a great thread. The one tip of advice I would give is to get a lot of experience through internships to help you figure out exactly what you would like to do.

I was in a similar boat years ago. I was always a reptile person, ever since I got my first box turtles at age 4. When I was young I thought I wanted to own a pet store or be a vet. I worked in a pet store all through high school and found out that is a really tough business! I went to Rutgers as a freshman working on an animal sciences degree (pre vet option), but found out that my studies would be focused mainly on farm animals, and even after all that I needed absolutely stellar grades to even think about getting into vet school. Also, I realized I liked nature better than farm animals, so I switched to a zoology/ecology degree. At one point in college I thought I wanted to work in a zoo, so I volunteered at the Bronx Zoo reptile house during my senior year and found out I didn't like taking care of someone else's animals. But it was a great experience, and I gleaned some husbandry tips I use with my animals today. I was also thinking about being a college professor (my profs at Rutgers seemed to have a sweet life on tenure!). After college I worked as a Herpetologist for an environmental consulting company in New Jersey called Herpetological Associates. That was a really fun job. My daily activities included doing surveys for endangered and threatened reptiles and amphibians, like bog turtles, timber rattlesnakes, pine snakes, corn snakes (yes, believe it or not they are an endangered species in NJ), cricket frogs, Pine Barrens treefrogs, and gray treefrogs. I did a lot of fieldwork and saw some amazing animals and places. I even spent a summer radio tracking timber rattlesnakes in the NJ Pine Barrens. After 2 years there I went to grad school and started a Ph.D. program at UC Santa Barbara. I did my graduate research on California tiger salamanders (a federally endangered species). At UCSB I found out that I really didn't want to be a professor. 6-8 years of grad school, then years working as a post doc making poverty wages, to then compete with a lot of people for a few jobs as professors. Because I didn't want to be a prof a Ph.D. wasn't necessary, so I decided to work on a Master's instead. My experience with California tiger salamanders gave me a marketable skill (there are only a limited number of people permitted to work with them). SO, all these experiences together brought me to where I am today. I found out which careers I didn't like, and learned from each of them. Right now I am entirely self employed, half my income comes from reptiles and half from environmental consulting with California tiger salamanders. My interest in reptiles turned into my own "zoo" (Geckos Etc.), and I get out in nature to play with neat animals. I don't think I ever could have imagined this career combination when I was younger, but I just worked hard and took advantage of every opportunity that came my way.

Also, keep your grades up...that always helps with giving you the best opportunities later on! The most important thing is to do what you love, that way it isn't work.

As Steve mantioned in his post, I would get a degree with an ecological/environmental emphasis. The degree can be zoology or biology, something of that nature. I know of some Biologists with this kind of degree and they work for consulting firms, even big corporations etc. they work out in the field doing population studies, ecology studies, etc.
With more and more laws being passed, as well as the population/ construction booms everywhere, these kind of jobs may be more needed in the future.

Tom,
I don't know if your school provides good internship ooprutunites but here's what Im doing for high school to prep for college...

Im taking some courses through a program we have called Virtual High school. Next year (junior year) Im taking Animal Behavior and Zoology, and for my in school classes I have English 11, US History II, Advanced Math, AP Bio (2 blocks, college level/honors, w/e you prefer to call it ), Gym and a required english type class.

Then, here's the bread and butter. Senior year Im taking a semester long, 2 block internship at a Veterinary clinic that actually counts as high school credits because it's sponsered by our high school. Then for the virtual high school course Im doing Pre-veterinary medicine. Im considering AP Chemistry but I HATE the chem teacher. Im in chem now and it sucks.

Anyways, for college I found a sweet program that allows a 3 year accellerated bachelor in animal science and if you maintain a B average you are automatically enrolled into Tufts Veterinary college out in Boston, MA area. It's a sweet deal but will be a lot of work.

My school unfortunately offers non of those things. For colleges right now im looking at SUNY Syracuse and Northern Michigan although I'm sure theres alot of other good schools out there. Unfortunately i dropped my foreign language because I absolutely dreaded it. And alot of 4 year schools will tell me no because of it. Thankfully im going into the military first so I'll have an extra 4 years to get my stuff in order. Maybe I can even get the language requirement while serving.

Originally Posted by SteveGeckosEtc

The most important thing is to do what you love, that way it isn't work.

I don't know why but for some reason I just love this quote. Great post Steve.

Originally Posted by The NY Gecko

Yes, my interest would be more in field work as I want to be able to see the animlas in their natural habitats. I read those articles in reptiles about Bill Loves lovely trips across the globe and I would love to do that, but from a scientific standpoint. I don't think I would mind being a vet, but seeing the tons of animlas that receive poor care might piss me off and make me want to scream at the owners so thats probably not a wise choice.

Hey we have a few vets around here that DO yell at pet owners who give poor care and it doesn't stop pet owners from using them either. A reputable vet is hard to come by. A HERP vet is almost impossible to find. We must have 20 vets within a 60 mile area and none of them are herp vets. I'd love to have a competent herp vet locally even if he yelled !

Originally Posted by The NY Gecko

My school unfortunately offers non of those things. For colleges right now im looking at SUNY Syracuse and Northern Michigan although I'm sure theres alot of other good schools out there. Unfortunately i dropped my foreign language because I absolutely dreaded it. And alot of 4 year schools will tell me no because of it. Thankfully im going into the military first so I'll have an extra 4 years to get my stuff in order. Maybe I can even get the language requirement while serving.

Im not sure if you know this or not.. I was looking into the military too, and I think I have the perfect MOS for you.. ANIMAL CARE SPECIALIST. You get to assist the Veterinary Corps Officers (something Im considering becoming because they pay for all 4 years of post-bachelor veterinary college which will cost about a bajillion bucks.)

Originally Posted by Southwick Herps

Im not sure if you know this or not.. I was looking into the military too, and I think I have the perfect MOS for you.. ANIMAL CARE SPECIALIST. You get to assist the Veterinary Corps Officers (something Im considering becoming because they pay for all 4 years of post-bachelor veterinary college which will cost about a bajillion bucks.)

And that would be for going down the vet route correct?

Well Im sure being an animal care specialist in the army would give you a foot in the door to a good pre-vet program. Then you just apply to get the grant to become a veterinary corps officer and they pay your way through your Doctorate degree in college.