Careers in Biology?

[NavajoEverclear]

What are some cool career options in biology? how do i get into them? Evolutionary study of some type is something i'd be specifically interested in, but whatever suggestions you got, i wanna hear

[Skye]

If you want to study evolution then get a PhD in evolutionary biology, then try to get some post doc work that leads to a lecturing position at a uni.

[NavajoEverclear]

hmmm, that really doesn't sound like my thing. Plus, i'd rather spend my time on a family than my PhD. Any more active options?

[daisy]

Well what exactly do you mean by "cool" ....doing a PhD is pretty "cool".....but then so is raising a family....you need to decide what you want. I am a mum, wife, and research fellow ....and I enjoy all of it but maybe I don't do each thing to the best of my ability because my attention is split 3 ways. I am perhaps reasonably well qualified to say that being a so-called super-woman is a non-starter. Something is going to suffer...I like to think it's my career instead of my family but perhaps they'd disagree. Anyway, that aside there are lots of great careers in Biology, particularly research but you could go down the nature conservation route too or the forensic archaeology route. Research would really involve a PhD unless you were content to be a research technician (less stress definitely), and can be very exciting if you are in a dynamic field.

[-Demosthenes-]

Hey I am very interested in biology. I started Biology ap in highschool, and we collected leaves and memorized scientific names and stuff... Um that was boring. What do scientist do anyway, do they collect leaves?

[daisy]

Errr...no...unless they are botanists.

[-Demosthenes-]

Well thats good... I guess what I meant was do they do things similar to that?

[Dave]

Well, it's a bit more involved than that. Biology's a pretty diverse subject and encompasses both human, animal and plant life so you'll have to be a bit more specific

[Fellowes]

Biology is my career path. However I do like Marine Biology I am interested in CryptoZoology as well ( I don't know how to spell that one :$ ). My big question is, is is a good paying job, like I know that you get paid through whatever grants you are given (is that right?), but is there enough salary there to make a good living? How hard is it to get involved in high priority projects?

[dagaz]

I had a really cool job for several years where I was involved in rainforest restoration in the Big Scrub rainforests of NE NSW. I worked for National Parks, community groups, private jobs, etc, but now I'm a boring old high school biology teacher.

[zpoot]

i don't think being a teacher would be boring, it may feel like you're stuck in a rut but i think it'd be kidna cool. My favorite teacher is my biology teacher. Although the test he gave us today wasn't exactly like he said it was...i dont' think...maybe..i'm ranting..

[dagaz]

I was being slightly sarcastic when I said that. Even though teaching definitely has its days, generally I'm really enjoying it (this is only my 2nd year of teaching) but most of my friends were blown away when I left the rainforest work because they thought I just had the best job - being paid quite good money to go and work in World Heritage Rainforests.

[zpoot]

Ah. What do you do working in World Heritage Rainforests??

[Thales]

My big question is, is it a good paying job.

 

 

If your doing science for the money your going to be very disappointed my friend. Don't do anything just for money, it doesn't make you happy, particularly if your 'locked' into a career that you don't enjoy so you can be rich.

[Dave]

i don't think being a teacher would be boring, it may feel like you're stuck in a rut but i think it'd be kidna cool. My favorite teacher is my biology teacher. Although the test he gave us today wasn't exactly like he said it was...i dont' think...maybe..i'm ranting..

 

Both my aunt and mom are teachers, and they have a hellish time working their way through the red tape. The amount of paperwork you have to fill in just for lesson planning is completely extortionate. It's also one of the least paid professions considering the amount of work you have to do: marking books, doing paperwork, preparing lessons, etc.

[Fellowes]

Thales, I know that, and I DO ENJOY the sciences and everything associated with animals and such. Money is the extra but I mean if you went to school and got your education, is it a good paying job that will giuve you some financial freedom?

[AzurePhoenix]

Navajo buddy, what about it do you enjoy, going out and studing life and comparing it to extinct forms, or vice-versa, doing lab research in tracing genetic lines? To pick a career you've got to narrow down your own goals and interests. Then maybe we'll be able to figure somethin' better for ya.

[AzurePhoenix]

For example, my interests run the gamut of paleontology, hypothetical exo, crypto and the future of theoretical evolutionary biologies, evolutionary zoology, and good ol' fashioned zoology. But my main driving passion is behavioral studies of the more inteligent animal species, from wolves, rats, felines and canines to dolphins, chimps and mutant killer penguin-squirrel hybrids .

 

As a result, i'm probably going to go into basic animal care and research in a major zoo or animal park, hopefully with some field work mixed in somewhere along the line. Of course, such jobs aren't great payoffs, so in addition to smart investments and my hypothetical husband's enormous seven-digit salary i'm gonna have to write some books of some sort ("Encyclopedia of Cats" type thing) to keep the farm-raised 100% organic bacon on the table.

 

See, just narrow down what you really, really like !