I want to be a herpetologist?

Question

I'm 15 and really want to work with herps. I know I need a Bachelor's degree in Biology or Wildlife Biology, and a Master's in Zoology or something along that effect. But how do I get there?

Answer 1

OMG! that's what I wanted to be when I was your age (my parents wanted me to become a vet, but when Animal Planet first premeired The Croc Hunter: Steve Irwin, I quickly changed my mind and fell in lovw with him and Jeff Corwin)

well, first I can tell you to keep on learning by collecting herp journals from the National Herp Society, field-herp every chance you get, collect and read reptile fieldbooks and information on various species, join your local hep chapter, society, or club and make contact with the members, and maybe even get a job at a local pet store, shelter, animal organization to gain more experience.

i forgot to mention: DO NOT mess up in high school mathematics and science courses! take as many math and science AP courses as you can, especially in Biology. it's a prerequiste to any science or math major in college.

then find a good university or college for majoring in Bio (BA) and as you said correctly, move on to your MA in zoology-pref. herpetology. As you are in college, make sure you take the opportunity to study abroad!!

hope this helps!

Answer 2

For now, get good grades in high school and start getting some experience with animals. If possible, see about finding a place to work or volunteer that relates to reptiles or amphibians.

Talk to your career counselor at school. Mine gave me good advise about where to start volunteering, some colleges, and possible jobs to think about.

Other than that start researching colleges. Look at the degrees the college offers, look at the course/college catalog to get an idea of the classes you'll be taking and what classes are needed for a degree, do they offer any herpetology classes or degrees, see if the college offer any intern programs or other programs to help gain experience related to your degree.

I hope this helped. Good Luck.

http://www.asih.org/herpjobs

EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION

Most careers in herpetology require at least a bachelor's degree in biology. The competition for jobs in herpetology is very intense, so post-graduate studies can be critical to your career. To be successful in competing for a job, individuals need to establish both informal and formal educational goals.

Informal Education

Informal education in herpetology begins as soon as an individual develops an interest in reptiles and amphibians. Read all of the books and magazine articles you can about these animals. Becoming an active member of a regional herpetological society is a good way to meet others with common interests. Going out to search for amphibians and reptiles is an excellent way to sharpen observation and note taking skills. Record your field observations of amphibians and reptiles carefully in permanent field books. Learn how to take good photographs of animals and their habitats.

Formal Education

A college education with an emphasis in the sciences is recommended. There is no college or university that offers a major in herpetology at the undergraduate or even the graduate level. Instead, persons interested in herpetology select a major in the biological sciences. The knowledge learned about all aspects of the biology of animals is then applied to an individual study of herpetology. It is important not to neglect other studies as well-herpetologists need courses in statistics, chemistry, computer science, writing, and foreign languages. Acceptance into graduate school is especially competitive. Good grades and a well-balanced undergraduate education are necessary for acceptance.

It does not matter whether the college selected for study is small or large. What is important is that the school have a good academic record, be strong in the sciences, and particularly strong in organismal biology.

Graduate programs at many universities allow you to do advanced studies on some aspects of herpetology, and sometimes a comparatively obscure university may have an outstanding herpetologist on its faculty. One good way to select a university for graduate study is to read the current issues of the major herpetological journals (Copeia, Herpetologica, and Journal of Herpetology). When you find articles on the kind of research that interests you, check and see where the researchers are based, and apply to those institutions. A few universities have had a long tradition of producing herpetologists. These include Harvard University, University of Florida, Cornell University, University of Michigan, University of Kansas, and University of California at Berkeley. Other centers for herpetological study include Duke University, University of Chicago, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Texas at Arlington.

http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/careers.p...

http://www.cnah.org/index.asp

http://www.ffa.org/index.cfm?method=c_jo...

http://jobprofiles.monster.com/Content/j...

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/e...

http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg10_OutdoorKi...

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/...

http://www.extremescience.com/JRivas.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpetologi...

Answer 3

LOL herpes.

Answer 4

You have my sympathy. You can start by joining one or more of the amateur herpetological societies, inclusing the one in your area if possible. Start reading the professional journals too: Copeia, Herpetologica, Journal of Herpetology, and Herpetological Review. You might want to join the societies too, while you can still get student rates. One advantage of reading the journals is that you can find out who is publishing and what schools they are associated with. This may help you to pick the school you want to attend.

Load up on science courses. You need a lot and they will give you something to fall back on when you discover that the market for herpetologists is very poor.

Answer 5

Any career needs a foundation. This is normally through primary/grade school all the way to college etc. (Celebrities may often take a shortcut).

In trying to define your choice of career, I reached this website;

<>http://jobprofiles.monster.com/Content/j...

Try it out.

Answer 6

I have a friend that does the snake thing . He makes a fine living snakes and inseminating them. You should spend as much time as you can studying snakes learning what is poisonous what isn;t etc...etc...