Zoology Career question?

Question

I'm deciding on what i want to do with my life in the near future, and I'm deciding on studying to be a Doctor or a Zoologist. I was thinking of being a zoologist because i love to travel to different countries and studying different types of animals.Can anyone tell me if this is a good career?And how much would you get paid a year?

Answer 1

If you want money, become a physician, not a zoologist. Fortunately, you need not make up your mind just yet. Major in zoology in college and think about whether you would prefer to go on to graduate school in zoology or go to medical school. The courses you take will be useful either way.

Answer 2

Most zoologists earn PhDs and work at a university.  Depending on which type of university, you may be spending most of your time teaching.  There are some jobs working with government agencies (like fish & game depts.) and some with private organizations or zoos.  

It depends on what kind of animals you would want to study and what aspect you're interested in as to what you should pursue for college.  If you are into larger mammals, you may find that wildlife biology or wildlife conservation is a better fit.  If you're into fish, then fisheries might be better.  But, if you're just into animals in general, then zoology would be a good broad field.

As for pay, don't expect a whole lot, especially considering that you'll have likely racked up quite a bit of debt in student loans (although not as much as you would for med school).  In universities expect to start out at $35,000-$45,000 depending on the type and location.  You'll do a little better working for the government and a little worse working for private organizations.  But, you definitely won't get rich no matter what.