Herpetology

[EMAC1990]

I love monitor lizards. I always have. I wanted a Sav from the day I first heard of them, and I kept one in college unfortunately when I was immature, irresponsible and not able on my own behalf to provide the commitment necessary for such a complex and intelligent animal. I inevitably ended up selling it due to my lifestyle and attention span (which is profoundly affected by a rather severe case of OCD (no, not neat freak, pen straightening, self diagnosed OCD. Real deal life ruining OCD)). My Ball Python met the same fate, though both of them were provided quality husbandry and are hopefully being treated similarly now.

Things are going much better for me as of late, and I have settled in and found a beautiful woman whom I plan to ask to marry me very soon. The only real obstacle at this time is finding a career, or perhaps better phrased, knowing how and where to find a one.

I went to FSU in 2008 for 3 years to study Music, Finance, Math, Creative Writing, and British Literature (don't ask, I am still trying to understand this chain of events myself...). I did not complete any of these degrees and never truly found a passion in any of them beyond my first choice(Music). So, here I am now in 2012. I moved back home and finished a B.A. in Liberal Arts at UCF in an attempt to salvage much wasted money. It was ''on time'' as they say and I am still only 22. I play trumpet for Walt Disney World Resorts during the holidays, though I have otherwise found no means to use my knowledge or abilities.

I am still pursuing a career in trumpet and have high hopes to land a gig one day, or continue my studies at Julliard (granted I can find the time to practice up an audition for a few months a midst the ongoing number of different, bullshit jobs I find myself in every 3 months). Please excuse my French. I am very a passionate... Regardless, this is always an inconsistent game and I want to find something to work for, to be passionate and to of course, pay the bills with. Enter; Herpetology. Is it possible? If so how do you do it? Does anyone here have any legitimate experience in the field as a professional and what do you recommend. It is daunting. I suspect I would need to go back to school again for a biology degree, which is not out of the question by any means, but maybe I am wrong? If there are any other herps or aspiring herps out there, share your stories Please!

Sorry for the detail. It really was abridged and I felt like writing something.

[jaleely]

Hum. I'm just gonna go ahead with the honest answer here. There is a community college in Florida that does a program for exotic animal training, and then from there you can get a BA and then that would be a great precursor to herpetology. I really wanted to go back to school to do herps, but was a bit daunted. I was told my a friend that there was a college in my area that did this program, and when i looked it up i also looked up the one in Florida.
Anyway, as a start, i'm going to do the program. I've always loved and had a passion for animals...no idea why this never occurred to me before other than i just had to go through life for a while before finding it.
Already applied, accepted, transferring old credits from a degree i never fished from a university in oregon, and i can sign up officially on Dec 3rd : )
Anyway, you could start there!

[AjaMichelle]

Basically it's a ton of math (...biology, chemistry, etc. it's all math). You complete a bachelor of sciences degree in biology and then choose a research type that interests you: evolutionary biology, phylogenetics, genetics, ecology, etc. and then you basically put a herpetology spin on it. :) And then decide where you want to work: the public or private sector, etc. Graduate school is required in my experience.

[Zoo Nanny]

Once you have your education completed a good place to start a career in herpetology is at a zoo. Degrees differ and I think it's more a true love and commitment to what you are doing that makes a person successful. I know a few different herpetologist one has a vet degree, one has a ba degree in art and just completed a graduate program in England in animal studies, one with a bs in biology and one had no degree in animal studies. The most successful to date is the vet and the gentleman with no formal herpetology training. With zoos you need to check out which zoos are doing the most conservation work in herp related areas. Working in the zoo you can get a wide range of experience not only in proper husbandry but breeding and many zoos do field research not only in this country but others as well. The story here is about a gentleman that through his love of the field has committed himself to a number of conservation efforts. He began his career initially breeding arachnids and a few other herps at home, became a zoo keeper and is now the Director of Conservation at an AZA zoo. He's done field research here in NE along with Papua New Guinea and a number of trips to Panama. The Bug Whisperer - January/February 2012 - Sierra Magazine - Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201201/act.aspx)
Which ever course of study you choose I wish you luck in your endeavor.

[EMAC1990]

Great insights! I do already have a B.A. and a few of the general prereqs for any B.S. which I would like to turn into biology and possibly genetics for graduate school. Math isn't a real problem for me. I guess I can't dwell over sunk costs, but I hate already having this B.A. with virtually no value. I wish there was some way to go to grad school now as Zoo_Nanny suggested, but I doubt there are a lot of programs that allow you to acquire a master in some 'bio' related field without having taken chem I II, organic I II and Bio I II. Jaleely, this is more of an animal psychology program you mentioned right? IS there a general advantage over one. I would think having a B.S. does a little more to prove your science and math skills, but how relevant is that when you are working with animals versus studying and researching? I guess the real question is then, what would help you most along the different paths. Keeping vs. Researching. Is there one path that seems more viable as an actual source of income. Thanks for all your help!

[Zoo Nanny]

The great thing about keeping is you get to pair it with research and it gives you an in to the available fields out there. A girl I worked with in Boston is now working at a primate research and rescue facility in Africa. She first went over there for 3 months through the zoo. After she returned she completed her phd and returned there full time. You also have the opportunity to meet the top people in fields of study through conferences. Salaries vary according to the status of the zoo. Some which are city or state owned pay higher salaries compared to those that are run by non profits. Some of the bigger named zoos out there pay even more but their minimum entrance requirements are higher.