career as a wildlife biologist
 

I am thinking of majoring in wildlife biology at clemson

anyone know anything about this career such as pay rate and if it will be strong in the future?

thanks

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

Research this field very carefully before deciding to enter it. I would have liked to have done that too. I did not because here in Virginia the only jobs related to wildlife biology are state jobs. And getting one of them is like hitting the lottery.

Then again environmental science looked to be a good opportunity when I started taking classes, but now the colleges are cranking out more than there is a demand for. Tough when you are trying to find a job that is somewhat controlled by government funds. Talk to some of the biologist in your area, and see what they have to say. And, GOOD LUCK.

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

I live in upstate south carolina and when searching state jobs I see about 3-4 in wildlife biology and a few more in north carolina

as far as I can see the outlook for the job is strong according to most websites

why are state jobs so hard to get?

can you also explain the private sector and how it works?

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

State jobs are hard to get because of politics. I would go for something more broad in the environmental field with maybe a major in wildlife biology.. Have you given any thought to a career in law enforcement, it could have some very rewarding results.....

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

Like Ron said they are tough to get because of politics, and competition. Many of the jobs here have qualifications requiring a M.S. Also, there are lots of people trying to get those jobs that are presently employed, but would like to have the benefits and pay of the state jobs. Case in point, when I was unemployed a year ago I applied for a stream restoration position with our state Department of Conservation and Recreation. It was a one year grant based contract. I figured I would have a chance since it didn't appear to be a long term job. WRONG!!! They sent a letter and told me "due to the high volume of applications we recieved, the review process will take an extended period of time." I could not believe there were that many people interested in a temporary position!!

In Tennessee there is a ranking system for state jobs based on job skills, education, and experience. Only the top five people are interviewed for the position. I applied for several positions in the environmental field and sent the forms and my resume to them. I was ranked tied for 86th place with five other people. In other words I didn't have a chance in hell.

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

I have a degree in wildilfe biology. The job market is weak for wildilfe at this time. There are many more jobs in Fisheries and I would advise going for that over wildilfe if fisheries at all interests you. Private sector jobs for wildlife are very very few and many of those few are "conservation" related such as the Nature Conservancy and other "tree hugger" organizations so needless to say there is much politics that goes along with those jobs as well. For wildlife, probably the best bet is and will be for awhile federal positions with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the Forest Service. Selection for these jobs is not political and they usually have benefits and/or salaries higher than state jobs and you don't have to put up with as much crap from the general public as you would in a state fish and wildlife job. If you do decide to go into wildilfe biology, plan on getting your Masters unless you want to be a Conservation Officer for a state agency. A masters is almost required to be competitive for any kind of biologist position, and the law enforcement side is also quite competitive. You will most likely not have the luxury of picking and choosing locations and/or jobs unless your graduation GPA is high and/or you are/have been in a graduate program for wildlife biology. Also, a very important thing: whether you go into wildlife or fisheries or some other natural resources field, get involved in what is called the STEP or SCEP programs. These programs allow you to be hired non-competitively for seasonal work while you are in school (STEP) and SCEP allows you to be hired for seasonal work while you are in school as well as be appointed non-competitively to a PERMANENT position upon your graduation.

Salaries: Wildlife Technician (Bachelors only) 23-32k/year
Wildlife Biologist (Usually masters or higher) 32-45k/year

these are very general observations of some of the jobs I have seen. Not at all set in stone.

Whatever you decide good luck and if you have any more questions feel free to PM/email me.

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

man that sucks

when I read the career description I thought I would fit into it perfectly, it's a shame it sounds like such a competative field

keep the info coming, I really want to persue this career and hope someone can tell me some of the positive aspects of it

edit: just saw your post brutalattack, good information thanks, feel free to give me anything else you might know or other tips!

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

Well some positive aspects of the field are that if your not a biologist and just a technician you get to spend the majority of your time in the field working, which is usually what most people get into this field for. What most people don't understand is that biologists normally don't spend alot of time in the field. They are 80% or more in the office analyzing data, dealing with the public, supervising technicians and designing research or writing the multitude of biological documents required of a wildlife agency. If your really into the scientific aspect of biology then just get a biology degree and be a biologist. If your interested in wildlife because you want to work outside and/or work with animals then get a bachelors in wildlife and hope you can find a permanent tech position paying the above salaries.

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

I have a BS in Wildlife Biology.

I sell Wire & Cable - at about 2X the salary of most wildlife biologist job - and never did use my degree.

I don't regret going to school for it (1990 grad) but a wildlife biologist degree from a NY State school wasn't my wisest decision.

If you decide to go that route - Have a clear plan on your carreer path before you get 1/2 way through. Its not likely you will stumble on a job in your professsion otherwise.

RE: career as a wildlife biologist
 

I work for the La. Wildlife and Fisheries as a Wildlife Biologist, but only because my wife is a doctor. The pay is very low - but so is the stress level, and my time is flexible. I have worked as a biologist for 6 years, my annual salary at this time is around 30K/year with a max salary of 52K/year - but I get to play around with most of my earnings;). You can't possibly raise a family on my salary alone - especially when you first start. The field is competative - most biologists start out as wlf technicians for years before a position opens up for them to advance. Good luck with your quest - and pick the right spouse carefully:D.