college list (herpetology)

[jere000]

when i went to the expo i talked to this guy who has a lot of snakes and he said a lot of interesting things but im gonna hit the main ideas
*career before hobby
in other words i can love reptiles all i want but i wont make a lot of money with a degree in herpetology, as a vet i can help treat reptiles and make a lot of money to afford my hobby later on down the line
*there arent enough herp vets out there
thats true so im hopeing i can either start my own vet clinic or be like a "floating vet" working at many vet offices on an as needed basis
thats basicly it if i cant find a college thatll let me major in both herpetology and vet studies ten ill just be a vet specializing in herpetology. (some people think i allready should have a herpetology degree tho, also at the expo i was talking with this breder who had never in his career asked him how visable was the head woble in his spyder ball python and with a different breeder and we were dscussing morphs and he was amazed how much i knew....he didnt have ton dumb anything down for me!) but i know i still got a lot to learn....

Yeah there isn't to much money in it unless you get degree in zoology or become a veterinarian that's why I'm still not sure if I'm gonna go to college or just open a pet store.

[Stefan-A]

Yeah there isn't to much money in it unless you get degree in zoology or become a veterinarian that's why I'm still not sure if I'm gonna go to college or just open a pet store.

A degree in zoology won't bring any money. What matters, is what kind of job you'll get with that degree and apart from research within zoology, there's not much that others aren't more qualified for. Here, a zoologist couldn't even get a job teaching, without an additional degree in pedagogy.

But who cares about money, if you get to work with something you love?

[jere000]

A degree in zoology won't bring any money. What matters, is what kind of job you'll get with that degree and apart from research within zoology, there's not much that others aren't more qualified for. Here, a zoologist couldn't even get a job teaching, without an additional degree in pedagogy.

But who cares about money, if you get to work with something you love?

If i can't make enough money to live i would be to stressed to enjoy the job especially after spending a bunch of money on college lol plus i wouldn't be able to own snakes.

[Stefan-A]

If i can't make enough money to live i would be to stressed to enjoy the job especially after spending a bunch of money on college lol plus i wouldn't be able to own snakes.

Obviously we're not talking about whether or not you'll earn enough money to live, but rather whether you'll live large on the money you earn.

[Selkielass]

Become a Herpetologist if you love/would love to do research and teach. If you really love what you are doing you will find a way to be successful and happy doing it.

If you love caring for sick animals, and have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, look into becoming a vet. If you don't have a knack for *both* it will be hard to make a good living as a vet. Vets in my area are not wealthy- they do it because they love the animals and many bring in extra income by selling specialty supplies and food. (One of the best reptile vets in my area has a small/medium sized pet store adjacent to the waiting area.)

[jere000]

Obviously we're not talking about whether or not you'll earn enough money to live, but rather whether you'll live large on the money you earn.

Around where i live you'll make about 15k a year unless you work at a university, vet facility, or at a zoo which there isn't much of any of those but vets.

[mustang]

well the life i want wont be cheap and vets get paid good money and ill be around reptiles....i just wanted to be able to have a degree in herpetology

[ConcinusMan]

But that's an academic degree. It's a study.(herpetology) Unless you want to be a teacher... well...

Not trying to tell you what to do but perhaps there's another way to go. Keep your options open. Do your research. Find out whos working the kind of careers that interest you and the trace backwards to find out what kind of education is needed. Just a suggestion.

[mustang]

ya but when someone and i get into an argument on this kinda stuff i want to have the degree to back me up/shove in their face

[ConcinusMan]

D'OH!

Oh boy, by the time you get that degree you won't care about such things. Trust me.

Have you considered majoring in biology? It's always good to have that foundation no matter where you choose to go with this. Then if you still want to pursue it, you can get an advanced degree in the field of herpetology. Good potential of using the biology knowledge in a wide variety of career fields. You do all that and get some funding to sort out this mess of garter snake genetics and classification. Do that and you'll be our hero!

Biology Major | What Can You Do With a College Degree in Biology?

I must tell you, it's going to take a lot of money and years of study but if this is what you want to do, I say go for it.

If only I was 20 years younger and a million or two richer, knowing what I know now, I'd sure go for it!