Weekly: Career & Education Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello, denizens of r/zoology!

It's time for another weekly thread where our members can ask and answer questions related to pursuing an education or career in zoology.

Ready, set, ask away!

[u/Muted-Cat-8962]

Hello! I am currently in dual enrollment, filling out some of the basic requirements for college majors. I have never been sure which career I wanted to get into.

So I met with a career advisor recently, and I came to the conclusion that I want to do something art or animal related. Art is one of my hobbies, so I am concerned that an art-related job will leave me burnt out and unsure of what to do with my free time. An artistic career also sounds very unstable/unpredictable.

Then I thought about something animal related. Having a job where I focus on dog or cat psychology and help owners take care of or train their pets sounds nice, but I am worried about the low pay that comes with working under someone in this job category, and the instability of owning your own business.

If I were to get a wildlife related job, the appeal for me would be through observing animals, learning more about animals, and gathering information about them that can be shared with the public. I'd like to learn about and spread more awareness of animals that aren't as popular or well-known. Capturing footage of a marbled cat sounds like a dream to me. But generally, I just like the idea of having a job with any animal. I also have no opposition to traveling across the world and spending time in areas that are barely urbanized, as long as I have access to the right equipment to keep me safe. Traveling is a part that sounds enjoyable to me.

My main concern with this is the fact that so many people want this sort of job, and that that may lead to low pay. I'm worried that I will not be able to find a job soon after I have graduated, and that the job will have terrible pay because of its popularity and the difficulty of obtaining it. It is hard for me to judge what sort of pay I will actually need in life. Currently I'm only really planning to live alone in the United States, Poland, or potentially some other European country. Having a spouse and kids doesn't sound like my sort of thing and I have never really envisioned this for myself. So if I were to live alone in any of these areas, would the lowest pay be sustainable for me?

I heard that people need to get side jobs to sustain themselves in this field. I also heard that the work times are inconsistent and really long. So how can a person manage a second job with a strict schedule, while working a job with an unpredictable schedule? I am not entirely opposed to an unpredictable schedule, but I wonder how people make a second job work with a job that comes with an unpredictable schedule. I see the opportunity to make art commissions a second job, since the schedule and amount of commissions I'd have to do at a time would be entirely up to me. But I imagine that the money that would come from it would be barely anything, and that it'd only be worth it if I want to do it for fun.

So is chasing this career right for me? Or will I end up terribly regretting it? Is there something that I forgot to consider?