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Zoologist/Wildlife Biologist

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AVG. SALARY

$75,490

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EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree

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JOB OUTLOOK

Decreasing

Interviews

Insider Info

James Ballantyne has always been interested in animals. "From my earliest childhood, I watched birds, fished and identified plants. What I'm doing now is just an extension of that."

And just what does Ballantyne do? He has a PhD, and besides teaching college-level biology courses, he's working on several projects in his lab. "We're looking at the membranes and metabolism of sharks and skates, looking at how Arctic fish and invertebrates adapt to very low temperatures, and looking at some aspects of the ways hormones affect fish metabolism."

Ballantyne is a busy man, and he enjoys his career. "I like the fieldwork, and I like analyzing the data, figuring out what it means and then thinking up the next experiment to do."

Like most jobs, however, it has a downside. "The worst part of the job is dealing with the paperwork involved in doing research. We have to fill out endless forms to get permission to do experiments on animals, and we have to write lots of grant applications to get money to do the work."

For anyone considering a career in zoology, Ballantyne offers this advice. "Study hard and get good marks to get into a university, and get good marks in the university so you can get into the laboratory of your choice for your graduate degrees."

When Kerry Kilburn of Old Dominion University did her doctoral work, she studied two species of kangaroo rats living in the desert near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Though she didn't find the definitive answer she wanted, the project was a success.

"As is so often the case in science, the answer wasn't conclusive one way or another. But in the course of the study, I'd noticed some interesting patterns in skeletal anatomy that no one had really commented on before. [I] was able to relate those patterns to digging behavior in a new way. So I wound up finding something new, even if it wasn't what I started out looking for."

And that's just fine with her.

"The really cool thing is that this is how science very often works. You start out by asking a question. You may not answer that one, but if you keep your eyes open, you'll stumble on five more that are just as interesting, one of which you might just be able to answer!"

Though animals have always fascinated Kilburn, she never planned on being a zoologist. However, her first real field trip changed her mind.

"The teacher showed us how to set traps for small mammals. The next day, we found a torpid pocket mouse -- the cold had made him go into a sort of 'mini-hibernation.' The teacher handed me the mouse and told me to hold it until it warmed up enough to let it go.

"I was hooked. I decided I wanted to do this sort of thing forever. So I went to graduate school, where I very quickly discovered a major passion for teaching. And that's what I've been doing ever since -- learning, teaching and doing fieldwork whenever I can."

Kilburn offers advice. "Do it because you love it, not because you expect to get rich at it. And start early. Find out what kinds of volunteer positions are available in your local area and take advantage of them. And don't neglect math, especially statistics, and be sure to develop your written and oral communication skills."

"I really loved animals and I didn't think I was mentally tough enough to be a veterinarian," says Sandra Millen, a senior instructor in college-level marine biology.

The best thing about her career, she says, is being in charge of her own research and discovering new things. "I also enjoy teaching, especially to students who haven't thought much about the animals before. It's good to see them get excited about something they expected to be rather boring. The worst thing I do is marking 300 exams in a week!"

Millen has been lucky to be involved in projects that have taken her scuba diving from Alaska to the Strait of Magellan. "My career has allowed me to stretch myself beyond where I dreamed as a teenager. I think girls often lack the confidence and the encouragement to reach high enough. One of the main things I have learned is to stay flexible and go for it."

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