Anons, I'm graduating from HS soon (DW I'm old enough to be here, I entered the school system late) and I was thinking of becoming a paleozoologist.
Is anyone else here a paleozoologist? What were your experiences? What steps did you take to get there? Would you recommend it?
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Let's pretend for a minute you're a real person even though you posted one time and never came back.
You can actually sign up for a paleontology program at hundreds of different schools now. It's so popular they actually have curricula and degrees just for that.
so that's what you do. Wanna be a paleozoologist? Go sign up for a BSc Paleontology program.
Would I recommend it? Only if it's what you love. Like any academic career you're going to spend the first 10 years and maybe more in college getting paid extremely little.
give up on your dreams anon, you either pursue money or die from not being able to afford physical/mental health care
All my childhood, I was dead set on being a paleontologist and study dinosaur bones. I went as far as a junior in college, before changing my mind. I just didn't see myself doing it as a career -- I loved air conditioning too much, and not field work. (I did finish my degree in geology, but done nothing with it.)
If you want to be a paleo, I wish you well. If you really want to be a paleo-zoologist, I'd would major in biology, with maybe a minor in geology.
(here some raptors for your enjoyment.)
>I loved air conditioning too much, and not field work.
You don't go to school for a decade to dig fossils out of the ground. That's what excavation companies are for.
Paleontology is a meme, and modern paleontologists either spend their time advocating that T-Rex actually had feathers like an owl, or that T-Rex actually had a massive penis, or T-Rex actually was so weak it couldn't stand up and in fact crawled around on its belly like a snake; or alternatively - if you are uninterested in dinosaurs - digging up new species of fish.
Don't do it. It's just a useless scientific hobby.
If you’re going into paleo be prepared to get a doctorate and work in research at a university. I can’t think of any other viable career paths beside that. You would have to get a geology undergrad degree with a good amount of biology background as well.
>I can’t think of any other viable career paths beside that.
core logging and biostratigraphy for oil and gas
Museum curator
fossil dealer
Author
Artist
Government resource auditor
Government resource manager
Corporate auditor for government contracts
Fossil tourist quarry operator
probably a few others I can't think of right off the top of my head.
Core logging can be accomplished with a geology degree.
>museum curator, author, artist,
Viable as in making money
>government positions
All easier obtained with other degrees
>fossil tourist quarry operator
Sounds like a job at Disneyland
I like the part where you argue against facts like it makes any difference what you think.
Lol okay? Im glad I made your day.
The main point is that a career path in paleo isn’t really worth it and everyone except you knows it
The problem isn't one of pay or the degree being useless
it's just that interest far outstrips demand. We only need so many professors and curators and glowies and NEPA consultants and biostratigraphers.
we metriculate about 10 times more qualified workers than there are positions available every year. Just like in zoology in general. It's a death match to get one of the few jobs available, and most people are going to lose.
I’m a geologist, not a paleozoologist, but I do have an interest in paleontology. Here’s what I know. There are very few stable jobs in the paleontology field, and those that do exist are in high demand. Not only are good jobs scarce, but the pay is awful. Most paleo majors I knew in college ended up pursuing jobs in other fields because they couldn’t find work. I only know one person who still is doing paleo-related work. Not trying to rain on your parade, but sadly paleontology just isn’t a good field to work in. If you still have your heart set on paleozoology, then best of luck, but if not then I’d suggest choosing a different career path and leaving the paleo stuff as a hobby.
"as a hobby" is a bit vague. Without the degree and connections you're stuck working alone on inverts. Difficult to conduct research or publish with no resources.
easier route is what I did.
Study geology. Work in mining. Get the paleo degree so you have resources and connections. Do paleontology as more than a hobby but far less than a career.
I kept it a little vague since a hobby can be nearly whatever you want it to be. For me personally, paleontology as a hobby is mostly just reading papers on the stuff that interests me, and occasionally volunteering at the nearest natural history museum. I know a retired geologist who will volunteer at paleontology digs as well. Those are just a few examples, I’m sure there’s more that I’m not thinking of.
Also, that seems like a legitimately good way to get into paleontology if true.
the problem with vert paleo as a hobby is now they don't just look for volunteers. They have so many volunteers they usually expect you to pay for the pleasure of helping them.
But I do know a few published hobbyists, and a couple of the biggest names in dinosaur paleontology are technically hobbyists. A few others are for-profit businessmen.
if he has to pay for the degree he was never going to make it anyways. In the US science degrees tend to go to exactly the same people that get full academic scholarships.
Most non-professional graduate stem degree programs are funded through graduate or research assistantships. Most people don’t realize this.
Yep, but at the undergrad level you'd hope a STEM candidate would have a full ride academic scholarship. If their grades aren't good enough for a scholarship you gotta worry they're not going to make it in STEM.
You’d hope but there are plenty of mid-range research universities begging for graduate students. As far as geology is concerned, almost all universities have dropped the GRE prerequisites. All you need to do is keep a gpa even if you don’t qualify for an academic scholarship as an undergraduate
Yep, but if you can't get the grades in high school you probably won't keep them up in college.
>The main point is that a career path in paleo isn’t really worth it and everyone except you knows it
I'm the only one here with a paleontology degree and I don't work in paleontology. So I know it far better than you do.
but I also know museum curators and authors and petro stratigraphers that make more in a year than you will in a lifetime, as well as hundreds of professors and curators and glowies that make six figures easy enough.
I know far more than you do about the topic if you think those paths are open to other degrees or that they don't pay more than you make.
Whoa whoa no need to get personal kid. I understand that you unfortunately got a shity degree instead of going full geology. Any structural geologist can get a job in petro, knowing fossil succession isn’t that difficult. I don’t know why anyone with a stem degree would be an artist but you do you. If you comprehended my original post, you would have noticed I mentioned that it’s a larger useless degree outside of research. That should be a dead giveaway that I’m talking about professors. I would imagine a curator would need the same education.
So try not to get upset because you decided on the worst possible stem degree other than environmental science. I’m trying to give a kid some decent advice, you’re coping.
>So try not to get upset because you decided on the worst possible stem degree other than environmental science
Learn to read
I have a geology degree from Mines, I made more money before I studied paleontology than you will ever.
Ironically enough I made my millions in environmental work for industrial mining. A field I continue to make millions in. In fact enviro is the one course I'd absolutely recommend if a person wants to make more than geologists do. Mostly because every single mine and well needs enviro guys and there aren't a lot of them.
you are an ignorant ass. Your 'decent advice' is horrible. If a person wants to waste 30 years of their life on academia, paleontology pays just as well as physics or math or any other field. If a person wants to work in heavy industry or government a paleontology degree is more useful than a lot of lesser courses that are just as oversaturated.
but then you already know all this:
your complaints are too specific and uninformed to be accidental. You are my troll, the troll born to troll me. And you get me every time because I like to brag and you give me the chance. You're probably also OP, since he never showed up again in the thread. Thank you for making me another thread, I always enjoy talking about myself.
More liking talking to yourself lol. Enjoy your LARP
Posting on Wauf is a strong indication you won't make it in science.