Re: Are there lucrative zoology careers available?

Dear Jason,

We can't give you a "scientific" answer to your question, but it sounds to me as though you are well on the way to figuring this out for yourself. I am a very happy professional research scientist and so are many of my friends, so perhaps I can just share some thoughts with you.

The phrase that stands out in your question is "my heart tells me that zoology is what makes me happy". Well then you must do it! Many people will never be so lucky as to know exactly what they want to do and to want to do it because they know that nothing else will bring them the joy or satisfaction that they need. If I had to pick a characteristic that all my scientist friends share, that would be it - they just know that science is all that they want to do and that nothing else can provide them with the mental stimulation that they need. There are a lot of people who don't seem to enjoy their jobs - we scientists are very fortunate in that respect.

There are all kinds of career opportunities for zoologists - you could be based in a university department, a government organisation, a conservation organisation or a private institute like a zoo or wildlife park. There are sure to be ample opportunities to be involved with things like magazine articles or TV documentaries, if that appealed to you. You could pretty much choose where in the world you want to work, move around the world whenever you felt like a change and see more of the globe than most people ever will.

I'll be honest with you - you're unlikely to become a millionaire working as a research scientist! But you will not be anything like poor either. My scientist colleagues and I manage to own homes, raise families, travel and take holidays without too many difficulties. I think it can be difficult to imagine having your own "working life" when you and your family have spent so many years funding you through education, but when you get there, it all turns out OK. I would pose the question what is more important - to live a life which is spiritually/intellectually rich and be financially comfortable, or to be excessively rich financially, but regretful because you didn't follow your dream. I know what my answer is!