Guest CajunHunter_7 Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Okay guys Im new here and thought this would be a great place to ask questions and have fun too. I am a higschool student and When I do graduate I want to become a wildlife biologist specializing in conservation. What is the average money maid by a WB? good money bad money? I hope to work for a small company going to clubs or ranches to help whenever it is needed thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennswamper Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Depends. Most states don't pay to well at first. IN the south, somewhere in the high 20's to low 30k's. My best friend is a fisheries biologist. He got his Fisheries Science degree and Masters at Mississippi State. He does it because it loves his work. He was the smartest person in our class. 4.1GPA, 31 on his ACT and really high on his SAT. He chose a lower paying field but he is happy. That should be the #1 thing, will it make you happy. If it does, go for it. Heck, he did and he could have been anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxBowHunter Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 I am also a high school student. and this is what im going to college for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 If you love it and are willing to work hard, go for it. Finad a decent undergrad. Wildlife Bio. program...The college I graduated from has a B.S. in Wildlife Bio but majoring in Bio is tough so you will be working hard. If you are willing though, go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 the money from any game & fish department is not top scale, but the work is great. if you love what you are doing, life is good. even if you are making a bunch of money doing a job you don't like, it's a true battle and life just isn't fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CajunHunter_7 Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 any small firms Are there any small firms of WB's like you have the timber companies? Iwould think people who personally travel to ranches and hunting clubs would make good money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Welcome to the forums. As mentioned above, think for the most part the pay in most places would not be that good, but the rewards for the job doing something you enjoy might outweigh the monetary pay if you are able to make it work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Another Avenue A friend on mine has his masters in WB and is going for his doctorate! He works for Potlatch Corp and makes some big $$$$$$! He is more or less his own boss and is out in the mountains all the time! When it comes to hunting season, you won't find him in his office and he is "working" in the field! LO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Basically, if you work for a government agency, be it state or federal, the pay will be on the low side but the benefits and retirement are usually pretty good. If you find work with a private company the pay scale is much better. The other caveat is that you need a graduate degree to get to the big money, which correlates into more time and money spent but a greater financial return for your efforts. One can always learn to live on what they make and if you like a lot of toys, well, you need to make the money to buy them. Throw in a spouse and a family to support and even a job you really like becomes worthless if you can not put food on the table and a roof over your head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Two words - Graduate Degree If you go straight into to the working world with just a bachelors of Science in Wildlife Biology the competition will be far higher than you can possibly imagine at this point. Contrary to what almost every university official will tell you, a Bachelors degree in Wildlife biology does not guarantee you a job. You need to be flexible about moving (sometimes far) and go where the work is. Even then having only a Bachelors will keep ALL the plumb jobs out of reach. If that's as far as you want to go, then go for it. If not seriously think about this not being just a four year commitment. The school you get this degree from better be ranked really high nationally in that program. It really makes a difference. Don't ask anyone at the school's admission office, they just lie to get tuition money. No one ever can sue a university for awarding them a degree they can't get hired with. It's not happening and they know it. So they can lie to your face with absolute safety. Completing a degree in a university that has little respect for producing quality graduates in that field will just cost you money, put you in debt and not get you a job. Find out where potential employers are hiring candidates from. Their opinion matters not the schools. A Masters Degree will really open some doors and a Doctorate is huge from one of the respected schools. Good luck to you. It's smart of you to start doing your homework now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mach1 Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Graduate degree, knowing the right people in the right places, and having available jobs. Without any of those it will be tough to get a job in that field. That's what I went to school for, but my grades weren't good enough to get into grad school, I don't know the right people in the right places (yet), and jobs are scarce around here, especially since our governor has supposedly put on a hiring freeze with our DNR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Personally, I would start talking to as many actual wildlife biologists as possible and try to pick their brains for all kinds of information about what the actual jobs are really like. Try to find out what their individual frustrations and benefits are in their jobs. I almost went into the field of wildlife biology many centuries ago when I was in high school, but opted for engineering instead. There were many times when I wished I had made the other choice. However, over the years I have learned a few things about people involved in state conservation departments, and have kind of found that there is a big difference between how we visualize those kinds of jobs as high-schoolers and the realities of trying to raise a family on those kinds of wages. I have also picked up on a lot of frustration over the fact that fish and wildlife departments have been being virtually starved for resources making for a high degree of frustration at knowing how to do a job right but being denied the resources to actually do it or anything close to it. I'm sure there are many other inside insights that people actually in the field of conservation could tip you off to that may help you in making informed decisions. I suspect that nearly anybody with the kinds of jobs that you are looking at would be more than happy to have a quick conversation with you about threading the proper path toward the kinds of occupations that you are considering. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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