Back up plan for a career in wildlife conservation?

[stephrp]

If I'm not accepted to vet school, I would still like to do something with wildlife animals/conservation. I'm looking to see what people would recommend I major in to match my back up plan. Currently I'm deciding between majoring in Biology or Natural Resources Conservation (focus on Wildlife Ecology), or double majoring, or majoring in Biology with a minor in NRC. I already have an A.S. in Biology. Going for the B.S. Biology alone would mean two more years, Bio/minor would mean three more years, and double majoring would be four years. I'm okay with taking the time to do the double major if it would be more beneficial.

I have the first two years financially taken care of so I would either be paying for zero, one, or two years and would wind up at a maximum of 40k in undergrad debt, which I'm also okay with. I know it's best to go into vet school with the least amount of undergrad debt possible, but I also want to choose a degree that would fit my needs outside of vet school, just in case.

Ultimately I'm looking to see which would be more beneficial. The NRC degree also qualifies me to become a certified Wildlife Biologist. I have spoken with three advisers and they've all kind of told me different things... but all three said that no matter which option I choose, they will all require at least a graduate degree to move up in the field and/or make myself competitive. Each adviser has given me pros/cons but none of them have really said "I would recommend doing this".

Thanks for your opinions.

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[jmo1012]

do you have a specific career (or careers, other than vet med) in mind? i think you should research and target exactly what you think you want to do, because its more difficult to decide where to focus your efforts with something vague like wildlife/conservation. you probably are looking at a graduate degree, so i'd look at those programs too. see what they're looking for in their applicants. just like it doesnt make sense to become a vet tech as your stepping stone to vet school, it may not make sense for you to spend more than 2 more years on undergrad course work (arguably i dont think it makes sense to sink more than the amount of time required to get to the next step if not for financial reasons, then for getting on with your life). are there any other careers you're thinking about at all? for example, i did a degree in bio rather than animal science because i knew that if i decided not to go to vet school, then i was likely interested in med school or graduate work in bio. animal science got me no where (that i was interested in) if i didn't go to vet school. i also just wasnt that interested in the AS curriculum. do what makes you happy, do what makes the most sense.

 

[pirateyoho]

Whether or not you need a graduate degree depends on what you're wanting to do within the field of wildlife/conservation. The head licensed rehabilitator at a wildlife rehab center where I volunteered only had her Bachelor's degree (and a BA in engineering, no less).

 

[that redhead]

Like jmo said, I think it's important to delve a little deeper on your expectations. A lot of wildlife conservationists outside of rehab are essentially researchers with a heavy emphasis on epidemiology/statistics/herd health from afar. There are few positions that actually let you go out regularly and interact with those animals. If you're already aware of that fact/okay with it, great! If not, better to know now than after paying for another two years of coursework.

 

[Azbioguy05]

Hey,
So I've been in the wildlife field for a while. It is very competitive even with a masters. Look for field work opportunities with threatened or endangered species. Get coursework in wetlands and look into environmental science as a lot of jobs are in the wildlife consulting field. I have only a bs but I know people with their masters still stuck doing seasonal jobs. I actually wrote a book on some things that aren't talked about in college. Check out " Tents, tortoises, and tailgates". It will give some career pointers from my mistakes and discoveries. Like the entire field of environmental consulting in chapter 7.
I make very little money on the book it really is just to help people get an idea of what it's like in the field.

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If I'm not accepted to vet school, I would still like to do something with wildlife animals/conservation. I'm looking to see what people would recommend I major in to match my back up plan. Currently I'm deciding between majoring in Biology or Natural Resources Conservation (focus on Wildlife Ecology), or double majoring, or majoring in Biology with a minor in NRC. I already have an A.S. in Biology. Going for the B.S. Biology alone would mean two more years, Bio/minor would mean three more years, and double majoring would be four years. I'm okay with taking the time to do the double major if it would be more beneficial.

I have the first two years financially taken care of so I would either be paying for zero, one, or two years and would wind up at a maximum of 40k in undergrad debt, which I'm also okay with. I know it's best to go into vet school with the least amount of undergrad debt possible, but I also want to choose a degree that would fit my needs outside of vet school, just in case.

Ultimately I'm looking to see which would be more beneficial. The NRC degree also qualifies me to become a certified Wildlife Biologist. I have spoken with three advisers and they've all kind of told me different things... but all three said that no matter which option I choose, they will all require at least a graduate degree to move up in the field and/or make myself competitive. Each adviser has given me pros/cons but none of them have really said "I would recommend doing this".

Thanks for your opinions.