If you go specifically for zoology, the job market blows, cause there are only a few government agencies and state agencies that can/will hire you, and you are going up against 100's of other grads who are after the same job. Like here in PA, I wanted to work for the game commission, but the biology spots that a zoology degree could fill were taken and sorta like "life" positions for people, only leaving when they retire, and then the position is filled up quickly with an applicant who has years of experience compared to your monthes (or your no experience).
I realized this going through school, so i took the route of diversifying what I could do. I expanded into environemental science, digital mapping (GIS), and GPS. All the whole though still taking the zoology cores, and taking the electives that would get me that degree.
I got as many internships and got my nose in on as many projects as I could, both zoology and not so zoology related. Knowing that zoology was a stagnate job once I graduated, I looked at all the work I had done, classes I had taken, and chose which one I thought had the best (up and coming) future in it. I choose GIS, which is using computers to make maps using GPS units, and graphics programs. Found an internship with it at the PA game commission, since they were just starting to get into digital mapping, I used that as my selling point to get it. While I was there, I did all the GIS they could hand me, but got my hands on wildlife projects, field work, wildlife work, telemetry, etc. (just sorta as a side note "Hey boss, i got those maps done, you care if I go out with the food and cover crews and setup the deer fence or go with the game warden and set bear culvert traps")
Well that internship lead to a contract job right after college, which of course I took, and followed through to the end of contract, and my boss had eluded tothe fact that he wanted me full time, but right at the end of the summer of 2002 (when the contract ran up) the state had budget cuts, and full timers were getting cut so he had to send me on my way.
In the dealings there though, I had made some friends, and made contacts with environmental engineering companies, private contracters, and of course the state itself. Well they recommended me to a couple environmental engineering firms who were looking for environmental scientists at the time. I applied and got an interview and what sealed the job was the fact that I had diversified experience and could do GIS as well as the wetlands work they wanted. Less training for them, and less wasted time getting me up to speed = profit for them.
So right now, I am an environmental scientist, specializing in wetlands, GIS, GPS, and endangered and threatened species. I get to stay in the office in front of a comp some days, and others I am out hiking around wetlands, GPSing and identifying them.
As advice, I would NOT warn you against going back at all, I still love the field and zoology aspect of my job, I get to see animals in their natural habitat, not behind plate glass or behind bars. If you do go back, take zoology by all means if you want to stricly do that, and you might luck into a zoo position (if that is what you want) or maybe if you are REALLY lucky a state or federal position, but that is if you go singlely for zoology. What i would do is diversify, take zoology, but take other cutting edge things like GIS, like GPS, like environmental science, like water chemistry, environmental standards, etc. You will be able to fill a much wider range of positions, and through all those you will still get to tnjoy what you really wanted to get out of the education.
An employer will look at your application and say "WOW this guy could fill this this this and this position here, and will give us a great knowledge base to work from, and will add a lot to the company"
Summary:
Advice-
1. Diversify what you take in school
2. Internships!!! (More experience the better)
3. Be friendly, and professional at all times - make as many contacts as you can
4. Don't forget what interested you in the first place - if a job pops up that has nothing at all to do with zoology, you can say no. With your list of skills, you are marketable many different ways to different positions.
EDIT: If anyone is interested in the environmental field or zoology, feel free to email me at lwgarner@mccormicktaylor.com or generalbigdog52@hotmail.com I will help ya out any way i can.
Edited, Thu Aug 26 15:32:55 2004 by buteo
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