Herp careers

[JoshCrane1]

hey yall, just wondering what kind of careers or jobs are out there for us herpers, im on the verge of going postal, looking for something a little more fulfilling. i was thinking about breeding, but would like to know what other cool herping occupations there are out there. thanks.

 

[JoshCrane1]

no ideas besides being a breeder?

 

[Justin Carl]

Josh, you are really impatient.
I think 12 people have looked at this thread.

Anyways, to answer your question.
You have certain people like Chris Anderson that use high speed footage to study how a chameleons tongue works.
I think he also studies some stuff on the hyoid bone, but wont go into much detail on that.

The people that develop lighting, supplements, etc.
I'm sure their might be a few biologist that study chameleons.
What would Gary Ferguson be?

 

[Dankmeleon]

you can become an accredited zoologist, brian fellows, safari plantet, brian fellows

 

[spearsre]

Herp Careers; the skinny...

Unfortunately Josh careers as a herpetologist are far and few between. Now that being said you could become a college professor after spending up to 7 years in college to obtain a Ph.D. This is a cool job for someone who is academic and likes research and low pay but gets off on publishing articles about research in scientific journals and uses that ego to get young understudies into precarious situations. You could work with the USFWS in Customs and confiscate all the great chams coming in from Madagascar then charge high prices.You could work with a state agency and work with native herps. The federal and state jobs are really, really hard to get even with good credentials. I have been there. They also pay clam shells. You could own a pet store but unless you are really savvy with marketing and business owning a pet shop can be difficult. Finally, you could be a breeder. I know nothing of this craft.

Oh and if you want to be Brian Fellows then audition with the Kratz brothers or Martha F'n Stewart.

I am an ecologist... wildlife biologist. My specialty is bats...and I learned that bats don't pay bills. So now I do ecological restoration for a big engineering firms and use that income to feed my new hobby. Josh I am not sure how old you are and I certainly do not mean to hamper your dreams or ambition nor lecture you. Look for jobs that will bring good income to you and as you learn chameleons and breed the successfully then and only then should you consider a career in this area. It will take years to build up the contacts and the reputation that you will need to be successful. So choose you career and hobbies wisely. It took me 10 years before I realized that my true love and interests did not necessarily add up to a successful career. Good luck.

 

[JoshCrane1]

thanks, when i thought about it i coulnt hardly think of any jobs that i could sit around and enjoy chameleons, but really breeding. and that would be a big investment to make it profitable and like you said to make a reputation and build up contacts and sources is a timely process.but hey, you gotta start somewhere right?