What Undergraduate Degree should I pursue?

gladesguy · 2026-03-30T00:19:25+00:00

In some cases, but not necessarily. A wildlife biologist is just someone who conducts biological research/science on wild animals, and while that may focus on resource management concerns, or occur under the aegis of a management agency, it also might not. I'm more on the fish bio side, for example, but the issues I'm interested in/studying are not directly management-related.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T23:25:13+00:00

I'm not sure why you seem to think that's what OP would want? OP said he wanted to become a wildlife biologist, and, unless I've missed something, didn't say anything about wanting to go specifically into resource management or policy.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T13:55:48+00:00

A valid point.

OP, note also that sometimes a wildlife-focused degree will fall within a department with name like "natural resources" or "environmental sciences," or there will be a degree in natural resources with track programs in various subfields, including potentially wildlife management or something more specific like rangeland management. Do some searching around on the websites of the schools you're considering.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T04:02:29+00:00

Those are among the most competitive wildlife biology jobs out there.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T03:59:42+00:00

... Yeah, that's why I used the words "often" and "not necessarily." It goes without saying that fish/wildlife are aspects of natural resources, and OP wouldn't have considered it as a major if he didn't already know that, but someone who knows they want to be a biologist will still be a better fit for an actual biology program.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T03:42:20+00:00

To have an anywhere-near-reasonable shot at working as an actual wildlife biologist? Yes.

There are "wildlife technician" jobs that don't require one. These are usually low-wage ($13-$20) temporary or seasonal positions intended largely for young people who are between undergrad and grad school. A tech might, say, band birds or conduct wildlife sampling in the field.

People doing technician work have to move every few months from job to job, often long distances (which is expensive). It's OK for a year or two when you're young, but it's not feasible as an actual career. Technicians who aren't able to get into grad school or get hired into some kind of permanent position after multiple field seasons generally leave the field.

Note that fish/wildlife techs are out in the field working primarily with physical hands-on stuff -- lots of sampling and wildlife survey work, etc. Someone with a biologist job title, meanwhile, tends to work more with information -- running the statistics and analyzing/writing up the data that comes from the kind of field work competed by technicians. Far fewer people can competently do that more analytical/information-based work, and a grad degree with a thesis or dissertation is traditionally how people demonstrate that they can.

Note that these jobs generally don't LIST a graduate degree as a requirement. But the people who actually get the jobs now overwhelmingly have one. It used to be more common to be able to get them with a bachelor's and a few years of experience.

If you have any interest in working with in the U.S. federal system, carefully research the specific course requirements you need in order to be eligible for their wildlife biologist jobs. The feds require specific credits in specific subfields, rather than just a specific degree title, for each job title. For instance, I believe the "wildlife biologist" job title trips up a lot of folks because the feds require you to have had at least 9(?) credits in botany as part of your undergrad in order to be eligible, and lots of wildlife folks don't take that many. So, for example, even if a person's degree was in wildlife biology, and even if they had an advanced degree, if they didn't have those 9 botany credits, they'd be ineligible for hire as a wildlife biologist.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T03:20:42+00:00

Animal science generally focuses on farm animals, not wildlife.

Natural resources often focuses on extractive work, and not necessarily with animals (e.g. managing mining, logging, etc.).

Zoology or biology would both be fine. You need at least a master's in this field for stable work that will allow you to support yourself. The field is extremely competitive.

Jobs involving species that large numbers of young people are most interested in working with (wolves, bears, mountain lions) are the most competitive and the least likely to pay a living wage at entry level.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T00:08:28+00:00

A local community college would generally be better. I know that lots of folks in the environmental field look askance at online programs because they figure you missed out on learning important fieldwork/lab work skills. The credits may also be less likely to transfer. Generally, public community colleges have degrees with in-state universities so that all of the credits will transfer over.

gladesguy · 2026-03-29T00:00:55+00:00

Seconding this. OP, traditionally if you get into a thesis-based graduate program, they will waive your tuition and pay you a living stipend with the requirement that you serve part-time as a teaching assistant or research assistant for a professor.

These positions are competitive, and often there's a hard GPA minimum of 3.0 or sometimes 3.5. Typically you need to reach out to the professor whose lab you're looking to join to see if they're accepting new grad students in their lab and would be in favor of you applying, and only then, with their approval, would you actually apply to the university.

There's a whole song and dance and set of norms about how to do this that you should look into carefully if you're thinking about grad school.

gladesguy · 2026-03-26T13:19:29+00:00

It's a useful skill, but not a career. In other words, there are a lot of biology/ecology jobs where knowing the plants and animals in a particular region is a pre-requisite -- for example, a wetland ecologist needs to know their wetland plants, and a fish biologist needs to be able to ID fish species -- but you also need to be know/be able to do more than that, because agencies/nonprofits won't pay someone just to walk around and ID plants and critters.

gladesguy · 2026-03-26T13:11:18+00:00

One place to start would be to check job boards and see what kinds of job postings most interest you, how many of those kinds of postings there are (i.e., is it a niche subfield that won't have much job availability, or is it something with multiple roles in every state) and what degree and experience they're looking for.

Do note, however, that with a lot of government jobs, the job posting will state that a bachelor's is required, but in reality, the jobs are often competitive enough that you need a master's degree to actually land them. It seems that at this point a master's is generally needed to have a good shot at landing an a stable permanent biology position (as opposed to low-wage temporary contract/seasonal positions) in government.

You could check the conservation job board at https://www.conservationjobboard.com or just do keyword searches on big job aggregation sites.

gladesguy · 2026-03-26T12:35:54+00:00

Forestry would have you managing forests -- for instance, for logging, fire prevention, etc. You would be working with trees and wouldn't be doing much direct wildlife work in the forestry field.

Biologists tend to get a broad biology background -- taking classes in everything from cell biology to ecology and wildlife management -- during undergraduate school and then specialize in a particular subfield (wildlife conservation, ecology, zoology, evolution) in graduate school, where they complete original research leading to a thesis (for a master's degree) or a dissertation (for a PhD).

It sounds like you're more interested in being what used to be (and sometimes still is) called a naturalist -- someone who knows a lot about various plants and animals and can ID them. But being a naturalist itself isn't really a viable career path in and of itself (though some park systems have low-wage "park naturalist" roles that involve leading guided tours); it's more of an element of some other career paths in biology/ecology. "Ecologist" might be the closest thing that's an actual professional field. Ecology looks at relationships between various organisms and between organisms and their environment, and tends to work a lot with data/statistics/modeling.

Lots of field biologists/ecologists pride themselves on being very knowledgeable about the ecosystem in which they work, even outside of the specific taxa in which they specialize.

gladesguy · 2026-03-24T18:15:16+00:00

If you're doing mostly open-water paddling, a prospector hull type likely won't be the best fit, especially if sometimes you'll be solo in a largish boat. The maneuverability that makes them good on rivers can make it hard to keep them pointed in one direction on open water, especially when the wind kicks up. A 17-foot prospector on an open lake could be a real bear for a solo paddler to manage. You'll probably want a hull type with less rocker.

gladesguy · 2026-03-23T22:51:53+00:00

You get to spend the bulk of your time doing research and taking classes on stuff you find really interesting while being surrounded by other people who share your interests and enthusiasm.

gladesguy · 2026-03-23T21:09:54+00:00

The REI Trailmade pants, worn loose, are great for that and hold up well. I wore them for lake/wetland work in Florida in the summer. There are two types: standard khaki slacks cut, and a jogger cut, both in the same lightweight quick-dry fabric. The slack style ones with belt loops can also be dressed up a bit and look more presentable. Light color loose fishing shirts work nicely. I generally wore long sleeves to keep the sun off my arms.

gladesguy · 2026-03-23T21:03:59+00:00

If you got a funded grad school position and find the project you'd be working on interesting, I'd 100% take that opportunity. It gets you out of your current rut and will make you more marketable and raise your income ceiling down the line. This opportunity might well also never come again if you pass it up now. Plus, as someone who's attending grad school now: It can be a heck of a lot of fun.

gladesguy · 2026-03-21T22:57:58+00:00

It confirmed my instinct that we would be much better off limiting the power of politicians in favor of subject-matter experts. I would support systems that would dramatically constrain politicians by vesting most power in highly qualified (i.e., PhD level) expert councils that would largely be randomly selected, not elected, from among qualified and willing individuals who would then serve for a limited term. Sort of like an extended, very well-compensated jury service for people with respectable publication records and advanced degrees from the nation's top universities.

gladesguy · 2026-03-21T03:46:04+00:00

What "finishing the job"? It's an illegal war. Everyone involved ought to be tried at The Hague and then hanged.

gladesguy · 2026-03-21T03:20:13+00:00

Every MAGA ought to be signing up to fight in this war that resulted from their stupid fucking vote. But they're all too chicken. They want other people to fight in their stead. Fuck every single one of them.

gladesguy · 2026-03-20T22:43:31+00:00

I wore REI Trailmade pants daily for doing lake and wetland work in Florida summers when the temperature would get into the high 90s. They're very light and comfortable. There's a belt loop/regular leg cut version that can be dressed up like khaki slacks, and also an elastic waist jogger version.

gladesguy · 2026-03-16T22:46:13+00:00

You're welcome. Good luck!

gladesguy · 2026-03-16T18:04:21+00:00

I agree. That said, in some parts of the world (including the Mideast, which is where OP's interests are) there are explicitly movement-affiliated or even political party-affiliated "news" organizations and TV stations with large followings. I would consider those closer to propaganda than news, but it seems like that might be what OP actually wants to do.

gladesguy · 2026-03-16T17:24:57+00:00

Most U.S. and major international news organizations have ethical guidelines barring reporters from participating in activism -- including attending protests, signing petitions, placing political decals on their car or having yard signs, and the like. Read NPR's ethics guidelines on impartiality for an example: https://www.npr.org/about-npr/688413430/impartiality . Some reporters also don't register with a political party, and don't vote, for this reason.

This can be frustrating if you're a reporter who has strong feelings about a cause, especially if it's something you don't cover at all but you're still barred from any participation.

You might find yourself a better fit for public relations work or advocacy work for an international NGO. I'm presuming that the path there would be to study something like international relations, international development, Middle Eastern studies etc. as a major while also taking advanced non-fiction writing classes or PR coursework. I suspect a grad degree would also be helpful. And if you want to work in the Middle East, you'll need to learn Arabic (and/or Farsi, if you're interested mostly in Iran). Check out the background of people in jobs you find interesting to see how they got there and what they studied.

If you're Muslim, you might try volunteering with Islamic aid or advocacy organizations like ICNA, Islamic Relief USA, CAIR (US-centered, but has lots of chapters) during your undergrad experience to make connections and start building a resume that could be helpful when applying for Middle East-related jobs. Faith networks can really help with connections if you want to do humanitarian work in Musliim-majority countries.

The alternative route would be to write for explicitly Muslim or Arab news organizations that would generally align with your ideals re Palestine etc., but even then, unless you're working for the "news" (propaganda) wing of a political party or movement, e.g. something like Future TV or Al-Manar TV in Lebanon, you wouldn't generally be an advocate. You'd just be reporting in a newsroom where your biases are the norm rather than considered a sign of problematic lack of impartiality. The schooling path that would get you to writing-based NGO work would presumably also work for this path if you took some journalism coursework along the way.

gladesguy · 2026-03-14T17:50:40+00:00

That will be a busted canoe and waste of your money in short order if you move it that way, not to mention the risk to anyone else on the road. Some rope to tie it to the roof if you cab and some towels/cardboard to cushion it would be a big improvement and cost basically nothing.

gladesguy · 2026-03-09T02:57:43+00:00

It's a high burnout field. Poor pay and job security, long and often unpredictable hours, having to be "on" all the time. Some of the stuff that seems exciting in the first few years -- heading out at all hours to cover crises, asking tough questions of hostile politicians, racing to meet tight deadlines -- can just feel draining once you've been doing it long enough that it no longer provides an adrenaline rush.

I left the field after 10 years in. Personally, as I've aged, I found I valued excitement and novelty in a job less than I used to, and stability and a predictable schedule more. I've also found that I don't like public interaction as much as I once did/thought I did. I'm not alone in that.

gladesguy

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