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Career in herpetology: |
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Ross Member Joined: 26 Dec 2004 No. of posts: 25  View other posts by Ross |
Posted: 29 Dec 2004 Ever since that day some 10 years ago when I found my first wild adder with my Uncle I gave up on my dreams of becoming a chef to work with these fascinating creatures. My school work improved (you need top grades to attend university) and everything was going to plan. Well anyways, my parents hit a financial snag which meant that they could'nt support me through my A-levels, so I left school with only my credit GCSE's. I have recently applied to a good few universities, however I have been shot down by each of them. Apparantly I can get in with the relevant experiance. What does that mean? I can't get a job with herps without experiance and I can't get experiance without a job! I could of course do some field work, but the major reason for me wanting to go to uni is to learn how to deal with these animals in the own environment. It would'nt be fair on them having some novice messing around with them! Basically i'm running around in circles. Would the proteus courses aid me? Or is the A-level my best route? If anyone can offer advice then I would greatly appreciate it! Ross |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 29 Dec 2004 Hi Ross, I've never found that not having an academic background in herps has either stopped me working with them in the field or earning money in the process. Survey work does not usually require that you even handle the animals so a complete novice can begin to build experience whilst doing useful voluntary work for a local arg for example. You may then find yourself making the connections that lead to paid work. I would go for the fieldwork to build up practical experience of herps whilst you sort out which academic route to take. Many local args can also offer field training for members, at the end of the day I wouldn't give up my field experience for any amount of qualifications, as useful as they may be if your real interest is in research.
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Ross Member Joined: 26 Dec 2004 No. of posts: 25 View other posts by Ross |
Posted: 29 Dec 2004 Yeah, I have looked into joining my local arg but it has apparantly closed down. I will look for another herp club. Cheers for the advice Ross |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 29 Dec 2004 Ross, I most definitely recommend that you *do* get the academic qualifications. These don't necessarily have to be herp related, an ecology or environmental sciences based course would be very useful. If nothing else, this will help to train you in the necessary study skills that will enable you to get the most out of your chosen career. Organising survey work is one thing, but good academic training will help you to design projects that collect meaningful data. As Gemma has pointed out, it is also vital that you supplement your academic training with a healthy dose of field experience - too many courses nowadays offer paltry fieldwork opportunities. The best way to learn more about reptiles and amphibians is to find somebody who is willing to go out in the field with you and share their experience. ARGs are a good route for this - are you sure that there is no local group that you could join? How about the BHS? The herp workers meeting takes place in a few weeks. This is an ideal opportunity for you to meet people and make valuable contacts. Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Ross Member Joined: 26 Dec 2004 No. of posts: 25 View other posts by Ross |
Posted: 30 Dec 2004 Dr Brady Firstly I would like to thank you very much. All advice is most welcome. I was thinking along the same lines as yourself. I am fairly certain that my local arg which would be the clyde one is no longer running. I have emailed and phoned several times but to no avail. To date, I have still not found any local groups, I will of course keep trying to find one. As for the BHS, I would love to get involved, however I would never get the time off work. Perhaps I can get involved when I start at college. Unless anyone knows of any Scottish meetings that is. I live in a semi-rural community, so finding newts, frogs and toads is just a matter of walking to the shops. I guess for now I can just omit lizards and snakes from my studies. Cheers again Ross |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 05 Jan 2005 Ross, A list of local groups can be found at http://www.froglife.org/HGBI/ARGs.htm Clyde is still listed, perhaps it would be worth trying to contact them again? Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Angelo Pernetta Member Joined: 09 Jul 2004 No. of posts: 8  View other posts by Angelo Pernetta |
Posted: 17 Jan 2005 Hi Ross, Like you I am trying to get into a career in herpetology and my advice to you is that you should follow the academic route. As you know herp jobs are few and far between here in the UK so competition is fierce. I see from your posts that left school with GCSE's and no A-Levels. Have you thought about doing a HND in Ecology/Wildlife Management or a similar subject? Most technical colleges will offer courses like this and they allow you to gain fieldwork experience as well as the necessary academic qualifications for entry into university. Most universities accept HND's as a substitute for A-Levels and will allow you to do a BSc in Ecology, Zoology or related field. At the moment there are no dedicated herpetology degrees in the UK however Bangor University does have three herpetologists in their department and offer undergraduate courses in herpetology which can make up a component of your degree. I didn't take this route into university but I know some people who did and were glad of it. Sadly though having a BSc doesn't seem o be enough these days (I've just completed a masters course and aim to begin a PhD in the near future to ensure I get a herp job!) so I would encourage you to gain as much practical experience at the same time. Whichever way you go I wish you the best of luck. Cheers, Angelo Angelo Pernetta PhD Student, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - Dorset http://uk.geocities.com/angelopernetta/ |
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Ross Member Joined: 26 Dec 2004 No. of posts: 25 View other posts by Ross |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 [QUOTE=administrator] Ross, A list of local groups can be found at http://www.froglife.org/HGBI/ARGs.htm Clyde is still listed, perhaps it would be worth trying to contact them again? [/QUOTE]
4 months on and I still can't contact anyone, very odd! Oh well, guess it's time to give up on that route! |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 Shame though I know the feeling and I'm the secretary of Kent ARG, most of them don't talk to me either. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Ross Member Joined: 26 Dec 2004 No. of posts: 25 View other posts by Ross |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 yeah, I would have liked to use it as a means to educate myself on our native species, pity! |
- Career in herpetology |