What Zoology Careers Are there?

Many people who have qualified with a degree in zoology choose to find work as an ecologist. Ecologists study and work with Eco systems as a whole, including the distribution of organisms such as people, plants, animals and the relationship between them and their environment.

Ecologists often choose one particular area to focus their studies on, for example freshwater or marine, and will then study, research and do tests in this area. These include identifying species, monitoring their life cycle and habitats and recording their findings.

Some ecologists work with environmental firms and follow environmental policies and are often responsible for monitoring species and their habitats for protection purposes.

Environmental consultants work alongside organisations that assess, and monitor environmental issues for commercial businesses and government businesses.

They are employed to minimize risk to the environment and ensure that companies follow procedures that are in place to help reduce wasted energy, recycle waste and waste management and protect air land and water contamination. They also promote businesses to work in a way that is as eco-friendly as possible.

Environmental consultants often work among the manufacturing and production sector where environmental issues pose the biggest risk and are a major concern.

A career as a marine scientist is directly linked to zoology and can be a fascinating and rewarding career choice. Marine scientists work towards researching, analyzing and studying the forecasts of the oceans, their life forms and the coastal areas that surround them and will work closely with marine biologists.

Marine scientists are generally employed by universities, international organisations, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations and marine research institutes.

Marine science is a broad spectrum and there are many opportunities to study and research in several different fields.

The role of a nature conservation officer again works closely with areas in zoology. As a nature conservation officer you are responsible for working to protect, enhance and manage local environments.

Depending on which region you work you can be working among different areas of our environment including, grassland, woodland, forests, coastal areas and even marine areas in some cases.

A large part of the role is to encourage people to consider and help to protect our environment and this includes helping raise awareness and increase understanding. You can also be responsible for enforcing and creating local policies which can have a huge national impact!

Whit a zoology career, you can typically be employed at a laboratory (government, environmental agencies, universities, food companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc...) in order to take part in laboratory-based studies in order to carry out experiments and investigations that are more focused on biology and zoology in order to plan the experiment, carry out fieldwork, collect samples, developing solutions to specific problems, presenting data and making sure you keep up to date with the latest developments in the field of zoology investigation.

The difference between this job and that of a Marine scientist is that a research scientist will not only evaluate the state of the sea but any specific ecosystem and will be focused on investigation mostly.

Although it may seem strange, physician associates or assistants can also be closely linked to zoology. In this case, it's a good way of working directly with animals without having to study to be a veterinary. Diagnosis can be made as well as managing animal patients, and you will be working side by side with other vets. This is an especially useful position for vets that are specialized in exotic animals, as many associates are not as knowledgeable as a zoologist will be. Typical employers include vets, zoos or animal sanctuaries.

Another research related career you can do with a zoology degree is field trials officer. In this case, you will solely be focused on developing, managing and monitoring trials that are part from a research study in the filed of experimentation with animals. You will work with other scientists in the field or laboratory in order to develop scientific research studies. This task will be mainly related to agricultural and health and safety measures that will be requested by external clients.

What zoology careers are there apart from the jobs already mentioned above? There are also other career paths that are also closely related to zoology and can also conform a path for you to follow after you have finished your degree, although you may need further higher education in order to work in these jobs:

• Biomedical scientist: Research is definitely one of the most common career paths for zoologists, and bio-medicine is no exception. Zoologists can typically work side by side with scientists in issues such as clinical microbiology, virology and immunology when studies are applied to animals.
• Environmental education officer: This career is great if you are an extrovert, as you will be working with new people nearly every day. This job involves creating awareness among population on environmental issues and promoting conservation programs. Trusts and foundations can typically hire environmental education officers to promote specific actions, research or fields that these organisations are specialized in. You will also be in charge of and help in the analysis and research of the specific programs.
• Environmental manager: Also known as sustainability managers, this career path is perfect to move one step forward in monitoring the effect of humans in the ecosystem. This is why an environmental manager will be in charge of checking the performance of organisations in the private and public sector and how they work in favor of sustainability. A post-graduate degree will also help have more chances to getting a post of this kind.
• Higher education lecturer: This is another great career path that you can follow, especially if you're also moving on to a PhD. In this sense, you will be teaching and lecturing undergrads at university, specifically in the field of zoology or any other degree related to the subject. This is a great way to give back what you learned during your years at college.
• Toxicologist: One of the hardest career paths and probably most disheartening but yet absolutely necessary is toxicology. In this case, you will be studying the effect of toxic waste and radiation in animals. After your zoology degree, you should probably get extra education in toxicology, as it is highly related to other fields such as pharmacology or bio-medical sciences.

According to recent studies, most people who graduate in zoology work on to postgraduates and PhDs in order to complete and specialize in a certain field even more. Less than 10% of the people whom studied this career were unemployed, which means that it won't be difficult to get a job, although the chances of it being directly related to zoology are not as high as you'd like them to be. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, zoologists can earn a median annual salary of $61,800.

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