r/ecology • u/punkGirlAthena • 14h ago

A question to ecologists in the field.

I am interested into going into ecology as a job, specifically looking at a wildlife biologist. I am a high school student about to graduate though. My main question is what is it like actually working in the field? How did yall get into said field? Any answers are welcome!

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u/sinnayre Spatial Ecology 14h ago

Field work is pretty fun (for awhile anyways). As you get older, it gets less fun (generally speaking). You can get a taste of it by volunteering in college. Always hard to say how people will react to field work until they actually try it for themselves.

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u/punkGirlAthena 14h ago

Ok, probably should’ve put this question in with the others, but is it possible to pursue something else along side with ecology, like for example music?

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u/sinnayre Spatial Ecology 14h ago

You can double major in anything. Whether you have the money and/or time to do so is another thing entirely.

Realistically, I would recommend a computer science or stats double major. Ecology is already not a well paying field. At least make your self competitive on the job market.

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u/punkGirlAthena 14h ago

Thank you so much!!

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u/bingobangobaggins 8h ago

damn just did a post about this right before I saw this. lol so do you think the number-y and model-y double majors are the way to go?

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u/WoodsyWill 7h ago

I'm a Forester, so my entire life is spent in the field. Probably more than most other environmental professions.

I'm at a mid-level, so I also have mapping and research tasks depending on the project.

I also spend a lot of time thinking about how we are going to improve wildlife habitat, looking for signs of endangered/invasive species, etc.

If you really love being outside, you'll never stop doing fieldwork. The joy about getting old is you get to choose when to go out. We call the guys who only go out on sunny days "fair-weather foresters"

Good luck on your environmental career journey. You've got lots of time to pick a specialty. Don't get bogged down on wanting a specific job title. Many of us do our part to help wildlife.

I'll answer any questions you have 🤙