What did you originally want to do and what do you do now?
Ask a Biologist Monday 4/25/22
Answers from Biologists:
I wanted to be a carnivore ecologist (bears, wolves) and now I work with birds.
Exotic animal vet. But I discovered wildlife ecology in sophomore year of undergrad and never looked back.
Big game disease work. Now I’m an environmental coordinator for a state agency.
Dreamt of ornithology. Real life job: Marine biology-sea turtle research
I wanted to be a wildlife vet but was bad at chemistry. I like research so I’m a mammal biologist now.
Marine biologist working with sharks, now I’m a bat biologist.
Work with wolves. Now I work with bighorn sheep.
Wanted to be a researcher, now I work as a consultant instead.
Paleontology vs. ornithology
Originally wanted to study grizzly bear physiology, now I study marine mammals.
A vet. Once I started to take more classes, I realized I had other interests.
I wanted to work in genetics and veterinary medicine. Now I study squirrels and movement ecology.
Wanted to work with big cats and carnivores. Now I work with a rodent species (tucos).
Was determined to be a herpetologist, ended up working with birds.
Conservation biologist. I actually work for a state wildlife agency doing oversight on development.
Wanted to study elephant behavior (and did). Now I study urban mammal ecology.
Dreamed about carnivore biology. I remediate DOE sites. I worked with black bears and red wolves in school.
Game warden. I currently work in habitat, but who knows for the future.
Originally herpetologist, then anti-poaching unit. Now I’m a bat biologist.
Restoration ecologist. Currently working in environmental education, moving back to insects and plants.
Originally wanted to study lemur behavior. Now I’m in avian toxicology.
I wanted to study animal behavior. Now I am a consultant because it pays.
Marine biologist but I got sick just looking at a boat so I’m a landscape ecologist.
A marine biologist. I work in freshwater and compliance now.
Wanted to be a bear biologist with the feds but ended up an environmental education with an NGO.
I wanted to be an English teacher and now I just finished a degree in biology and French.
Originally a physician. Now a naturalist.
Bear biologist. Now I’m an outreach specialist for bird conservation.
Wanted to study sea turtles and now I study small mammals.
To work with duck banding or waterfowl. Now I create wildlife habitat from old farm land.
Wanted to work with wolves (favorite animal and Indigenous) and now I’m doing it.
I wanted to study animal behavior but now I’m more focused on conservation genetics.
Originally wolves or foxes. Now I work with small animals (mice, rats, voles).
Cervids. I did and I still kind of do some cervid work but I keep coming back to prairie dogs.
Work with crocodiles, now I actually work with crocodiles.
Originally mammals, currently herps (tortoises).
Coral reef restoration or sea turtles. I work as an environmental consultant.
Ungulate work. Now I’m a fish biologist.
Wanted to work with sharks. Now work with salmon and trout.
I wanted to work with manatees. Now I am more interested in birds.
DNR/wildlife rehab. Now I’m a natural history collection manager.
I wanted to work with birds, now I plan and install natural habitats on agricultural lands.
I wanted to be a bat biologist and I guess I just stuck with that because now I work with bats.
I started as psychology. Switched to animal behavior and now I study songbirds.
Wanted to work in fisheries, now I work with mostly turtles and other species at risk.
Printed and small cats. Now local species, frogs, turtles, butterflies.
Thought I would travel the world doing field research. Now I’m a zoo educator.
A refuge manager. Now I’m a data specialist for imperiled species and it’s way more fun!
Wanted to be a vet, now I’m an evolutionary biologist working with reptiles and some amphibians.
Marine mammal vet and now I work as a water quality ecologist.
I wanted to be a forester. Now I work with a range of species, mostly birds.
Then: Herpetology. Now: Work in molecular bio
Marine biologist working with sea turtles, now work with Burmese pythons.
Originally wildlife rehab, now wildlife disease biologist.
Wildlife animal ambassador vs. education site lead.
Zoologist working with pollinators. Currently working in a hydrology lab.
I wanted to work with canine genetics, became an entomologist, gave up biology to be a veterinarian.
Also dreamt of working with wolves (and corvids) but ended up focusing on forest ecosystems.
I was going towards fish living near the Great Lakes, but the birds swept me off my feet.
I wanted to be a marine biologist. I work with water quality, water use, wetland ecology.
I work with wild canids, which means I actually mostly work with humans.
Big game biologist. Now I’m an ecologist that focuses mainly on plants and birds.
Wanted to (and still do in the future) work in fisheries. Currently a wildlife biologist with USFWS.
Vet, then mammal conservation. Now I study grassland songbirds.
Landscape geomorph processes. I work with invasive fish now.
Wanted to be a genetic counselor. Now I’m researching aquatic climate change ecology.
Going into undergrad I thought ungulates. Now I study wetland/waterbird ecology.
I wanted to do research on South American birds. Now I do invertebrates, mainly freshwater.
I wanted to work with octopus. Now I work with octopus, lobster, and abalone.
Coral reef ecology, then aquatic toxicology with inverts, now native/invasive reptiles.
Study nutrition in moose. Now I work to improve habitat on private land.
Vet and small carnivore bio. Now I’m a taxidemist!
Grad school-bats. Now I work with sage grouse and sage grouse steppe habitats.
I wanted to work with mammals or birds. Birds were easier, but now I work with all of the species.
Small wild cat (ex: ocelot) conservation, but now a wildlife health biologist (and love it!).
Wanted to work with bats. But became smitten with birds.
I started out obsessed with tigers when I was a kid. I’m a fish biologist.
Underwater archaeologist. Now wildlife biologist in Alaska.
Large animal vet. Now elk, wolves, and many more. Lots of math now.
Wanted to study frogs and behavior. Now studying landscape ecology and lizards.
Sea turtles. I worked with them for 1 season but now I work with tons of species including RCWs.
I wanted to work with big cats. Now I work with a variety of T&E species (threatened and endangered) (birds, small mammals, herps).
Forest tree ecologist (did that several years. Now R and D biologist in biotech.
Film maker and grizzly bear research. Now the professor the Charismatic Minifauna lab.
I wanted to be a forensic psychologist. Now a raptor biologist.
