Full Careers
Info on alpha taxonomy as a career?
I've been searching around career info sites, but most don't have any results involving taxonomy other than biology teacher. x_x I'm wondering what kind of education and training I need for this (currently 4yr biology program at McGill U). Also, what would my average workday be like, who exactly... would I be employed by (a univeristy or something), does this involve mostly fieldwork, labwork, or a mix of both, and about how much money can I expect to make? Informed responses only, thanks in advanced. :D
Public Comments
- Alpha taxonomy is a bit overly specialized to make into a career. You also need beta and, most probably, gamma. I figure that 90-odd percent of the taxonomists teach at the college or university level. The next largest group are museum curators, followed by zoo curators. In some fields, industry may be interested. Your chances of spending all your time on alpha taxonomy are slim to none. As to field vs lab, it depends on what group you are interested in. Money will depend largely on what else you do (teaching, bringing in fat grants, etc). Sorry to be such a downer. There is hope for a very few. The parasitology program at Tulane, when I was there as a teacher, was very busy with alpha and beta taxonomy. They considered it a slow day when there was only one new genus to describe, as I recall.
