Yes, you can make a comfortable living doing fieldwork. There are a variety of career routes that you can pursue. For instance, you could be an academic researcher (i.e. professor at a college or university), be a private-sector environmental consultant, or work for the government (e.g. USGS, EPA, Forest Service). All of these career routes have their pros and cons.

Are you in high-school now? One of the best ways to prepare yourself is to enroll in a good college as a biology or natural resources major. Be sure to take statistics and good general biology classes. But one of the most important things to do is to get actual research or management experience. You can work for a professor in his/her lab while taking classes. You could do a summer internship with a private or public conservation organization. The most important thing is to try to get a broad range of experiences to determine which type of career you like the best.

All the best,

Mike
herpetology photos

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