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Why do wildlife biologist get paid very little compared to the other sciences and how can we avoid that fate?

Hi, I'm Marilin, I'm a biology student at camden county college. I plan on getting my associates in biology at camden county college and then transfer to Rowan University for a bachelor's in biology and hopefully be able to minor in environmental science. I hope to become a wildlife biologist and work at a conservation or start my own. #biology #future #biologist #wildlife-biologist

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Adrianna’s Answer

From my experience the animal aspect of science isn't seen as a large necessity and thus funded much less. In my evolution class in college we were informed that more than 18% of American's did not believe in evolution (this % varies widely based on how the question is phrased and many other factors), with that high of a percentage it isn't a surprise that American's don't want to highly fund animal research and the like.

The funding that goes into wildlife fields and other types of research is highly competitive as universities, businesses, corporations, and more are applying for grants to help support their interest. There are very few direct impacts that the life of wild animals have on people directly. Some people dont understand why we should care about the survival of species if it doesn't immediately help, or benefit them in some way. As you will learn through the course of your education many people in the realm of science believe that creatures of all shapes and sizes should be protected and conserved not as an immediate benefit to use, but because they have that right as living creatures.

In order for there to be more funding in fields such as Wildlife biology their needs to be a greater support for it from the community and especially in congress. In getting a degree in any type of science I believe that you should be aware of how highly impacted it is and that the job market can be hard to enter. I have a degree in Zoology and like you have an interest in Wildlife research, though I did go into the path knowing that I may never get to do the research I wanted and that I would have to fight tooth and nail for every inch.

I love my field and would never look back or change it, and if you are willing to work for it, and be a little creative where you look, you can definitely find a job that you will fall in love with, you just may not be making the big bucks you think you deserve.
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Will’s Answer

Wildlife biologists probably don't get paid well because most wildlife biologists work in academia (universities), and academia does not pay anyone really well as a general rule. The reason other STEM fields (e.g. engineers, chemists, etc) can get paid so well is because they can work in private companies, which pay much better than universities. The chemists and engineers who are professors at universities probably get paid similarly to wildlife biologists at universities.
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John’s Answer

Marilin,
Many do not see openings for work in wildlife biology, It is a very important field in our current environment. One thing that not many people see though is there are openings in this field in all county, state and federal government in every state and county in this country. In Camden County alone there are openings along with Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth and other counties in the state. Working in any government department, whether it be county, state or federal all pay well and the benefits are excellent also. The best place to find these positions is by looking them up at your local county government.
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