I'm going to become a scientist. I don't know whether I should become a biologist or an ecologist.
Which one has the best combination of possibly enjoyable work, possibly good pay, and possible worthwhile acheivments which will benefit people/the environment/anything/etc?
As a biotechnologist who just attended the end of year dinner of the botany department I have something to say:
On one side of the room you had the ecologists, on the other you had molecular biologists; the former group, looked like the sort of dirty hippies who I'd never get closer than 50 meters from my sister, the second group looked all like nerds and overdressed for the occasion.
Now, seriously, take into account the career possibilities after graduating:
Are you into science for the research?
If so, you have 2 options:
Being an academic or working in the industry. Both have their pros and cons.
Ecology is pretty much limited to be an academic as the industry does not invest on it.
IMH Biology per se is too general and does not grant you a position in the industry.
What is it that interests you about biology?
zoology?
microbiology?
molecular biology?
Biotechnology?
Don't forget that environmental science is pretty hot, at the moment, and it will only increase. As environmental regulations keep getting tougher, there will be more and more need for eco-conseling for companies, administrations, etc,...
Thanks >>3, I've been thinking about that too. It seems there would be a lot of important work for me as an ecologist, but I'm not at all sure that telling companies etc how not to ruin the environment etc would be very fullfilling work...
>>2 Right now I'd say that it's zoology that interests me in biology, but I haven't had a change to study any of the other three options, and for all I know I'll be completely fascinated by one of them way more than zoology. But I'm pretty sure zoology would be the most interesting to me.
A dirt hippy or a nerd... right now, I'm actually hovering somewhere between hippy, goth, and nerd. Strange combination, I know. So I guess I could go either way pretty easily.
I am going to become a botanist and grow the best fucking weed in the world. CANNIBUS CUP HERE I COME! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you were a powerful ecologist, you could have gone to Bali to discuss the horror of catastrophic global warming in a tropical paradise.
hmmm... I like going to Bali :)
Anti-Ecologists are a bunch of fascists.