Zoologist
Zoologists are biologists who study animals and their environment to come up with conservation and wildlife management strategies.
What the job looks like
Salary expectation
starts at $30,000 up to $90,000+
The good
- Working with animals and being able to help protect rare or endangered species
- Travelling to beautiful places around Australia
- Getting to work outdoors and having a practical, hands-on job
The not so good
- Spending time away from home
- Working in sometimes remote areas and harsh weather conditions
Zoologists investigate animals in their natural habitat and study particular species to learn more about their behaviours. A big part of your role involves going out on field trips to an animal's environment. This is so you can carry out important observations or tag an animal.
This field research will help monitor the animal you are working with and come up with conservation activities that can best support their survival. Tagging can allow for satellite tracking so you will be able to keep an eye on the animal even when you are back in the office. This also provides further insight into their habits.
Maths is a big part of zoology, whether it's counting animal numbers or collating all your scientific data into graphs. This data is then written up into a report so you will also need to have good English skills.
If you want to work outdoors and have an interest in animals and science, then a career as a zoologist could be for you.
I love the night work with turtles, sitting on the beach with a sky full of stars.
Pathways to this career
Subject suggestions for the HSC
Choosing your HSC subjects from this list could really help with your career. Think carefully about what you want to study after school as you might need to choose specific HSC subjects for that course and to count towards your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). An ATAR is your academic rank in relation to other HSC students and helps with University admission.
HSC subjects
Some subjects will count towards your ATAR, others will not. Check with your career advisor before making subject selections.
- English (Advanced or higher)
- Mathematics (2 unit or higher)
- Biology
- Earth and Environmental Science
What can I do after I have finished school?
University degrees
Studying one of these degrees can help with your career.
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management
Suggestions
Check out The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for more information
- See if you can spend some time with a WIRES wildlife carer, or if you live near the beach see if there is a local coast care group you could volunteer with
- Focus on animal biology for any relevant school assignments to learn more about a particular species of interest
- Keep up to date with the latest news and research and if you have questions, run them by your science teacher
- Go to career expos and events like university Open Days for information about what you will study
