Answer 1:
Do you want to be a scientist? Are you
afraid of
blood? That's o.k., because I really hate
needles. The truth is not all scientists work
with blood. I am a biologist, and I worked with
deep sea animals. Usually, I kept them alive in a
small aquarium. Some biologists work with animals
so rare that they would never dissect them or
anything like that. Also, some biologists study
how animals communicate, and they rarely draw any
blood from them. So you see Katy, being a
biologist does not mean you need to draw blood.
There's a whole lot to do! |
Answer 2:
I gather from these questions that you are
considering a career in science, and more
specifically in Biology. All right! You are also
asking the right questions, which is excellent. I
was immediately sympathetic when I read your first
question, in which you asked about jobs that
involve animals but which do not involve blood. I
thought about being a veterinarian for a while in
high school, but finally abandoned the idea after
I came to the conclusion that I really did not want
to perform surgeries (or even give shots-- I hate
needles!).
The good news is that yes, there are
plenty of jobs that allow you to work with animals
without dealing with blood. You could study, for
example, animal behavior. Many biologists make a
living observing animals in order to learn about
how they act in different environments and
situations. While some aspects of behavioral
research can involve internal iology, you can
choose to undertake studies that do not. I am sure
you have seen some of these types of studies on
popular nature programs. For example, a
documentary that follows a pride of lions as it
travels about Africa illustrates one type of this
research. However, occasionally the lions will
kill and eat some hapless wild beast, and that
does involve some blood... Another option might
be to become an animal trainer. Training animals
is usually less research-oriented and is in many
ways a more applied branch of behavioral biology.
For both of these careers it is a good idea to
take many psychology courses in addition to some
biology ones. You could also be an animal
caretaker or curator at a zoo, or work at a
wildlife rehabilitation center. The bad news is
that unfortunately animals, just like people,
sometimes injure themselves, so in any job with
animals you might occasionally encounter some
blood. But with the careers I have mentioned here
blood is not inherent in the job description, and
as you look further in your career search you will
find there are many more options that I have
neglected mentioned.
You also asked how long
you would have to go to school to be a scientist.
That depends on how you look at it. In a way,
you will have to be in school your whole life!
There are always new ideas, developments, and
advances to keep up to date on, and experiments
and investigations to perform. So as a scientist
you will spend the rest of your life learning, but
this is what makes science so exciting! Of course
even though you will spend a lot of time learning
this doesn't mean you have to actually go and sit
in classes your whole life. Normally in order to
find a job where you can truly contribute as a
scientist you need at least to complete a
Bachelors degree at a university (which requires
4-5 years of study), and often times you will need
a graduate degree (such as a Masters or Ph.D.) as
well (requiring another 2-7 years). But if you
ask most scientists, they will tell you that those
years in school were some of the best of their
lives!
Finding a job in Science can be like
finding a job anywhere. Job openings are often
posted in professional journals, on web sites, or
even in newspapers. You can also find a place you
are interested in working, and ask if they have
any positions available. As a student it is a
good idea to volunteer to gain experience and get
to know people who do the kind of work you would
like to do. The more you participate, the more
experience you will get, and the more you will
hear about positions that become
available. Good luck! Click Here to return to the search form.
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