Owning a reptile changing the course of my life?

[JamieH]

Im seriously LOVING the idea of being a herpetologist but,
Im having a heck of a time finding out

*what degree I need in what
- Ive read zoology, biology and a few others
* a school around where I live
- Northeast PA

UGH, just when I thought I had everything planned out.
We just HAD to go and buy a snake, and now I want to completely change
my life course from criminal justice(which Ive been working at establishing rapport with local and state offficers for LIKE FOREVER! , and took the 3 year law enforcement program at my tech school, so I have plenty of "connections") to herpetology.
Yes, I may only have one snake but this is how strongly I feel already.
And at some point, maybe in about 5-6 years I want to be a breeder and do what I love for a living.

But Im still stuck in this dilemma of working so hard, and investing so much for half of my life to do something that I love too, to just give up and change it. ( Im thinking that this is the result of some recent dramatic life changes )

I dont know why I posted this, I guess Im just fishin around for someone to tell me if Im crazy or not.

[mainbutter]

Being a herpetologist and a herpetoculturist are two very different things.

Being a herpetologist is mostly academic.. getting/working towards a Ph.D. in bio or similar fields of study, and focusing your personal research on the world of reptiles and amphibians. Don't take this the wrong way, but "tech" schools are in no way a good background for someone looking to go into academia. You'd have to invest LOTS of work, time, and money into chasing this kind of career down, and it's not one that many people who try for succeed at.

Herpetoculturist (as a profession) is just another term for "breeder". You don't need any higher education for it, but it's a tough lifestyle that requires a ton of start up capital, a hard work ethic, and lots of luck if you really want to be a "full timer", and not just a hobbyist with another REAL job. The internet is full of people who have said "I want to try breeding ball pythons for a living", wasted a bunch of money, gotten sick of it, and sold their entire collections on faunaclassifieds.

Unless you've become disillusioned with your current career choice (and particularly if you still ENJOY your current career choice), I'd say stick with it. There's room enough for both in your life, and the life of a professional anything to do with snakes is not nearly as glamorous as the TV makes it out to be.. unless you actually have your own TV show and I have no advice about how to go about getting THAT!

[youbeyouibei]

Go where you feel lead, Jamie, but as a full-time cop AND reptile lover myself, you CAN do both. I can't think of any other career that is as fulfilling and equally infuriating as being a cop. It's the greatest job in the world as far as I'm concerned but there are days...and that's where the snakes come in. Hanging out with them, managing their enclosures, feeding and taking care of them and eventually being able to breed them is an awesome hobby and a great stress reliever at times.

You can't go wrong in either field, at least in my opinion, lol! As far as a stable income, law enforcement is a good route to take. Put in your 20 years or more if you care to, earn your pension, and still be young enough when you retire to take up a second career if you wanted to or dive into the reptile business full-time if you're still so inclined. Just my two cents on the subject, for whatever it's worth. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you!

[Drumsinthenight.]

My suggestion would be to complete your schooling in criminal justice.

That will provide you the means to pursuit your breeder hobby and assure you success, or at least gives you a better shot at it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[youbeyouibei]

My suggestion would be to complete your schooling in criminal justice.

That will provide you the means to pursuit your breeder hobby and assure you success, or at least gives you a better shot at it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Absolutely and I agree 100%!

[MoshBalls]

I hate to disagree with the Criminal justice degree but I do. I have both an Associates and Bachelors in Criminal Justices and I feel that it was somewhat of a waste. I find that most jobs that are in my field do not even require a degree.

I very much enjoyed my classes but if I was you I would get my degree in something other than Criminal Justice. You can always still enter the field without it, but the reverse is not also true. But most importantly do get a degree. It opens many doors that would otherwise be closed.

In fact right before I graduated I took a class in Careers in Criminal justice and a lot of jobs want other degrees. Accounting and computers, and foreign language was in high demand. Because of the increase in computer related crimes and white color crime.

Good luck.

[Seru1]

Dude finish your degree. It never hurts to have a fall back no matter what you know? Sometimes you cool down on something. You don't wanna kick yourself forever.

[purplemuffin]

If you want to be involved with reptiles I agree, you want to have a back up, whatever degree that may be. You need the money to get into to the world, and you'll need money in case of an emergency. Things don't always go well! The people I've spoken to often say some of the best classes you can take(maybe not as a full degree, but at least as electives/minors) are business and psychology/animal psychology. Know your animals, and know your people. Learn how to market yourself so you can stay afloat! I've seen soo many websites by reputable breeders, environmentalists, and any other job you can think of that just look down right amateur because they don't know how to market or build a website professionally... Or how to talk to people!!

Of course, it's always about the animals first, but if you don't want to constantly be losing money you will need to seriously back yourself up and KNOW your industry! Be prepared for how the market changes and watch for how the world of reptiles evolves..


ANY job in an a field where you are not guaranteed a steady pay check requires a lot of work, planning, luck, and serious devotion. As a (hopeful) future illustrator I know my competition is fierce and that people are going to try to scam me out of a job and I will need to find the balance of offering my work for cheap enough to get hired, while not losing money having to buy supplies. As a hopeful herpetologist/Herpetoculturist you will need to be ready for the constant money drain the animals will be! All your bills will go to your animals, electricity, water, heating, internet(for websites/emails with colleagues), and rent/mortgage for a house with a big reptile room. If you want to be a breeder that's a lot of animals, and that one 'big' project will take years to prove out even if you're lucky! Of course once you do, it's all worth it, seeing your dream baby pastel clown/albino pied/whatever take it's first breath and seeing all that work finally realized in the form of a little infant snake! I personally cannot wait for that day! If your dream involves travel and the study of reptiles in their natural environment, that's a whole different set of bills! It's all crazy drama but if it's your dream it's worth it!

Just be CAREFUL..don't go out there and risk it all without preparing for it first! At first you may have to simply participate as much as you can while still saving up money(Maybe buying your first 2-3 expensive morphs and letting them grow up while you work a job and save up money for more racks, rats, and morphs!)

But you know, it's your life. Everyone goes about things in different ways. People quit highschool and go to Hollywood, a couple of them make it big and inspire a lot of other people to try and fail. But it's always that one person who does make it big that really sets a fire of hope in our hearts. My opinion... Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars! Keep an open mind and be able to take a step back and look at your life from afar! Just be smart, brave, a little crazy, hope for the best, but be ready for the worst!


And one more thing! Just like quitting college for a boyfriend, quitting college for a newfound passion can be dangerous even if you are decently successful.. You don't want to put any negative thoughts with your new passion, you don't want any 'What ifs'... If you quit your degree and go into the reptiles... And one day run into money problems, that thought will always be in the back of your head "what if I stayed with my first plan? What if I got my degree?".. having the reptiles costing you money while thinking they are to blame for your foolish mistake..Uh oh! That's a disaster waiting to happen!! If you finish your degree, even in times of struggle you will know: I did what I felt was the smart move, I stayed with my degree and times are just tough! You won't have anything negative directed towards your new profession. And that's good!