LOL...actually Will, you weren't the first, but you were the most recent! Basically my "occupation" involved a little bit of everything we do here @ NERD - cleaning cages, taking care of snakes, dealing with customers, giving tour facilities, setting up & working our table @ herp shows, etc. etc. etc. Primarily my focus has been on the website re-design, as well as both print and online advertising, but the rest of everything takes up the majority of my time. Baby season keeps me extremely busy since I work mostly with hatchling and juvenile snakes, and that can mean upwards of 600 animals in my designated room at a time. I typically put in a 10-12 hour day, but during baby season & show season, those days can easily go to 14 or 16 hours.

I joined the NERD crew just over a year ago. Up till that point I was raising and breeding snakes in TX and was also holding a career in print media...my move to NH was the result of a long-distance relationship in which the long-distance part was getting very, very old. At that point I packed up all my animals & moved 1800 miles Northeast, so it was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.

Will, what part of this industry are you considering for employment? Are you looking to start your own breeding programs or are you interested in doing things at a zoological institution? There are a lot of cool occupations that involve herpkeeping, but thery're also extremely competitive and more of a labor of love than a fat paycheck. If I can help steer you in any particular direction or lend any advice, just let me know!

K