If you’re someone who has always been fascinated by things like fossils of animals and other living organisms and you’ve been wondering about the kind of career path that you should take that will allow you to explore these types of things, have you ever thought about becoming a paleontologist? These are the individuals who look at various data to determine the location of fossils and then use tools such as chisels, shovels and picks in order to remove the fossils so that they can transport them to a laboratory for further evaluation and discovery.

Typically paleontologists are contracted or they work for a mining company, museum or federal government department and they can make anywhere from $60,000-160,000 per year depending on who they work for.
If this sounds like something that you would like to learn more about, we have enclosed five tips for how you can become a paleontologist below:

Think about if you have the personality for the job. Being a paleontologist requires a lot of focus, patience, critical thinking, computer knowledge, a willingness to work with teams as well as alone, plus you must have a love for the great outdoors. If you feel like you have all of these characteristics, then this is definitely a career that you should seriously consider.

Get your four-year degree in geology or biology. Although there are some career paths that do not necessarily require that you have a four-year degree, paleontology is certainly not one of them. As a matter of fact, while some people have a degree in either geology or biology, it’s recommended that you double major in both sciences in order to prepare you for the next level of education that you will need.

Earn your masters in geology, biology or paleontology. Once you have your undergraduate degree in hand, it’s then time to go back to back college to obtain your masters in geology, biology or paleontology. Being that you’ll be spending a lot of time on a computer, it’s also wise to take some accelerated courses as it directly relates to computers too. During this time, you may also want to speak with your professors about how you can also get some hands-on experience by working in a research lab or with a company that specializes in the field.

Get your PhD in paleontology. Due to the fact that a career in paleontology is so competitive, it’s also going to be important that you get your PhD in paleontology. Do keep in mind that much like the medical profession, there are a wide variety of specialties when it comes to paleontology from Vertebrate and Invertebrate Paleontology (the study of animal fossils with and without backbones) to Paleobotany (the study of plant fossils) to even Paleoecology (the study of ancient ecosystems) and more. By selecting a specialty in school, you will be considered more of an “expert” following graduation.

Start applying for jobs. Whether you would prefer to dig up arrowheads or animal fossils, you’re probably wondering how you can go about looking for a paleontology job. That’s a really good question. Being that so many work for the government and at museums, our recommendation would be that you start there. Ironically enough, there are also many universities that hire them too. Plus, if you go to major search engines like Career Builder and Indeed and put “paleontologist” in the search field, you can even find some listings there. For more information on the paleontology profession, visit Paleo.cc.