Q: FROM MENTEE YUNJI K. IN IL
I am interested in dinosaurs but I am afraid to make a commitment to it as a career because of lots of reasons. I heard that you won't get much money (salary), travel a lot, and you have to study in a lot of field (like languages, cultures, etc.) Is this true? What are some disadvantages of being a Paleontologist (am I right?), and what colleges are known to have good reputation in this field?
Thank you.

July 12, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR DEB MACKAY, To read DEB's bio. click here.
Yunji,
I wanted to give you a few things to think about as you get answers to your
specific questions about paleontology.

It sounds like you view travel and studying many subjects as a bad thing. Ask
your self why? As you think about whatever career you want to pursue you need
to consider the lifestyle you want to have, which is affected by the salary,
travel, study requirements. For whatever career you choose you will need to
continue studying and learning. Some people tend to be specialist, focusing on
an area of expertise in their field, and others are generalists, with a broad
span of interests. So, for some, studying about a variety of subjects is
interesting and stimulating, and not a burden or negative.

Some people find they love to travel, although it is disruptive to a settled
lifestyle. Again, it is a matter of interest. I travel frequently to Asia in
my business. The trips last 1-3 weeks. I find it tiring to prepare and
recovery and deal with jetlag, but the opportunity to meet new people, and see
and experience new cultures, and to conduct business with peope from around the
world in my field outweighs the downsides of travel.

As far as salary goes, again you need to decide where and how you want to live.
The cost of living is different in parts of the US. A person living in our
large cities like New York, will have much higher living expenses than someone
living in more suburban areas in the midwest. It would be helpful for you to
find out where the jobs are to help determine what sort of lifestyle you could
have.

I guess my point is that you have to "be true to yourself." It is best to
choose a career you are passionate about and in which you can work with people
you enjoy and respect. Day to day, the people you work with will influence your
enjoyment even more than the environment you work in. Your attitude matters,
because it influences others. I think you are asking the right questions, but
you need to determine for yourself what the best answer is for you. So, if you
learn that to pursue your passion for dinosaurs you will need a lifestyle that
includes travel, you need to decide if that really is s bad thing.