July 15, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR NORRIE ROBBINS IN CA
My answer depends on what kind of paleontologist you want to become. I’m a palynologist, which is a paleontologist who works on fossil pollen grains in rocks. This field supported me for half of my professional life. But few palynologists are being hired. On the other hand, it’s not worth the aggravation to become a vertebrate paleontologist. Everybody love paleo; no one wants to pay for it. There are only two paleo fields that hire, and they are strictly funded by the oil companies who shed people like mad, as soon as they start to move up and cost more, goodbye. The fields they hire are in: 1) micropaleontology—forams, nanofossils, ostracods, chitinozoans, and conodonts, or 2) macropaleontology—mollusks. No one hires vertebrate paleontologists—I have lots of friends who went on after their PhDs in paleo to become MDs, lawyers, and real estate people next. It really is a matter of luck getting a job in vertebrate paleo (that includes dinosaurs)—who you know, who knows your family and friends, stuff like that. I don’t see it depending on how good you are in the field. I know this sounds nuts, because the whole world is crazy about dinosaurs. But no one wants to pay anyone to work on them; in reality, we want people with brains to be working on societal problems. Dinosaurs are not societal problems. They are leisure and recreation. Cute, huh?
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July 14, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR ELIZABETH HINCHEY IN RI
Hello Alex-
I know a faculty member at the College of William and Mary who is a
paleontologist, Dr. Rowan Lockwood. She got her Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago and a masters degree from the University of
Bristol in the UK. Perhaps these are two programs that you could
investigate to learn more about degree requirements and carers in
paleontology. Dr. Lockwood's web site is below. She would be a great
person to ask about this field. Since she loves working with students,
I bet she would write you back. Good luck!

http://www.wm.edu/CAS/GEOLOGY/faculty/lockwood.html