Anyone Use Fossil Preparation As Their Primary Employment?

[Koss1959]

A few things have stopped me going to university, but within the last few months, everything has resolved itself and I have an open door. I'm seriously considering a Palaeontology degree. I think the only career I will be happy with is something working with Mesozoic Fossils. That's where my passion lies. However, I've read on here that jobs in Palaeontology are few and far between, and not well paying at that. I'm not looking for money. Just a job I love that covers my bills.

Living in Lyme, there are a lot of people that rely on fossils as their income. So it got me thinking, how likely is it I would be able to do preparation as a job? I currently have no experience and I imagine that is a huge thing, but I can work on that. Ideally, I'd like to start locally then work for a museum in a professional lab. Is there anyone here who does that?

[luluboo1]

Take the dive and do what you love. I regret every day not doing it. I'm a geologist taking X-rays. Blah.

[RJB]

HiKoss, Ive done about 6 paying jobs over the last 22 years. I don't put myself out there to do prep jobs, but it seems to me that most people want the fun of prepping their own fossils and most others cant afford to have someone else prep out their fossils. I would think that you would have to do some advertising and get yourself known in order to make a go of it. How long that would take? It would be a great job for sure and I do wish the very best of luck.

RB

[Auspex]

Member JPC can tell you all about being a salaried preparer for a museum, and how he got there.

Be prepared to wear a bunch of different hats!

[Scylla]

As you pursue your degree more options will open up. Museums and Universities do hire full time peppers. Conservators also get jobs, as well as the occasional paleontologist. By not caring about money you have an advantage finding a job you love.

[Ptychodus04]

I'm on the other side. I do contract preparation work VIA word of mouth (enough to keep me busy after my real job). A few years ago, I was offered a job to prep full time with one of my local museums but the pay was about 1/3 of my required salary.

If you don't have a ton of expenses and a meager salary will cover your needs, by all means do it. I wish I could.

[ZiggieCie]

IMHO; You might consider looking into the newest technology, 3D printing and reproductions. Also the 3D photogrametry ; http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/56985-3d-fossil-scanning-w-photogrammetry/?hl=%2B3d+%2Bphotography , The detailed photography of specimens.

I have brought this subject up with a few paleontologists that have given presentations to our fossil club, (The North Coast Fossil Club) and they agree with me, that the new technology would be a great advantage for getting work in the field. You need to make yourself stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants for a job.

If you have a museum near you, volunteer to learn how to do prep work for them with the modern, and old equipment they have. This way they also get to know you and your dedication to the field, and adds to your resume.

[jpc]

Here is the quick version of my story. I used to be a freelance prepper. Got some experience prepping my own stuff and getting to know preppers at paleo conferences. It helps to know people no matter what you are doing. I did that and ran fossil tours for about 6 years. Had a good time, but then a job came up at a museum. I was 40 plus years old by then and health insurance sounded good. I live in the US, so unlike many european counrties, we have not had health insurance here for a while but we are catching up with you more advanced civilizations. Anyway, health insurance was the reason I took a prep job at a somewhat local museum. I was hired as prep lab manager and did some prep work. I have now (11 yrs later) moved up to prep lab manager still, plus field trip organzier and collections manager. I rarely prep fossils here anymore, and do more at home. There is a lot more I could say, but I am being kicked out of the office... it is Miller Time. Feel free to ask. I will be back.

[Mike Pocock]

Hi

Follow your dream, I have said this before on the forum I was told that "if you find a job you love you will never work again".

I do my own prep and agree that most collectors either leave the fossil as they find it or prep it themselves. However I have a suggestion for you, as you live in a prime location go into all of the shops in the area and ask if they would take a volunteer prep student/tour guide or general dogs body and see how you get on, you may even consider a job as a shop keeper and do prep work when you are there.

I came to fossil hunting late in life (I'm 53) I am a safety manager who looks after an international company and I like my job but that's not the same as loving your job.

Last year I did an introduction to palaeontology at open university and paid for it myself (£900) I loved the course but found it difficult as I am getting older its hard to learn a lot about a subject and retain the knowledge. As the song says, "if I could turn back time" I would and I would now be a palaeontologist.

Anyway that's my view, live your dream

Good luck

Regards

Mike

[Malcolmt]

In my opinion prepping is very hard solitary work that is not for everyone. In fact it is probably for the very few special individuals who have immense patience and do not mind doing the same thing over and over and over. I have great respect for individuals Like Bob Carroll who have been able to make a go of it doing what he loves. I do a lot of prepping but I must say that I could never do it 30 to 40 hours every week after week after week. For me prepping (trilobites, crinoids) can be a relaxing change when done in blocks of time that I choose to do it. In the real world prior to trying this retirement thing I was able to make a very good living. If I look at the fossils that I prep and their market value after prepping and take the actual value of the fossil as being negligible then the time that goes into prepping say a trilobite or a nice crinoid probably worked out to somewhere between $7 hour on the low end and perhaps $20 an hour on the high end. The reality is that there are not that many people out there that can afford to pay for the work that goes into prepping a fossil unless it is done by child labor at an extremely low cost. Even a common non spiny trilobite to prep properly (with good equipment) can easily take 2 hours. I am currently working on a 12 inch by 18 inch 3 crinoid plate and by the time it is complete I suspect that it will have close to 40 to 60 hours invested. Market value perhaps $500 to $1000.

If you want to be in the profession get the degreed qualifications, without them it would be a tough slug......

[Kosmoceras]

... how likely is it I would be able to do preparation as a job? I currently have no experience and I imagine that is a huge thing, but I can work on that.

Fossil preparation is a skill by which patience and technique are essential. An artistic eye can help. It can be mastered over time, but naturally some are better than others. It’s something one would have to be very good at before going out preparing other people’s fossils. Doing a shoddy prep job on what could have been a good specimen won’t impress clients.

I wouldn’t consider it as a potential job without having a fair bit of experience on self found specimens and consistently achieving top notch results, let alone having never tried it.

[ZiggieCie]

Here is a link to a bunch of youtube videos on fossil prep. Tools tips, years of experience. Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fossil+preparation

If you can't get youtube for some reason here is a link to videos on google.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1SFXN_enUS498US498&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=fossil%20preparation%20videos

Ziggie

[tooth_claw]

I run a prep lab (at a university) for a living and it is a dream job. Working in a research facility is great as you only really need to prep what the academics want to study, there is a lot more basic cleaning and consolidation than 'polishing' or 'finishing' of fossils (most of them will never go on display).

I also have an diversity of responsibilities which keeps every day busy and fresh (for example- field work, field gear, volunteers, educational outreach, moulding/casting, maceration, daily lab maintenance, acid prep, microjack prep, paraliod/brush prep, microfossil sorting plus whatever special projects the students bring me). I have been forced to adopt a 'jack of all trades' approach in order to get anything done and it keeps the old brain ticking over at a fair pace.

I am a preparator because I was into palaeontology but had no interest in becoming an academic, I hunted down a palaeo lab at the University, did a degree, volunteered for a while, worked on casual contracts for years and have finally landed a Job as the lab grew and funds became available.

the advice given by other FF members is sound- follow the passion and see where it leads. I am sure you will find someone who is willing to give you a go (volunteering is important!), then it is up to you to make the most of the opportunity.

[Koss1959]

Coming back to this. I've been giving it a lot of thought lately and I'm going to go for it. A friend let me have a few hours on his pen prepping some Lyme ammonites. First two I hit a fair bit, but the third one actually came out quite nice. Granted, the rock preps fairly easily but I was pleased with it.

Someone mentioned having an artistic eye. I occasionally draw and have a knack for it. It's not something I've put a lot of time into but I just seem to be able to do I naturally. I can happily sit there and lose six hours at a time.

I think I could be quite good at it. I am saving money to buy a Ken Mannion pen then will get practicing. I thoroughly enjoyed the few hours I spent using the pen the other day.

Making myself sound quite unsociable here but I've always preferred working on my own, not for someone. I enjoy my own company and getting lost in the project.

So it seems I'd need my fingers in a lot of different pies. By the sounds of things it'd be helpful to be able to make casts. So is that something I should put time into learning, too?

[Scylla]

Yes, the more skills you have, the more oportunities you'll get.

[Ptychodus04]

Casting is very important. Also, restoration is important. Most large fossils that will go on display require some level of restoration to make them presentable.

[Zaf]

I have worked full time at three different fossil businesses. The first created fossil casts focusing mainly on dinosaurs from the Morrison and Cedar Mountain Formations but also a broad array of different material from narwhals to mammal-like reptiles to Dunkleosteos. I got that job while still in college (I dropped out as a senior biology undergrad). I used that job to obtain a job with a lot more fossil prep and digging but still some casting and restoration/mounting, mainly Hell Creek dinosaurs but again a bit of variety. After working there for a couple years, I moved and used references from my second job to land a third job which was almost entirely fossil prep, this time from two different digs in Wyoming in Green River and Morrison formations. Now I’ve returned full circle and am working at the first fossil casting business, which now makes traveling museum exhibits. 

 

So, it is possible to get fossil jobs, including prep work, just understand that experience (and luck?) will count for more than academics.  

Edited June 28, 2022 by Zaf
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