Choosing a field of study?

[RyanDye]

After reading all of these comments I think I'm leaning towards mammals or avians, if anyone knows someone with a career in paleontology I'd be very appreciative if you referenced them to the page. 

[Kane]

It may be premature to decide on something specific within a discipline. As one charts through the progress of the long academic journey, there will likely be instances when priorities and interests change; be open to that. 

[RyanDye]

4 minutes ago, Kane said:

It may be premature to decide on something specific within a discipline. As one charts through the progress of the long academic journey, there will likely be instances when priorities and interests change; be open to that. 

Should I try and form a broader foundation of knowledge before college then?

[Kane]

Just now, RyanDye said:

Should I try and form a broader foundation of knowledge before college then?

I think building a broader foundation of knowledge in general is a fantastic practice, regardless of what one does.  

 

Just don't be in a rush to prescribe your future. The "you" in five years may be a somewhat different person with more experience, and different/modified interests than the current "you." At the moment, you may as well study anything you can get your hands on, free of any concern for disciplinary boundaries or niche fields of study. Always be learning.  

[RyanDye]

Just now, Kane said:

I think building a broader foundation of knowledge in general is a fantastic practice, regardless of what one does.  

 

Just don't be in a rush to prescribe your future. The "you" in five years may be a somewhat different person with more experience, and different/modified interests than the current "you." At the moment, you may as well study anything you can get your hands on, free of any concern for disciplinary boundaries or niche fields of study. Always be learning.  

Thank you, super helpful, this is the sort of advice I was looking for when making this post. 

[Miocene_Mason]

48 minutes ago, RyanDye said:

After reading all of these comments I think I'm leaning towards mammals or avians, if anyone knows someone with a career in paleontology I'd be very appreciative if you referenced them to the page. 

If you want to know a bit about being Curator, then I would reccomend “Curators” by Lance Grande.

[RyanDye]

Just now, WhodamanHD said:

If you want to know a bit about being Curator, then I would reccomend “Curators” by Lance Grande.

Thanks, haven't got that far yet, but I'll look into it. 

[Sagebrush Steve]

1 hour ago, Kane said:

It may be premature to decide on something specific within a discipline. As one charts through the progress of the long academic journey, there will likely be instances when priorities and interests change; be open to that. 

@Kane is exactly right.  Don’t narrow your focus prematurely.  Start by learning as much as you can about all aspects of paleontology.  By the end of your undergraduate studies you may have a much better idea of what you want to do, especially if you have found a way to go on some summer field expeditions.  But it probably won’t be until you enter graduate school and work with an advisor that you really zero in on a specialty.  And part of your decision will need to be based on what opportunities there are for Ph.D. level research.  You won’t qualify for a doctoral degree by just rehashing things that are already well known, but you don’t want to pick something so obscure that you have difficulty finding enough information to make a contribution.  

 

As as an example of how things can change, when she graduated from high school my daughter wanted to be an archaeologist.  Her first two years of college went in that direction, including several months in Egypt on archaeological digs and a similar amount of time on expeditions to South Sea islands.  Those experiences convinced her that while archaeology was a real interest, being an archaeologist wasn’t for her, primarily because there was so much competition for the few archaeology positions usually open around the US.  So she changed majors and ended up as a college administrator helping guide the careers of graduate students.  I’m not trying to discourage you, just giving you reasons for why you should keep your options open for now.

[Sagebrush Steve]

1 hour ago, WhodamanHD said:

If you want to know a bit about being Curator, then I would reccomend “Curators” by Lance Grande.

AKA @RLG on this forum.

[Miocene_Mason]

3 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

AKA @RLG on this forum.

Yeah, though I don’t know how frequently he visits.

@RyanDye Dr. Grande runs a Dig every summer with high school students I believe. I almost applied this year but I decided next year. That’s some real field experience.

[RyanDye]

22 hours ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

@Kane is exactly right.  Don’t narrow your focus prematurely.  Start by learning as much as you can about all aspects of paleontology.  By the end of your undergraduate studies you may have a much better idea of what you want to do, especially if you have found a way to go on some summer field expeditions.  But it probably won’t be until you enter graduate school and work with an advisor that you really zero in on a specialty.  And part of your decision will need to be based on what opportunities there are for Ph.D. level research.  You won’t qualify for a doctoral degree by just rehashing things that are already well known, but you don’t want to pick something so obscure that you have difficulty finding enough information to make a contribution.  

 

As as an example of how things can change, when she graduated from high school my daughter wanted to be an archaeologist.  Her first two years of college went in that direction, including several months in Egypt on archaeological digs and a similar amount of time on expeditions to South Sea islands.  Those experiences convinced her that while archaeology was a real interest, being an archaeologist wasn’t for her, primarily because there was so much competition for the few archaeology positions usually open around the US.  So she changed majors and ended up as a college administrator helping guide the careers of graduate students.  I’m not trying to discourage you, just giving you reasons for why you should keep your options open for now.

Thank you for the wisdom, I realize I'm young and I have a lot to learn, while I'm very set on the career I understand there's a possibility it might not be what I really want, I'm grateful for you explaining when one would choose a speciality as well, thank you I agree with everything you said.