Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
You're going to work with bugs. You knew that going in, we hope. Either you love bugs, or you hate them like Batman hates criminals. Regardless, insects have captured enough of your imagination that your adult life is going to involve working with, around, or maybe for them. Well, probably not for them. Ants have yet incorporate….as far as we know.
The best part about a major like this is that you know at least vaguely what you want to work with: insects. You might be locked into the thinking that there's only one thing you can do when in fact, there are a lot more options out there than you may initially think. Insects are an extremely important, albeit gross, part of life. It's fitting that there are a bunch of options, no?
Common Career Fields
Apiarist. This is also known as "beekeeper," but isn't "apiarist" a much more fun word? Domestic bees are a very important part of farming. They help pollinate certain kinds of crops, and without them, there would be no honey. Honey is really, really good, and no one wants to live without it. A trained apiarist can help harvest this sticky gold (that's the beekeeping "in" term for honey) and take care of the colonies.
Forensic Entomologist. Let's say you can't decide between your all-encompassing love of bugs and your equally all-encompassing love of justice. But you can't dress up in a costume and call yourself the Green Hornet because there's already some guy doing that. Instead, help the police catch killers by using insect life to determine the cause and time of death, as well as if the body was moved.
Pest Control. Just because you love a thing does not necessarily mean you will not destroy a thing. It's not that insects need to be killed indiscriminately, either. Mosquitos are horrible, but they're an important part of a lot of ecosystems. No, the key is keeping the insects where we want them, namely away from homes, schools, and that kind of thing. Because you'll know insects better than most, you'll be in an ideal situation.
Education. Sometimes, when you're filled with all this amazing bug knowledge, you just have to share it. Teach the next generation of bug-heads from the comfort of a classroom. Show them why our many-legged pals aren't terrifying avatars of destruction, but tiny marvels of evolution. If you plan to teach college, though, you will need a graduate degree.
Entomologist. This is probably the position you were initially thinking of when you latched onto this major. It's a good one if you're all about the bugs, and at this point, we sincerely hope you are. You might be doing pure research, pondering the imponderables, or you could be into applied sciences. The second one is easier to get grants for. This is another one in which an advanced degree is not necessarily required, but it's very helpful both to land the job and for eventual advancement.
Urban Entomologist. If you're picturing an entomologist in a patched-up lab coat, a hat turned backwards, glaring sullenly into the camera, prepare for disappointment. The city is an entirely new environment for all kinds of organisms, including bugs. Urban entomologists study the insects (mostly pests) that have become synonymous with city living. Cockroaches, bedbugs, mites—these are all in the domain of the urban entomologist.
U.S. Navy. We have to be kidding with this one, right? We are not. Entomologists are extremely important to the military. One of the biggest dangers our troops face are diseases carried by insects—stuff like malaria and dengue fever. Not only that, but a lot of the aid work that our military does is focused around reducing these plagues in local populations. There's a lot of work for you to do, if you want to do it.
Current unemployment of the major
5.6%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
61%Stats obtained from this source.