Utterly Confused about choosing the right Clade!

[Black_Panther]

Hello folks! I'm sorry if you find the content of my post totally irrelevant or unuseful to you, but I would really appreciate it if you could help me.

 

Next year I'll be a 3rd-year student in Enviromental Science and I must start thinking which direction I should choose, namely what I should specialise on.

 

The problem is that I like everything! What I mean is that I don't find any organisms disgusting or uninteresting; instead I believe that all kinds of organisms are equally interesting and beautiful, each in their own way.. for example, fungi, bacteria, animals, plants.

 

The thing is that I have to choose some courses in the next 2 years accordingly to what I want to do afterwards (i.e. after getting the degree) and I have no idea what because I simply cannot decide.

 

The truth is that I tend to like zoology a little bit more, only because I currently know much more about the animals than the other organisms, and "the more you've learnt, the more you wonder" I say. On the other hand I don't know if this is the right choice.

 

Do you happen to know which sub-clades of the Environmental Science look promising these days??

And how do I know which one suits me best?

 

Thank you very much in advance. Please feel free to express any of your opinions on the matter.

 

Kind regards,

Dimitra

[jeskill]

While it's important to have an in depth understanding of the organism/organisms you're studying, it's more important to have a "knowledged toolkit" that allows you to answer the questions you want to answer. You can take courses on the specific clades later on if you decide that you want to use a specific organism to study your specific question.

 

With that in mind, you don't need to pick a clade. Instead, focus on which questions you find most interesting, and then take courses that you think would aid you in answering those questions. Think about the scale at which you'd want to study those questions (genetic, cellular, population, community, biosphere, etc). Keep in mind that many universities have changed the organization of their departments. There are no longer "Botany" or "Zoology" Departments. Instead, the departments have names such as "Ecology and Evolution", "Cell and Systems Biology" and "Natural Resources and Environment".

[Rip:20]

Hello folks! I'm sorry if you find the content of my post totally irrelevant or unuseful to you, but I would really appreciate it if you could help me.

 

Next year I'll be a 3rd-year student in Enviromental Science and I must start thinking which direction I should choose, namely what I should specialise on.

 

The problem is that I like everything! What I mean is that I don't find any organisms disgusting or uninteresting; instead I believe that all kinds of organisms are equally interesting and beautiful, each in their own way.. for example, fungi, bacteria, animals, plants.

 

The thing is that I have to choose some courses in the next 2 years accordingly to what I want to do afterwards (i.e. after getting the degree) and I have no idea what because I simply cannot decide.

 

The truth is that I tend to like zoology a little bit more, only because I currently know much more about the animals than the other organisms, and "the more you've learnt, the more you wonder" I say. On the other hand I don't know if this is the right choice.

 

Do you happen to know which sub-clades of the Environmental Science look promising these days??

And how do I know which one suits me best?

 

Thank you very much in advance. Please feel free to express any of your opinions on the matter.

 

Kind regards,

Dimitra

 

Ya, don't pick a clade unless you really can't stand to do anything else and just LOVE clade X. Some people are like this and there is always room in a field if you are one of the best at what you do. That said, if you are interested in it from a more pragmatic POV, think more about broad skill sets and knowledge bases that can be used to explain more widely shared phenomena. For example, I choose to study patterns of evolution, and analytical techniques used to discern such patterns, because it is the rules of evolution that drive the astounding diversification of life, from which you and me can't seem to pick favorites from.

[Mchurd]

Zoology isn't really an extention environmental sciences. You should have taken biology as an undergrad lol. I agree with an above poster about asking a question and following the track that helps you to build critical thinking skills to answer that question.

For instance...I'm doubling in environmental studies and biology and want to get a masters in a botany field. But the broad question i'm asking myself is how do plants effect their environment and how are they responsible for gas exchange and nutrient cycling? So I choose based off my underlieing question.

[KagakuOtaku]

First off, you should never go with what will make you the most successful. My father, who is a great mean, told me once that it's not important if you become famous or successful or not. What's important is that you choose the work that you love the most. It could be stripping at a club, as long as you're happy with it.

 

Second, you seem like you would like Biology the best. Biology doesn't just cover one group of organisms. It covers everything living. Plants, animals, bugs...You name it. If it's alive, it's probably covered in Biology. Originally, I was going to go for it, but decided on Psychology, instead. And, if you decide you don't like it, you can always choose something else, instead. Trial and error.

 

Third, I hope you find something that you like to do. Having a career isn't about making a lot of money or becoming famous. It may be a part of it, but it's having fun and enjoying your work. If you don't like what you do, then what's the point?