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When searching for plants as a botanist, you may feel like...
But your days can also feel like...
But how do you know if you'd enjoy actually being a botanist? What exactly does the job entail?
How Do Botanists Contribute?
Botanists are scientists who study plants and how they grow.
As a botanist you could...
Protect existing or undiscovered plants from extinction
Study how pollution or climate change affects different plant species
Use advanced genetics to grow new or improved plants
Study plants to find new uses as medicines, biofuels, or fabrics
Conduct experiments to improve the yield, disease resistance, or nutritional value of crops
Teach students at a university or museum the science of botany
The Actual Job
Botany is a broad field, so you'll need to specialize in an area of study like ecology, conservation, or biochemistry.
This means job responsibilities can vary widely and you could do any of the following in a given day:
Conduct fieldwork outside to collect, test and record findings and plant specimens
Identify, classify, record and monitor plant species and biodiversity
Write, prepare, and present scientific reports and papers
Work with other scientists to develop medicines and other products from plants
Supervise and coordinate the work of technical support staff
The list goes on!
Quiz
Sometimes you'll need to travel long distances to collect samples. What character traits do you need?
Did you know?
Where Do Botanists Work?
You could work mainly indoors in laboratories and offices. But if you work in agriculture or remediation, you'll spend more time working outside. Or a mix of both!
Botanists can find work at...
Public Institutions
Arboretums or botanicals gardens
City, state or national parks
Government agencies
Universities
Museums
Private Institutions
Pharmaceutical companies
Biotechnology firms
Seed companies
Scientific publishers
Biological supply houses
Land trusts
You Will Love It if...
This describes you:
You enjoy nature and want to protect or strengthen plant species.
You are naturally curious and enjoy learning about different types of plants.
You are flexible and adaptable enough to travel on outdoor expeditions in search of known and undiscovered plant life.
You are patient, as well as organized because lab work can be tedious, one mistake can throw off an entire experiment.
You are analytical since botanists need to examine plant samples and read up on the pre-existing research to draw conclusions.
Quiz
You are a botanist specializing in biochemistry and want to gain an understanding of the molecular genetics of plants. What will you need?
Not all positions require going outside, but if you take a position like this you need to make sure you're physically fit.
Look For Another Career Path If...
You dislike learning since you will need at least a bachelor's degree to get a job, but to earn a higher salary you will need a master's degree or PhD.
You're not detail-oriented and can't tolerate looking over hundreds of plant specimen to correctly sort and classify them.
You dislike repetition since you will spend much of the time looking at the same samples to conduct experiments and write research reports.
You don't work well under pressure since you are typically constrained by deadlines and budgets; sometimes lacking needed resources.
Take Action
Does being a botanist sound like the right career path for you?
Great! Then try:
This Byte has been authored by
Jennifer Stone
Instructional Designer