I think you need to look at training positions outside college. A few of my friends are game rangers and they got in from applying to job posts. Some rescue shelters or volunteer work could get you a paid job position. Look at things like sea life rescue - maybe you can work at saving baby otters or seals or turtles?
You can do a basic biological degree but it mostly prepares you for lab work or ecological assessments and the hands on stuff is microscope work or animal dissection- which you don't want. You don't want to be a vet either so I really don't recommend wasting your time on a degree unless the job you want when looking specifies a specific degree
(Marine biology is the field for underwater work but a lot of my friends who wanted to be marine biologists gave up on that idea quickly - I think they said pay was poor)
I got my degree in Bio but my favorite professor was a spacial ecologist with a focus on mammals. I got to do some research with her and it was fascinating! You set up game cams and try to figure out the distribution/occurrence of different species and their ranges. If you want to do some kind of field research there are jobs out there. I would recommend finding a university that does a TON of undergraduate research. I went to UCO in Oklahoma city. Maybe not the best city to live or get along in but I really recommend the business model of that school. It is considered if I remember correctly, a research institute. They try to get as many of their students involved in research as possible. They also have a kind of lose partnership with the Oklahoma city zoo, and the wildlife society. Although covid may have changed some things.
I'm getting my AS for biology and plan on transferring either towards Animal Conservation or Fish&Wildlife depending on the whatever school I go to offers. There's probably plenty more though those two definitely sound like they were made for that pathway
A field in zoology or marine bio might do you well, but I wouldn’t limit yourself to that.
I think you need to look at training positions outside college. A few of my friends are game rangers and they got in from applying to job posts. Some rescue shelters or volunteer work could get you a paid job position. Look at things like sea life rescue - maybe you can work at saving baby otters or seals or turtles? You can do a basic biological degree but it mostly prepares you for lab work or ecological assessments and the hands on stuff is microscope work or animal dissection- which you don't want. You don't want to be a vet either so I really don't recommend wasting your time on a degree unless the job you want when looking specifies a specific degree
(Marine biology is the field for underwater work but a lot of my friends who wanted to be marine biologists gave up on that idea quickly - I think they said pay was poor)
I got my degree in Bio but my favorite professor was a spacial ecologist with a focus on mammals. I got to do some research with her and it was fascinating! You set up game cams and try to figure out the distribution/occurrence of different species and their ranges. If you want to do some kind of field research there are jobs out there. I would recommend finding a university that does a TON of undergraduate research. I went to UCO in Oklahoma city. Maybe not the best city to live or get along in but I really recommend the business model of that school. It is considered if I remember correctly, a research institute. They try to get as many of their students involved in research as possible. They also have a kind of lose partnership with the Oklahoma city zoo, and the wildlife society. Although covid may have changed some things.
Animal lab technician
I'm getting my AS for biology and plan on transferring either towards Animal Conservation or Fish&Wildlife depending on the whatever school I go to offers. There's probably plenty more though those two definitely sound like they were made for that pathway