What can one study?

Good day Professor

I would like to know what I can study that include any of the following (Anything to do with fish)

Freshwater Aquatic Wildlife, breeding, conservation, fish/pet nutrition, etc

I am not familiar with any of the courses that contain any of the above.

I would like to work in a conservation or commercial hatchery, in a Lab doing testing and research focusing on freshwater Aquatic plants and animals

I am really crazy about fish and breeding. If there is a course I could study, this will be perfect for me ,however, if there is no job opportunities in this particular field which other courses should I look into that fits my interests?

EDIT: I did Maths and Physics in school ... our school did not offer biology

Kind Regards
TankMaster

 

Ichtyology at Rhodes

 

Hi Tankmaster,

From what you describe you should consider doing a B Sc in Agriculture at Stellenbosch University in Animal Production Systems of which Aquaculture is one of the main courses that you could take or else you could also take Conservation Ecology if that may interest you eventually. Check out:

http://sun025.sun.ac.za/portal/page...risciences/Animal Production Systems/BScAgric

Then I would advise that you specifically check out the Department of Genetics website. Although it may sound peculiar, the department of Genetics houses a division of Aquaculture and the reason for this is because this division was developed because of selection of trout for better performance here is SA, greater heat tolerance and better feed conversion rate. However, they cover much more now in their courses and they are really practically orientated. Check out:

http://www0.sun.ac.za/genetics/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=31

What I also would like to add is that the B Sc Agric course is a 4 year course. You start of with basic science, maths, physics, chemistry, biology and then in the second year you start with the applied sciences. If you are interested in aquaculture and conservation, biology is essential, it does not matter where you want to study. However, you can catch up with biology, it would be much more difficult to catch up with chemistry, physics and maths, but you have done these subjects, so do not let this worry you.

What I would like to say about Henk's suggestion of Ichtyology at Rhodes is that this is also an option but that the Stellenbosch University option is far more applied and hands on. However, these are the two basic options that you have in South Africa. As a professor at Stellenbosch University you know which one I would advise.....

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

If you're going for this course, I'll see you there next year bud

Otherwise, after doing some asking around, I've found that doing either a Zoology course or an Environmental science course can take you into careers that (can) involve freshwater biodiversity and conservation... I'm unsure about the aquaculture side. It all depends how you specialize.

 

Personally I am doing a BSc in Biodiversity and Ecology at Stellenbosch University as a background with which to hopefully get into freshwater conservation. In fact, the Professor taught me Biochemistry earlier this year. Another option which I considered before choosing Stellenbosch was the Freshwater Research Unit at UCT, which seems to be more based on postgraduate research.

From what I have gathered, the AgriScience-based Conservation Ecology course is more geared towards integration of society and the environment, giving a broader understanding of the subject, while Biodiversity and Ecology, a true BSc course, is more centred around research and a depth of understanding. In fact, before our course selection was complete, we were given a leaflet explaining the differences between the two.

 

Where exactly is Rhodes? You're also from Durban..

Are you currently studying this course? What is the job scope like? What career can I get myself into?

 

Rhodes University is in Grahamstown, home of the famous "Rat and Parrot" drinking hole....

 

That's in the Eastern Cape . . . . I'm in Durban..and I'm in a relationship

I think I will continue studying Professional Photography...

Probably will look into studying Ichthyology later on..

 

Dear TankMaster,

As someone who has been teaching at university level for almost 30 years now, and a father of three children, two of which have now passed their university studies and one who will start her studies next year, I would like to give you some advice please.

When you are young, you have some opportunities to study and qualify yourself. Although it may not appear so to you at the moment these opportunities are only available for a short period during your life and unless you grab those opportunities they are gone forever. Qualifications are what decide for the rest of your life what your income will be and what your lifestyle will be. It also decides whether you will be happy in your work for the rest of your life. Thus qualifying yourself is just by far the most important decision that you must take in your life.

In order to study successfully, you need to be interested in a subject, or else you will simply not be sufficiently motivated to complete your studies and you must also have the ability to complete this study in other words pass all the courses. From what you describe, you have both the motivation and the ability to do such studies. So why don't you go for it?

If I may give you some advice about the relationship that you talk about, that relationship is also critically dependent on your education and qualifications in the long run. For this reason, under these circumstances this relationship must accommodate that you need to qualify yourself. You might have to therefore have the relationship over a long distance for a while. When I was young, I completed my initial studies, and I had a girlfriend, and then I had to go the army for 2 years. I was not asked, I was told, and my relationship had to survive this or not, PW Botha didn't give a damn, but it strengthened my relationship and the distance did not let it suffer, on the contrary it strengthened it.

If I therefore may give you some professional advice, you should go and study aquaculture or ichtyology next year and all other things come after that. You need to take some very careful decisions here and you must not be short-sighted when taking these decisions.

Kind regards,

Dirk Bellstedt

 

I really would like to do it! I am just concerned about getting a job after I study.

I don't know what career opportunities await and if there are any at all.

I have similar doubts about what I am currently studying. There's not much openings here for a photographer besides private contracts or jobs that you will have to look for ever so desperately every time.

I'm sure this thread is helping someone else as well.

I am currently earning an unstable salary as a photographer. Most photographers do. I get some jobs now and then. They don't total up to much. I am not guaranteed a job everyday, every week or every month.

If there is enough job opportunities, I would love to do Ichthyology at Rhodes.

Regards

TankMaster

 

Tankmaster, I dont want to add to your concerns, but maybe this can help in some way. I studied photography and worked professionally for 5 years. It was something that I loved and lived for. I was lucky, and this is not to 'brag', its to put things in perspective. I became official photographer to the Springbok Rugby team as well as the Bulls between 1998 and 2002. I did a great deal of work, 7 days a week, most times from 4am to midnight, and I just made ends meet. I worked at Loftus on Saturday's for minimum wage! I decided Sport had no money once you consider the price of equipment as you by now know. So I started doing weddings and schools and stuff that 'makes money' Unfortunately in the Digital era we live in, every Tom, Dick and Harry who owns a digital camera suddenly became a photographer, and they did it at half the cost. To them its a 2nd income and not Bread/butter. Soon I was so negative in photography that today I dont even own a camera! Thats not to say that you wont make a living from it, but yes, its a tough unappreciated industry. In the end we must do what we love, I'm still trying to figure out how that applies to 'living' though. I mean I was happy doing the work, but come month end, I was drained, tired and barely managed to pay for expenses. If you buy a lens and it sets you back R100k, somehow 'work' has to pay for that. I do not miss it. . .

 

If you don't mind me asking, what line of work are you in now?

 

Dont mind at all! I work for myself, I do property development. I hate calling it that though, sounds so bloody pretentious! What I do is I buy a stand, build a house on it and sell it again.

 

Tankmaster,

You have now seen Marco's replies, but now I want to add that if you qualify as an ichtyologist, you will still need to hunt down a job, but it will give you a broad qualification. You could decide to go into commercial aquaculture such as trout or salmon growing. Food production is going to become critically important in the years to come and I want to assure you that if you have a qualification that allows you to be involved in food production you will always get a job. Then there are possibilities in abalone production, which is becoming bigger and bigger in SA. Other options would be that you would join conservation circles and there the possibilities will also increase. You could also go into research in aquaculture optimizing feeding, breeding and many more, so there are numerous possibilities. I have not mentioned ornamental fish, but this is also a possibility, about this there is no doubt.

What I can tell you is that all of these positions will be salaried ones and not where you work on a free lance basis and hope that you get enough money every month, exactly what Marco mentioned.

What I would recommend is that you should perhaps go and visit Rhodes University and also Stellenbosch University. I could put you in touch with persons at both institutions. This may then help you to take a decision.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Rhodes, Grahamstown. It's very, very far from Durban, but I'm passionate about it. No where else offers this course, so I don't have much option but to go there.

I'll be studying it next year.

If you compare the courses mentioned so far in this thread, between the conservation course, zoology etc, Ichthyology probably seems to have a lower scope of jobs compared to the other degrees. Not to say that you won't find a job after completing the Ichthyology degree, but the variety that you'd find with the other degrees is somewhat lacking.

 

I studied in Rhodes....awesome experience mate, if you can go ... if only for the Rat !!!

 

Hi all, if I may hijack this a little bit...

Prof. Dirk, I have applied to Zoology at UCT next year, majoring in Ecology and evolution and applied biology. I'm thinking about doing a post grad, and maybe working with the Freshwater Research Institute at UCT for that. I am passionate about the "natural world" and I am very excited for this course, although one of the concerns I had was finding employment post-graduation. What are the options with that degree and then with a masters in something similar? also, do you know much about the Freshwater Research Institute at UCT? What kind of stuff do they do?

Thank you

Gabriel

 

Hi Guys,

I may be 90 in the shade (56 in October and almost over the hill), but I can also tell you that I am still passionate about what I do and that is that I use DNA based techniques to unravel all sorts of issues including biodiversity and conservation issues. Many of these techniques are applied in ichtyology, zoology and botany and they are all the same. Because of these techniques were can now analyse all sorts of complex issues that were not possible before, for example how all the little Pseudobarbus species have distributed and speciated in the rivers of the Eastern and Western Cape. This is a research issue and in order to do this research you need to do post-graduate studies in Ichtyology or Zoology. However, you can move from one field to another in biology with relative ease, so this opens all sorts of possibilities.

How does this relate to getting a job, which is what we are really all aiming for? In our overpopulated world today, jobs in all fields are difficult to find, it is a matter of how good you are, and how determined you are, when it comes to someone getting a job. If I wanted to employ someone I would ask for their CV, and then have a look at which subjects they may have passed at university and then I would look at the marks that students achieve. If these are not good then I would start asking questions and would in all likelihood take a candidate for the job that has better marks. So, what I am saying to you is that on the one hand it depends on your qualification, but it also very importantly depends on your performance throughout your degree courses as to whether you will get a job or not.

So, what am I saying to you and this relates to your question Gabriel? From now on you are working for yourself and you need to perform well to get a job, it is as simple as that. That should be your first priority. I always tell my students to first pass their basic degree and then move to the next step and take the next set of decisions then. Again, your performance all along determines whether you may get bursaries for your postgraduate studies. If you have the ability, I would advise you to do postgraduate studies, this is important in any field. However, this does not mean that you cannot do an economic qualification after a B Sc such as an MBA or something, the first degree just opens what you can do. So, Gabriel, go for it and work towards getting good grades and then you will ensure your future. About your questions about the Freshwater Institute at UCT, don't worry about that now, first get your basic degree and then you can go where you want, this is your first hurdle and then it is your qualification to the next step.

Salmon, Rhodes is an excellent university and the ichtyology course is an excellent course, but there are other ways of studying ichtyology as well, you could do a basic degree elsewhere and then enroll for a postgraduate course at Rhodes. If you want to study applied aquaculture, the course at Stellenbosch is also good, about that there is no doubt. Salmon, the last part of your post is contradictory and I do not understand what you are trying to say, perhaps you can explain, I refer to your statement: "Not to say that you won't find a job after completing the Ichthyology degree, but the variety that you'd find with the other degrees is somewhat lacking." I think it is important for us to know what you mean but at this stage it does not make sense.

Milksy, I see you have memories of the "Rat", it has been the downfall of many a student in Rhodes.... Studying at a University is about balance, you need to study and you can enjoy yourself as well, but all inspiration need not come from a bottle.....

Finally, the question that has been asked repeatedly is "What do they do" after getting the degree. Well, the sky is the limit, for example if you are passionate about nature, I am sure that you have watched 50/50 and perhaps Nat Geo or Nat Geo Wild and then have a look at the folks there. All of them have biology degrees and most probably post graduate qualifications. If you look at programs that were filmed in Africa, I would say that 90% have degrees from South Africa. I have taught in post graduate courses in Conservation Biology at UCT and then there are students from all over Africa.

So, guys go for it, you are young and the world is at your feet.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

I'm still confused on what to study. Luckily I'm still in grade 10 so I have quite a while to decide. I was looking at parasitology. Anyone done anything similar?

 

I wasn't going to reply to this thread, as this is the Professor's domain... However something that Tankmaster said earlier has been stuck in my mind all day.

The Professor did challenge you on this thought... and Professor I hope I am not stepping on anyone's toes here, but I'd like to just re-iterate what you have said. The only reason I want to do this is because I don't want any of the younger members to dis-regard what the Professor has said, because the general agreement is that a Professor will always punt education, and that the Professor may be biased.

When a young person leaves matric, I actually believe that the person is still too immature to make such life-changing decisions with regards to what you want to do for the rest of your life. HOWEVER, I do believe that a little bit of career guidance goes a LONG way. I have never studied at University, but from what I have heard and summized from chatting to university students is that first year, and sometimes second year is a very general course. This gives you time to make your mistakes, and sometimes change your career path without it effecting your studies too drastically. By the time you go into 3rd year, I believe you have matured enough and have a reasonable idea of what you want to do.

When I finished school, I did a 3 year higher diploma. I did not go do any degree. My current work (construction project management) has absolutely NOTHING to do with the diploma I did, and I have basically learned everything I know from hands-on experience in the field. My current salary status (after 5 years experience) is equal to a degreed student who has just come out of varsity. That same student will almost double (if not trebble) their salary by the time they reach my age.

This is a catch 22 scenario. With my EXPERIENCE, I can actually get a job relatively easier than the degreed student because I have in-field experience, but also because my salary demands is lower. This is more pertinant to my industry though, and should not be considered the norm.

My wife finished matric, took a gap year to work, and that gap year never ended. She has been fortunate enough to walk into a job where she is an Executive Personal Assistant to the Owner of the Tintswalo Boutique Hotel's and Lodges... so her work is lined up for her.

Do we have any regrets? Most definately NO!
If we could go back to matric, would we do something different? Knowning what I know now, (i.e hindsight being the marvelous art that it is...) I would more than likely do a degree. Because the older I get, the less inclined I am to go back to school. And the older I get, the more value I see in a degree.

At the beginning of this year I had to make a decision to better myself in order to market myself better. I therefore decided to do an International Project Manager's Professional Certification, which I am currently studying towards. And I can tell you that being out of school for 10 years, it has taken me almost 3/4s of the course to get back into it.

TM... I hear and understand your "frustration" of being in a relationship, and not wanting to go study far. I understand because MY OWN WIFE met me whilst she was in grade 11... and she most definately would not want to have gone to UCT or Rhodes to study after school, when by the time she matriculated, we had been together for 18 months. (You can see how serious it was by the fact that we are married today!) BUT, what I can say to you is this... if the relationship is meant to be, it will last those 3 or 4 years apart. And in the greater scheme of things, those 3 to 4 years is extremely brief, but as the Professor says, will set you up for the rest of your life!

So I implore you... if your passions and hearts desires for the rest of your life can only be fulfilled through a degree at UCT or Rhodes, don't settle for second best and stay in Durban. I guarantee you this... 10 years down the line, when you look back and remember this day, and not have followed your passions, you will regret it!

Regards

Z