Biometrician Career Profile
- Career Name - Biometrician
- Category - Scientists / Wildlife Conservation / Marine Conservation
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic School Subjects - Mathematics, Biology, Science
- Required Basic Education - Bachelor's Degree
- Species Worked With - All existing animal species
- Kind of Interaction with Animals - Direct
How do I become a Biometrician?
READ: This page helps you to read about the career and the info you need to decide on whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: ​Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for the career, then join the OZT Community! Members have access to tools, while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTORS
UPDATED:
21 May 2023
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What is a Biometrician?
The Biometrician provides biometric and statistical guidance and advice to biologists, ecologists and other staff conducting wildlife research.
Alternative Names
The career might also be known as:
- Biological statistician
Career Categories
The Biometrician career can be found within the following OZT career categories:​
- Scientific Specialists
- Marine Conservation
- Wildlife Conservation
What does a Biometrician do?
Groups of animals a Biometrician works with
What is the level of Interaction with the Animals?
- Directly - A person works directly with the animals with some form of physical contact at least once every few days
- Indirectly - The career doesn't require direct or physical contact at all.
What does a Biometrician focus on?
The Biometrician performs detailed statistical analysis and biological interpretation of scientific data collectedby the research team.
There are a few interesting and important topics focused on within this career:
- Yield of stock in agriculture (animal farming)
- Conservation
What are the daily tasks of a Biometrician?
- Design research projects
- Analyze and interpret statistical data
- Determine whether statistical methods are appropriate
- Prepare data for processing
- Report results of statistical analyses
- Attend seminars
- Write reports
- Administration and filing
(Source: mymajors.com)
The work Environment of a Biometrician
Where does a Biometrician work?
Environment –
Some Biometricians spend the majority of their time in an office while others spend time in the field where they use specific equipment to process data on animals.
Doing tests and writing reports can be done indoors.
Places of Employment –
In most cases a Biometrician is employed by research institutions, universities, museums, governments or private laboratories or companies.
What is the average annual salary of a Biometrician?
The average yearly salary of a permanent Biometrician is around US76,000. The salary will depend on the country and kind of employer.
Salary in specific Countries:
- South Africa – R580,000
- United Kingdom – £63,000
- United States – $76,000
Can a Biometrician be promoted?
Depending on the institution they are employed at, there could be good promotional opportunities.
Basic promotion levels:
Intern > Junior Biometrician > Senior Biometrician > Head of Department or Research
What are the difficulties a Biometrician may face?
They may be required to work irregular hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays and in difficult weather.
Future Growth and Career Outlook
The current annual growth for Biometrician as a career is high with a shortage world wide of highly qualified individuals.
Future gowth will be for taxonomists with artistic talents to contribute towards scientific illustrations.
Availability of Jobs
Good
Which Skills are required for a Biometrician?
The skills required for a career as a Biometrician can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills:
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills
- Handling animals
- Handling equipment
- Customer service skills
- Good health and physical fitness
- Excellent computer literacy
Which subjects must I have at school to prepare for this career?
Most universities will require a high level of mathematics to start your studies. Maths is the backbone of gathering data and producing statistics.
Biology should be next to maths as youur main subjects at school as certain courses at University will also require biology for admission.
Taxonomy will require the three main subjects (science, chemistry and maths) for admission
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
What will I need to Study to become a Biometrician?
Minimum educational requirements
Generally, a Biometrician must have at least a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree for an entry level job.
More scientific jobs will require a minimum of a Masters Degree. The top job seekers study even further to a Doctorate Degree (PhD).
Study Focus
Major –
Most Biometricians start off with an undergraduate degree in majors such as mathematics, statistics or biostatistics.
They also specialize in research and methadology through most of the degree, as well as in Masters and Doctorate studies.
Short Courses –
Much of the practical things you will do need to be learned through the completion of short courses, such as identifying animals, using the right tools, and learning more about the specialized software used by Biometricians.
Study Duration
The duration of Bachelor’s Degrees are between 3 and 4 years. Masters can take another 2 to 3 years. short courses differ, but can range from a few days to a few weeks.
Possible Career Preparation Paths
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to go.
Possible Path(s):
Possible Combined Career Paths
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternative(s):
Training and apprenticeship
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal careers, most of the skills you will need will be acquired through on-the-job training. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions (or junior Biometricians) require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Join the Biometricians Group to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of education of those entering this career
Licenses, Certificates, Registration and Professional Organizations
Certain animal care careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Learn more about requirements by joining the OZT Community.
Professional Organizations
Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards statistics.
Do you want to Contribute?
Do you have information that you would like to contribute to this career?
Join our OZT Community and career Group
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a Biometrician.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledgeÂ
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being a Biometrician, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. Members will be directed to the Group, and non-members will be assisted to register first.
If this career is NOT the career for you, then you may return to the MAIN CAREER menu to start a new search and learn about a different career.
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