The teaching setting may even extend beyond the boundaries of the classroom into the community or the environment. Biologists may also communicate science to the public. Biologists in academe, industry and government are often in positions that require many other skills in addition to their biological knowledge. Management and administrative positions require excellent communication skills and business knowledge, as well as information management and computer skills. In general, biologists earn middle-income salaries that are adequate to support a family and enjoy a comfortable standard of living.
Salaries vary, of course, depending upon training, level of experience, and geographical area.
The undergraduate major you choose will depend on the degree programs offered by the college or university you attend and your area of interest. Visit with an academic counselor to learn about available degree plans and departmental emphases for each college or university you consider. Even though biology is an integrative science that should be unified into an interrelated network of subdisciplines, one large life science department is often not practical to manage, as conflicts among faculty interest groups arise over career standards, funding resources and methodologies. Biological sciences include so many approaches to studying living organisms that it is not easy to describe them all. Biologists may specialize on a specific group of organisms or may take a comparative approach to study certain life processes.