Careers
Damian Dowling
"I entered my science degree with the intention of studying animal behaviour, evolution and ecology.
"In 1998, I did my honours fieldwork in the Seychelles, 1000 miles east of Kenya, and the lab component of my study in the Netherlands.
"Science is an international career. So it is pretty likely that if you pursue zoology for a career you'll end up doing some research abroad.
"Although I wanted to study zoology, I was never a birdwatcher when I was a kid. It sort of grew on me, by my 3rd year of undergrad.
"I decided I'd like to concentrate on studying birds. I completed my honours degree knowing that unless I had a sudden urge to swap careers, I'd want to do a PhD.
"An honours project is the ideal way to find out if you like conducting original research. After honours, I applied for a PhD, which is a 3 year project. I really enjoy the mix of outdoors fieldwork and work within the zoology department."