Botanist
Study plants and their impact on the environment.
Job opportunities
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Jobs in SEEK right now
Job growth
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5-year projection
Salary
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Typical salary
Job satisfaction
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Job opportunities
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Jobs in SEEK right now
Salary
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Typical salary
Job growth
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5-year projection
Job satisfaction
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What's it like to be a Botanist?
Botanists study plants. They look at plant structure, biochemistry and ecology to understand plant growth and their impact on the environment. Botanists may use this information to develop environmental protection programs or make improvements to existing plant growing techniques. Some Botanists may be involved in identifying plants and plant products for use in food, medicine, fabrics and building materials, or searching for and classifying new plant species.
Tasks and duties
- Conducting field surveys, which can mean being based in remote areas or the wilderness for weeks and months at a time.
- Carrying out plant identification.
- Collecting data, including rainfall, temperature, soil, sunlight, disease and topography.
- Reporting and analysis.
- Writing case studies, articles, reports and assessing building plans.
How to become a Botanist
You’ll need to complete an undergraduate degree in science, and many Botanists go on to complete postgraduate studies.
- Consider a Bachelor of Science majoring in botany or plant science. The course will take 3 years full-time and will require you to have completed year 12 with a satisfactory ATAR or gain access via an alternative entry route.
- Go on to complete a Master of Science with a research component, and elect to do your thesis on a suitable aspect of botany. This will take 1.5 years full-time, and you’ll need an undergraduate degree to enter the program.
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Find out how your salary compares with the average salary for Botanists.
Latest Botanist jobs on SEEK
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Skills and experience employers are looking for
Having the right skills and experience can make you an in-demand applicant. Botanist employers on SEEK are looking for job seekers with expertise in the following areas.
Source: SEEK job ads and SEEK Profile data
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Latest Botanist reviews
May 2021
Reviewer's Qualification
Master of Environmental Science
Experience
Less than a year
Organisation size
Large (200+ employees)
Specialisation
Terrestrial Ecology
The good things
Great variability between field work and report writing, keeps the job fresh and exciting.
Constantly learning new skills and relevant information due to diverse range of tasks and environments. Neve...
The challenges
The work can be constantly changing, so being flexible and open minded is very important. Learning to manage this variability will make working far more enjoyable.
The work hours can be exhausting so...
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Source: SEEK role reviews
SEEK has not verified the truth or accuracy of these comments and does not adopt or endorse any of the comments posted on this page.SEEK collects and posts the comments for what they are worth and for information purposes only to assist candidates to find employment through seek.com.au
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