Becoming a cryptozoologist

I get the question a few times a year from students who have read my books: "How do I become a cryptozoologist?" As Loren Coleman explains more thoroughly in this Cryptomundo post, cryptozoology is a sideline to almost all its practitioners. There are no degree courses in this controversial subspecialty. I always respond that a zoology degree is the best preparation - and you can find a paying job with it to keep up an income while you study sasquatch footprint casts or whatever fascinates you.