I'd had several careers but no degree – then I became a palaeontologist at 62
4 days ago
- #palaeontology
- #career change
- #lifelong learning
- Craig Munns, a 65-year-old palaeontologist, graduated with honors at 62 after deciding to pursue a degree part-time.
- He works at Geoscience Australia, focusing on monitoring mineral deposits but is passionate about a palaeontology paper he's writing on biostratigraphy.
- Munns is fascinated by invertebrates like trilobites and the 'flexibility of life' in evolutionary terms.
- Before his career in palaeontology, Munns had diverse roles including electronics technician, computer engineer, tech support, sales, teaching, and running his own computer sales business.
- He took a significant pay cut to work at a public library, valuing the experience and the opportunity to help a diverse range of people.
- Munns views retirement as a cultural expectation he doesn't understand, preferring to continue working and exploring evolutionary palaeontology.