"we will slowly lose the amateur entomologists"

[Paul Cherubini]

Mike Quinn wrote:

>  It's my contention that the numbers of students persuing professional
>  careers in entomology would have flattened out or dropped off with or
>  without the increased interest in entomology by amateurs. The jobs just
>  aren't out there due primarily to an ever increasing emphasis on molecular
>  studies and the current march towards transgenic crops.

> In short, of the very few students that I went to school with who got into
> entomology because of an unfettered love of collecting, none were
> lepidopterists.

What  do you feel got Texas A & M students originally interested in entomology during 
their childhood or their teenage years ( i.e. amateur entomologist years)?  Was it 
consumptive-type activities such as swinging a net in the field and capturing, killing or 
otherwise manipulating insects or non-consumptive type activities such as just carrying a 
pair of binoculars into the field?  If the former, I wonder how their interest in entomology 
would have been affected if they had been discouraged from engaging in consumptive 
type activities during their amateur entomologist years?

Paul Cherubini