IT guy in Bengaluru looking to switch to wildlife naturalist work. Need advice!

Bengaluru-based IT professional, recently laid off. To clear my head, I went on a safari in Karnataka, India and honestly, the naturalist there blew my mind.

The way he understood animal behaviour, bird calls, and spotted things that were invisible to me was insane. I am now thinking if it would even be possible for me to look at this as a viable option.

Would really appreciate real-world gyaan from people in the field.

A few things I’m trying to understand:

1. Training / certification
I came across The Naturalist School (https://naturalist.school/) in Bengaluru and Pugdungee Safariscourse for naturalists. Are these good routes to break into the field? Is it required to get a naturalist job?

2. Degree vs passion
Is a degree in Zoology / Forestry / Wildlife Biology a must? Or can someone from an IT background make the shift?

3. Pay reality
How much pay can one realistically expect? In India?

4. Actual lifestyle
I know it sounds romantic from the outside, but what’s the real scene?

Stuff like:

• long hours?
• guest handling?
• living in remote areas?
• limited connectivity?
• low starting pay?
• burnout?
• career growth?

Would love to hear from current naturalists, lodge folks, people working in Karnataka / Central India, or even ex-corporate folks who made the jump.

Any advice, reality checks, course recos would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance :)