This paper presents the results of a survey conducted among students and graduates of the Degree Course in Biology from two institutions of higher education in Belém, the Centro Universitário do Pará (CESUPA) and the Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), and sought to answer the following question: How do you choose or how you are chosen to be a biology teacher? And had as objective: to draw a profile of the Degree Course in Biology; analyze the underlying conditions and representations to opt for teaching profession among students and graduates. To achieve these objectives a field research was developed among students entering and graduating from courses of biology at both institutions and an analysis only exploratory with graduates of such courses suggesting continuity of this type of research. The results were analyzed through the dialogue with authors in the areas of sociology of education, teacher training and career choices. These analysis indicates that such the choice of the course, as the choice of teaching career are presented as alternative forms of access to higher education and the labor market, due to the limitations imposed by competition in college entrance exams for courses of higher prestige, as well as by the labor market itself.