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Jaelyn
Student
Yuma, Arizona
2
Questions
Updated
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What are the Pros and Cons for studying marine biology? How do I know if marine biology is truly for me??
I am an 8th grade student who is very interested in marine biology. My whole life, I’ve been very interested in the ocean and its life. But I’ve always been curious to know if it’s truly for me. Things I’m looking forward to is studying orcas, I really like them. But I don’t know if I can actually study them and the reality of studying them.
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Martha Kramer
Corporate Training, Communications
480
Answers
Stamford, Connecticut
Updated
Martha’s Answer
Hi Jaelyn - good question and very popular topic on this site! I answered once (see link below); I recommend searching "marine biology" on CareerVillage for more perspectives .
As for studying orcas, you definitely can (or at least similar marine mammals). The key is finding a professor who is studying them already. The second link is to an admittedly long essay by a marine mammals researcher who discusses his career with amazing candor. I recommend reading the whole thing but here are some of the points I find most relevant to you now:
* Volunteer to gain experience, but choose the volunteer opportunity not based on an exotic field site or charismatic study species, but on the type and quality of the science being undertaken. Your volunteer experience does not necessarily need to be with marine mammals — if it involves the same types of methodology used in marine mammal research (e.g., radio tracking, small boat work, flying drones, photo-identification, data analyses) it will be of value even if you really want to work with marine mammals.
*If you are volunteering, ask for feedback on what you can do to learn more, improve your performance etc. It is amazing how few volunteers ever ask for feedback/suggestions. Note this also applies to jobs you are being paid for – ask for feedback on a regular basis.
*Learn to fail productively. To paraphrase Tara Cox of Savannah State University, to be a good scientist you have to be good at failing. Accepting when you make mistakes, admitting to them, and learning from them, is extremely important as a scientist (and as a human being!).
*Do your homework. Read everything published (yes, everything) on the species you are interested in, and on the questions you are interested in. Too many prospective students (and current students) are not familiar with the work that has been undertaken on the same topic/species, and spend a lot of time thinking they are answering questions that have already been answered, or end up taking credit for “discoveries” that have already been discovered.
*Learn how to drive and launch boats. Learn how to trouble-shoot engine problems. Learn advanced quantitative methods. These things will make you stand out .
*Develop your quantitative skills, even if it is a painful and unpleasant experience. Not just statistics, but experimental design, modeling, sampling, etc. Too many people in the field do not understand sampling biases and basic principles underlying statistical analyses.
The third link is to a YouTube video about his work. Good luck!
Similar CareerVillage question - https://www.careervillage.org/questions/1101779/what-are-cons-of-being-a-marine-biologist
Cascadia researcher - https://cascadiaresearch.org/robin-baird-advice/
Robin Baird on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7byFoTnLVc
As for studying orcas, you definitely can (or at least similar marine mammals). The key is finding a professor who is studying them already. The second link is to an admittedly long essay by a marine mammals researcher who discusses his career with amazing candor. I recommend reading the whole thing but here are some of the points I find most relevant to you now:
* Volunteer to gain experience, but choose the volunteer opportunity not based on an exotic field site or charismatic study species, but on the type and quality of the science being undertaken. Your volunteer experience does not necessarily need to be with marine mammals — if it involves the same types of methodology used in marine mammal research (e.g., radio tracking, small boat work, flying drones, photo-identification, data analyses) it will be of value even if you really want to work with marine mammals.
*If you are volunteering, ask for feedback on what you can do to learn more, improve your performance etc. It is amazing how few volunteers ever ask for feedback/suggestions. Note this also applies to jobs you are being paid for – ask for feedback on a regular basis.
*Learn to fail productively. To paraphrase Tara Cox of Savannah State University, to be a good scientist you have to be good at failing. Accepting when you make mistakes, admitting to them, and learning from them, is extremely important as a scientist (and as a human being!).
*Do your homework. Read everything published (yes, everything) on the species you are interested in, and on the questions you are interested in. Too many prospective students (and current students) are not familiar with the work that has been undertaken on the same topic/species, and spend a lot of time thinking they are answering questions that have already been answered, or end up taking credit for “discoveries” that have already been discovered.
*Learn how to drive and launch boats. Learn how to trouble-shoot engine problems. Learn advanced quantitative methods. These things will make you stand out .
*Develop your quantitative skills, even if it is a painful and unpleasant experience. Not just statistics, but experimental design, modeling, sampling, etc. Too many people in the field do not understand sampling biases and basic principles underlying statistical analyses.
The third link is to a YouTube video about his work. Good luck!
Martha recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much for putting your time and effort into replying to my question! I appreciate you for helping me and giving me tips on how to pursue my dreams. I will be taking your advice and suggestions!
Jaelyn