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What are the fields of work for a marine biologist?

There are so many things to study in the field I don't know how to narrow it down. #somanychoices #marine-biology #careers #biology

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Francesco’s Answer

Marine Biology is a diverse job description some work as professors researching marine ecosystems, ecology, or marine conservation. Others work in museums as curators and educators. Lastly some marine biologists work with government agencies to study populations of interest like oyster reefs or coral reefs.

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Ken’s Answer

You are correct. There many opportunities in working as a marine biologist. The most important thing for you to do is to get to know yourself better to see how your personality traits match with those who are involved and successful in this wide field and then meeting and talking with people in this field, so that you can see what they do, how they got there, and what advice and suggestions that they might have for you.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
It really does not matter what school you attend, as the most important factors are how well you do with the school work, which is an indication to an employer about what kind of employee you will be, and the effort that you put forth in your networking to set up networking connections that will help you throughout your education/career journey. Here is an important video for you to watch: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education ##
Thank you comment icon Here are some good tips on reducing college costs. Too many people spend much to much money on an education and end up with unnecessarily high debt. ## http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml ## Ken Simmons
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Stephanie’s Answer

There are many different potential fields of work for a marine biologist - it just depends on what you're interested in the most!

There are many different "fields" or areas of study that you can specialize in, including (just to name a few):

  • Marine mammals
  • Fish
  • Invertebrates (e.g., crabs, jellyfish, etc.)
  • Coral reefs
  • Ocean exploration
  • Marine ecology
  • Animal husbandry
  • Environmental sciences, including studying how humans affect the environment and how to fix what we break
  • Coastal sciences, including wetlands
  • Paleobiology
  • Natural resource restoration
  • Marine conservation
  • Education and outreach

Some types of jobs and work options include:

  • Universities (e.g., professor, researcher)
  • Research centers (e.g., researcher)
  • Working for local, state, or federal governments (as an employee or contractor)
  • Consultant for small private companies
  • Working for big industry companies
  • Working for a non-profit organization
  • Education and outreach, including at schools, aquariums, museums, cruise ships and tourism places, other learning centers

I, myself, have worked for universities, research centers, big industry companies, and several different federal government agencies.

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