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lil gobie
Guest
shoreliner11 what is it like to be a marine bioligist and what do you have to do i am looking in to gooing to the hawii one or the school in mimi i have heard good thing about it
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lil gobie
Guest
what i want to do if i were a marine bioal;sdfkja i would want to go swimming and scuba diving go get fish and study them make a hypothisi and see what happens from there are you talking to me reeefman22
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lil gobie
Guest
are you going to ansewer me or ignor me :notsure:
shoreliner11
Active Member
Well, I'm not a marine biologist yet, in the making hopefully though. Studying to be a marine biologist I can tell you is a lot of fun. Yes there are still tests and studying to do, but I have no problem writing lab reports after studying zonation of organisms on a rocky intertidal zone (what I'm doing this weekend). Ophiura can chime in, she already went through graduate school if I'm not mistaken. Anyhow, some do work in aquariums, and a some do research. Unfortunately I know its not all glorified like one would think. The people who go scuba diving to collect specimens do a lot of lab work studying those organisms. So research is another option, if you got your phd you may end up being a college professor. Very few jobs but if you work hard enough whos to say you couldn't do it. Many professors do research as well as teach. You can also go work for a state position. One professor I know now is on a panel which advises on dumping of ballast water into ports. Because this water has non-indiginous species in it they can potentially colonize this new area. Just one example but you get the idea. Hawaii would be a cool place to study, don't know too much about the school though. I hope I answered some questions.
Aaron
Aaron
ophiura
Active Member
Yup
Been through grad school, more years than I wish to say, LOL. And I agree... I loved the work, and MANY people don't realize what it is.
In general, I would say marine biologists actually are not dolphin trainers (you would be better off getting a degree at least in animal behavior, or more likely as an animal keeper).
Few also really work at aquariums (though I did for a spell). There is a bit of a "bad vibe" about many marine biologists in the aquarium industry. Many have a bit too much attitude. Keeping tanks is actually very different from the real marine environment, and it takes a different person to be an aquarist. Many marine biologists will not be hired as aquarists. It is just very different.
By training I am a marine invertebrate taxonomist which means that I studied inverts (almost exclusively brittlestars). The animals I was primarily interested in were deep sea, which is another major area of discovery. But "marine biologists" might be interested in anything from a maritime forest ecosystem, rocky shores, sandy beaches, tropics to arctic, intertidal to the deep sea, specialized ecosystems like coral reefs, marine caves, inland hypersaline systems, etc. There are loads of specializations within the field. It is a very broad subject, because it is a huge ecosystem....the majority of the surface of the planet.
But I spent nearly ALL my time in museums, looking at specimens in jars. And this is part of the reality. It costs money to go dive and collect things and you have to sell that research to get the money. If you don't, you may not do the research, won't publish papers, won't get further grants, or tenure at a university. It is very stressful, and it is the reality of life as a scientist.
It is not glamorous but for a true marine biologist, wandering through a salt marsh or mud flat or whatever would be a great way to spend the day :yes: Studying zonation is fascinating, IMO. Comparing a rocky intertidal to a sand beach, or rocky temperate intertidal to a tropical rocky intertidal...man, that is fun! :yes: I don't regret any of it. Have had a blast!
In general, I would say marine biologists actually are not dolphin trainers (you would be better off getting a degree at least in animal behavior, or more likely as an animal keeper).
Few also really work at aquariums (though I did for a spell). There is a bit of a "bad vibe" about many marine biologists in the aquarium industry. Many have a bit too much attitude. Keeping tanks is actually very different from the real marine environment, and it takes a different person to be an aquarist. Many marine biologists will not be hired as aquarists. It is just very different.
By training I am a marine invertebrate taxonomist which means that I studied inverts (almost exclusively brittlestars). The animals I was primarily interested in were deep sea, which is another major area of discovery. But "marine biologists" might be interested in anything from a maritime forest ecosystem, rocky shores, sandy beaches, tropics to arctic, intertidal to the deep sea, specialized ecosystems like coral reefs, marine caves, inland hypersaline systems, etc. There are loads of specializations within the field. It is a very broad subject, because it is a huge ecosystem....the majority of the surface of the planet.
But I spent nearly ALL my time in museums, looking at specimens in jars. And this is part of the reality. It costs money to go dive and collect things and you have to sell that research to get the money. If you don't, you may not do the research, won't publish papers, won't get further grants, or tenure at a university. It is very stressful, and it is the reality of life as a scientist.
It is not glamorous but for a true marine biologist, wandering through a salt marsh or mud flat or whatever would be a great way to spend the day :yes: Studying zonation is fascinating, IMO. Comparing a rocky intertidal to a sand beach, or rocky temperate intertidal to a tropical rocky intertidal...man, that is fun! :yes: I don't regret any of it. Have had a blast!
celacanthr
Active Member
well when and if i do become a marine biologist i would
a) go to s. africa and study the Coelacanth :cheer: ,but that would probably be difficult to get a job at that specifically so here are the other plans
b) study at the galapagos, but once again very difficult because you have to get a pass to the galapagos and to get one for a month+ is very very rare, so
c) study at australia, specifically echinoderms, cephalopods, crustaceans, and deep and shallow sea symbiosis.
I have a hundred or so backup plans.
a) go to s. africa and study the Coelacanth :cheer: ,but that would probably be difficult to get a job at that specifically so here are the other plans
b) study at the galapagos, but once again very difficult because you have to get a pass to the galapagos and to get one for a month+ is very very rare, so
c) study at australia, specifically echinoderms, cephalopods, crustaceans, and deep and shallow sea symbiosis.
I have a hundred or so backup plans.
ophiura
Active Member
If you mean me -
I am not currently employed as a marine biologist. And when I was (in various forms - some teaching, aquarist), I did not make enough to even begin to pay off the cost of my education. At some point I hope to end up back in consulting which would be somewhat marine science related. But the take home message is that marine biologists are usually not rich. Don't count on that. You do it because you have a passion for the work. And that is why it is not for everyone.
If you can score a position as a government research scientist (work up many years through the ranks), you can probably get into some decent pay range in the $70,000+ range. Ditto for university profs (PhD level).
I am not currently employed as a marine biologist. And when I was (in various forms - some teaching, aquarist), I did not make enough to even begin to pay off the cost of my education. At some point I hope to end up back in consulting which would be somewhat marine science related. But the take home message is that marine biologists are usually not rich. Don't count on that. You do it because you have a passion for the work. And that is why it is not for everyone.
If you can score a position as a government research scientist (work up many years through the ranks), you can probably get into some decent pay range in the $70,000+ range. Ditto for university profs (PhD level).
shoreliner11
Active Member
Fishman
Generally if you choose to become a scientist of any sort be it geology, astronomy, chemistry, etc. you most likely aren't going to be making the big bucks. Does that mean that you can't make a decent pay no. I talked with a professor recently who told me (taking it with a grain of sand) that many of the research scientist he knew would start around low 30's and can potentially get up to 70-80k (like Ophiura said) if you get on of the few phd professor jobs. I'm not 100% sure I'll be a marine biologist my whole life but I know that if I majored in another area, I'd always be wishing I did marine bio. So problem solved for me
Aaron
Generally if you choose to become a scientist of any sort be it geology, astronomy, chemistry, etc. you most likely aren't going to be making the big bucks. Does that mean that you can't make a decent pay no. I talked with a professor recently who told me (taking it with a grain of sand) that many of the research scientist he knew would start around low 30's and can potentially get up to 70-80k (like Ophiura said) if you get on of the few phd professor jobs. I'm not 100% sure I'll be a marine biologist my whole life but I know that if I majored in another area, I'd always be wishing I did marine bio. So problem solved for me
Aaron
ophiura
Active Member
Originally Posted by Shoreliner11
Fishman
I'm not 100% sure I'll be a marine biologist my whole life but I know that if I majored in another area, I'd always be wishing I did marine bio. So problem solved for me
Aaron
You're only young once, and if you are going to climb around on slimy rocks and wedge your foot in there, fall on your butt (get covered in cyano sludge) and twist your ankle - and still be having fun - then that is the time to do it
:yes: Not always the best way to meet chicks (or guys), but if you love it, you love it....
Fishman
I'm not 100% sure I'll be a marine biologist my whole life but I know that if I majored in another area, I'd always be wishing I did marine bio. So problem solved for me
Aaron
You're only young once, and if you are going to climb around on slimy rocks and wedge your foot in there, fall on your butt (get covered in cyano sludge) and twist your ankle - and still be having fun - then that is the time to do it
vejomatic
Member
:thinking: how bout this:
get your degree in Marine Biology, petition a bank for a small business loan (bankers dont know the difference between a marine biologist and an aquarist), then you open up an LFS (with your new loan) spend 60% of your profits from the first year...higher a grant writer then petition for money from the govt./Universities to do research in some exotic place...all the while being an absentee owner of your LFS! Give it a few years of doing this then sell the LFS, (pay off debt) pocket your profits then move to above said exotic archipelago and reef' for Inverts or whatever to your hearts content.
sounds like a plan to me :joy:
~vm
get your degree in Marine Biology, petition a bank for a small business loan (bankers dont know the difference between a marine biologist and an aquarist), then you open up an LFS (with your new loan) spend 60% of your profits from the first year...higher a grant writer then petition for money from the govt./Universities to do research in some exotic place...all the while being an absentee owner of your LFS! Give it a few years of doing this then sell the LFS, (pay off debt) pocket your profits then move to above said exotic archipelago and reef' for Inverts or whatever to your hearts content.
sounds like a plan to me :joy:
~vm