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Do You Want to Be a Marine Scientist?

Are you interested in a career in marine science? Matt Lybolt, former FWRI researcher, provides some advice for pursuing this career path.

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by Matt Lybolt
former FWRI Scientist—Coral Reefs and Hard Grounds Program

Do You Want to Be a Marine Scientist?
Great! Skip the next section; I don't need to spend time convincing you that is a wonderful field. Are you on the fence? Keep reading.

What Is Marine Science, and Why Should You Want to Be a Marine Scientist?
Marine science is a huge field, and it gets bigger every year. Marine science includes biological, chemical, physical, and geological studies of the ocean. The field is expanding to include studies of coastlines, rivers, anthropology, economics, and agriculture. Our specialty covers 70% of the planet and helps feed more than 2 billion people.

Marine science combines many disparate professions into cooperative projects. For example, satelllite-borne sensors have brought oceanographers together with aerospace engineers, meteorologists, and microbiologists. We now track climate, ocean currents, and plankton using the same sensor in space. Many people think of Discovery Channel stuff, like dolphins, sharks, and coral reefs, when they hear about marine science. The vast majority of marine science never makes it to television. Of the 405 employees at the marine research institute where I work, none of us work on dolphins or sharks, and only seven of us work on coral reefs! My point is that there is a lot of activity in this field, and most of what we do never gets media attention. However, if you are interested in science, it's pretty much guaranteed that you can find a job that you can enjoy.

Even if you become unhappy with your job, there is always an alternative. The best part about your education is that it qualifies you for almost any entry-level job in any field of natural science. You can use your marine science training to pick any job in the natural sciences. Just try doing that if you've trained to be an insurance adjustor!

Marine science is a fun field where you get to ask interesting questions and find answers that nobody has ever known. Sometimes your answers make a big difference. About half of us are paid to play in the water, and we never have to wear business suits. Your fellow professionals are laid-back and fun to be around—most days I can come to work in sandals and shorts.

If you agree with any of these statements, you should probably find another profession.

• I want to make a lot of money.
• I want to be famous.
• I like to eat endangered species.
• I want to talk to dolphins.
• I like fancy cars and big houses.
• I can't stand smelly things.

What Sort of Education Do You Need?
A bachelor's degree in any natural science can carry you onto most marine science career paths. If you want to be "the boss" or a professor, you must also earn advanced degrees. The natural sciences include math, physics, chemistry, geology, and biology. No matter what natural science major you choose, you will be required to take at least two classes in each topic. Because of these broad degree requirements, a bachelor's degree in any natural science will qualify you for starting jobs in almost any marine science field. Yes, we may hire you to work with fish if you have a math degree! Try to take a diverse array of middle- and upper-level classes as you can afford (study terms in Belize, Bahamas, U.S. Virgin Islands, semester-at-sea). Be wary of specialization. It is much better to know something about everything than to know everything about something. My work on coral uses chemistry and geology knowledge. Work on fish uses physics and chemistry knowledge, and everything uses statistics. I can't stress enough the importance of the science of statistics. No matter what you intend to do in the sciences, you may want to include two statistics courses as you pursue your degree.

Statistics courses make people think about the "m" word—and math is a scary topic for many of us. According to a recent poll, half of Americans can't count past ten without removing their shoes. This isn't because math is difficult. It's because most of us don't practice math. Well, what do you expect when you don't practice something? Work on it! Get a calendar of math puzzles, and solve the puzzle every day. With that said, what is the reality of math in the marine sciece workplace? Scientists are expected to be proficient at arithmetic. You must be skilled enough to pass the standardized tests—that's SAT and ACT for bachelor's programs, GRE for master's programs. For advanced math outside the classroom, things are a bit different. It is okay to spend some time, hours or days, researching which set of equations or statistical tests are appropriate for the kind of data that you have. You are encouraged to ask other scientists for advice. Once you have found a set of equations, the "math" part is just like following a recipe. You need to understand the theory so you can set up a program to perform the equation, but you make the computer do all the calculations.

How Much Does Experience Matter?
Experience is important and should go hand in hand with your education and career planning. For most jobs, two years of relevant experience can substitute for a bachelor's degree. Two years of relevant experience plus a bachelor's degree can substitute for a master's degree. If you can gain some relevant experience while you are in college, you could be qualified for a master's-level job as soon as the bachelor's degree is finished! There are many interesting ways to gain some experience before and during college:

• Travel internationally; jumping into another culture really does broaden your horizons.
• Volunteering works well, and part-time jobs are better.
• Attend your last year of school as a part-time student, and work full-time.
• Accept any training opportunities (CPR, boat work, computer work, animal care)
• Focus on a few scientific journals and read them monthly.
• Join a few professional list-servers. These e-mail discussion groups provide a great behind-the-scenes look at scientific discourse.
• For heaven's sake, be sure to list everything on your résumé or curriculum vitae!

What about training for scuba diving? Does every marine scientist swim and dive? Not every job includes that sort of fieldwork, but many do. If you do any work on boats, it is guaranteed that there will be some kind of swimming and CPR skill requirement. Diving is fun and fascinating no matter what you do. Sure, the initial training is expensive ($200–$600), and gear is expensive; however, renting gear is cheap. I have made about 250 dives and paid for fewer than two-dozen. There are many ways to save money on dives; my favorite is to find local groups that need volunteers. Don't forget to ask graduate students and professors; they will often loan you gear if you volunteer your time on their project. It's a fair trade! Incidentally, any scuba training organization is fine, but YMCA is the only American organization that is recognized in Europe and Mediterranean countries.

How Do You Land a High-Paying Job?
The best shot at a high-paying job in marine science is to forget your whole education and become an engineer. All joking aside, the price for working in this easy-going, fun environment is that you may have a lower income than other professions. Entry-level positions pay $8–$10 per hour, often with no benefits. People who have been around for five years may make up to twice that amount and often have benefits. Do not pursue this field for the money. Pursue marine science because it's interesting, fun, and most days you will WANT to go to work.

This article was written by Matt Lybolt (pictured at left), a former researcher at FWRI with the Coral Reefs and Hard Grounds research program. Matt worked with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute from 1999 to 2003, and received his bachelor's degree in May 1999 from the University of South Florida.