Marine Biologist career path [Marine Scientist] Complete Career Guide

 

If you want adventure in your life along with earning money marine biologist career path would be a fascinating and exciting career option to choose. 

If you want to become a marine biologist, you first need to determine this career path is a good fit for you…or not. If the following description sounds like you, then you’re probably well suited to follow marine biologist career path.

Are you interested in exploring the ocean and love to read about the sea creatures like fish, turtles, dolphins, whales etc? If your answer is ‘Yes’ then continue reading, this article would be a great help.

But before further reading I want to inform; how long does it take to become a marine biologist?

This career path takes lots of time typically 5 to 8 years to lend your first job (The years I counted from the bachelor’s degree). However, in this meantime, you can do apprenticeships. Therefore you need the patience to become a marine biologist, but the end result is quite overwhelming.

 

What is Marine Biology all about?


 Marine biology is the branch of biology that deals with the ocean’s wildlife. Marine biology is the study of all types of ocean animals either it is big or small. Other than sea animals marine biology is the study and observation of seagrasses (marine eelgrass) and plants under the water.

Therefore as a marine biologist, you are going to study and research the various types of oceans animals, microbes and plants that belong to the underground world (Beautiful Sea). A marine biologist studies the sea animals to know how they behave and interact with their ecosystems.

Marine biologist helps to solve the marine and coastal area related problematic issues. Study of marine biology helps to improve and making the sea wildlife safe from the water pollution. Therefore marine biologists are playing an important role to save the environment.

A Marine Biologist is also known as a Marine Scientist and Ocean Biologist.

 

What are you going to learn in marine biologist career path?


 Every marine biologist and scientist must have known of these following areas. Therefore, these are some basic knowing information for a marine biologist. And so you are going to learn about these following information in your academics.

  • Marine molecular and microorganism biology and chemistry
  • Biodiversity and marine ecology
  • Effect and impact of marine life on the environment.
  • What is the role of oceans in earth’s system and climate change?
  • Habitats of plant and mammals under the sea
  • The working law of physics in the ocean
  • Management of aquatic resources and fisheries.
  • Geographical areas of the island and the sea
  • Effects of human activity on the underwater animals and habitats
  • What types of food chain marine life have?  
  • Wave and turbulence in sea
  • International laws and policies to protect the sea and marine environment

 

Education required to become a Marine Biologist / Marine Scientist


Education 1 (Mandate): You must have completed your high school [Subject must have: Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics] to move further in marine biologist career path.

Education 2 (Mandate): Bachelor’s Degree

You can go for any bachelor’s degree related to the microorganism and natural science. However, most of the marine biology aspirants selected these following programs…

Note: If you do not have a bachelor’s degree in any of the above subjects. Some universities intake the diploma students for their post-graduate degree. Your diploma should be in the subject of biology or any related field of microorganism. 

Education 3 (Moderate): Master’s Degree

These are some top marine biology graduate programs, which most of the bachelor’s degree students choose to pursue.

  • Marine Biology
  • Marine Science
  • Oceanography
  • Marine and wildlife biology
  • Marine Ecology
  • Cellular and Molecular Biology

After completing bachelors or master’s degree you can hunt for the entry-level marine biologist job. Or you can go for the higher study of life in the sea.

Education 4 (Optional): PhD in marine biology or related field of marine life.

The PhD programmes are mostly done by those students who are keenly interested in the academics and want to do personal research about the marine life.

Do you know? Most of the marine biology institution and research centres located near the sea sight and coastal areas. 

 

Top 5 best marine biology colleges in the US


 

Top 5 best marine biology colleges and institution in India


 

Marine Biologist Skills set 


  • Biology
  • Microorganisms
  • Oceanology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Ecology
  • Mathematics
  • Fish science
  • Scuba diving
  • Statistical analysis
  • Boat riding
  • Swimming
  • Writing

 

Tools and equipment used by Marine Biologist


The most commons equipment used by a marine biologist are followings…

  • Sonar
  • Scuba Gear
  • Boats
  • Life jackets
  • Nets, bags buckets and traps
  • Computers, Stopwatch, Robots and Logbooks
  • Cameras
  • and other standard lab equipment.

 

Working environment for Marine Biologist


 The work is more like a field job but packed with lots of excitement. As it is related to aquatic therefore you always have to be ready to get your feet wet.

You are going to see the world that not many people on earth have seen. Beneath the water, you make observations of the marine wildlife. Like how they interact and behave with each other.

In the months of winter when field research is slack down; marine scientist spends their most of the time in the laboratory and offices to writing science journals. And does research on the preserve fishes. And some join the universities and educational institutions as a professor. It is Obvious! Who would like to go for diving in the winter season? 

That does not mean all marine biologist only spend their whole day in the field to collect the specimen and data. It completely varies from organisation to organisation. So it depends on the organisation you will be going to join that decide how much time you are going to spend a day in the lab and in the field.

However, the vast majority of marine scientist spend their whole day in the field. So it might be possible you also get the same package as rest of the marine biologist.

 

Where does Marine Biologist work?


 Before choosing any career path you must have known about the places where you are going to work & what are the job responsibilities for this career option? In the marine biologist career path, these are the following employment sectors where you probably get a job.

  • Aquariums
  • Zoological Parks
  • Museums
  • Fish farming (aquaculture) companies
  • Environmental Protection Agencies
  • Laboratories
  • Universities
  • Government and Private conservation Agencies
  • Life science Research and Development centres

 

What does a Marine Biologist do? 


  • Observe the various types of creature in the sea. Like how a fish behave in front of the other kind of fish.

 

  • Collect the biological data in the sea and analyse them. If it necessary then you have to bring the samples (sea animals) in the laboratory for more analysis.

 

  • Observe the characteristics of sea wildlife animals (for example fish). So you have to study a fish interactions with other fish or different species; the movement pattern, reproduction, population and diseases which affect environment and wildlife ecosystem.

 

  • After sampling process (observe the sample collected from the ocean), you have to perform data analysis to get the accurate result.

 

  • Evaluate, monitor, and manage sea animal populations. Along with that manage the habitats of different species in the ocean.

 

  • Save the collected data into the database for further analysis. And after analysing the data shared with the environmental agencies.

 

  • You have to write journals (research paper) about the research you are doing. And publish it to the scientific community or maybe for the public to be aware of the sea and sea animals.

 

  • As a researcher (marine scientist) you have to travel multiple locations like every other field of the researcher. Travelling will be your companion and become a part of life. 

These are the things you can do with a marine biology degree. Watch this video to know how a marine biologist spends a day.



 

Marine biologist Career Scope


According to Bureau of Labor Statistics the employment rate projected to grow 8% for zoologists and wildlife biologists in between the year 2016 and 2026.  The Jobs opportunities in marine biologist career path are limited and competition is high.

However, If you are really passionate to learn life in the oceans and want to feel the world which belongs to underwater then definitely! You should go for a marine biologist career path and don’t have to worry about the statistics, you will definitely get the job.

In today world every field has competition you cannot escape from it; so face it with your strong motivation and skills.

Marine Biologist saves the life in the Ocean

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