Marine Biology Jobs Dead?

[Steve_C]

Pretty sad when a PhD can't even get a job, and some dirt bag like me can clean the bottoms of boats, change a few zincs, cut line of props in the middle of the night, and make $50 to $100 an hour.
And I didn't even graduate high school.

Initiative, work ethic, customer relations, being proactive. It matters no matter what you do. You found something that other people need done, let them know you can do it, and you provide a service.

People/firms/schools almost never need just a PhD. They need a service provided which may involve a PhD but the PhD just opens the door. After that the PhD has to be able to see what the need is and meet it. The PhDs that I know who do that do fine. The ones that think that just because they have a PhD the world owes them something tend to be much less successful and rightly so.

 

[drrich2]

There's a supply & demand issue. If you want to break into a field where the demand for applicants is weak because there's an oversupply of them, ask yourself 2 questions. You get your Ph.D & apply for a given job. You qualify; you've got the degree, the grades, etc… Problem: there are 10 other qualified people applying for that same job.

1.) The hiring agent doesn't have time or inclination to do interviews on all 10 people. He may toss 5 resumes/applications in the trash and interview the other 5. What is there about your resume that's going to grab his attention so you get an audition (interview)?

2.) Once you get an interview, why you instead of the other 4?

Also, have you thought out the 'dark side' of Marine Biology? It's easy to think about going into a branch of Biology because you 'like animals,' but in biological research, it's not uncommon to kill healthy animals. And to kill them in training. In a Physiology lab, you may need to 'pith' a frog and a turtle, then do experiments on the still 'living' (but hopefully brain dead) body. What about collecting wild specimens to preserve in formaldehyde, or to cut open to see what their stomach contents tell us about their diets? Could you put a dog under anesthesia, perform experiments on it, then euthanize it? I'm not making this stuff up; the frog & turtle examples came up in a Vertebrate Physiology class in college, & the dog example in a Physiology class in medical school (it's been quite few years, and conscientious objectors could opt out of the dog thing).

The biological sciences are not just about learning about, taking care of and 'loving on' animals, plants, etc… You're going to get your hands dirty and do some killing. I believe it was one Biologist told me many years ago that from their perspective it's the species that is important (not necessarily the individual animal).

Richard.

 

[Mason22]

I work with a lot of Marine Biologists. It's 90% of my life supporting their efforts. Here is what I see.

Everyone wants to be a marine biologist, because dolphins are cute, sharks are fun and scary, and whales have a certain wow factor. Guess what? Sponge and algae need love too, but no one wants those jobs, because they don't involve cute sea creatures.

Starting jobs for BS Marine Biologists are aquarium cleaning, Disney if you are lucky and good looking, and asking if you'd like to supersize that. Internships for MS and PhD students include summer research cruises counting fish, performing benthic surveys, and working in a coral nursery, and maybe netting in Florida Bay for starfish. I know of a few masters graduates who make far less than I did with my high school diploma, and if you want a real job paying $45k a year, you will have to have a Phd. I know of one Marine Biologist working in an FTE position for FFWC who cannot get accepted into a PhD program because there just isn't room or funding for the slot. She has 2 master's degrees. Her grades were Dean's List for both Masters. She can't get a slot in grad school for a PhD. Granted, she is only looking in Florida, Rhode Island, or California.

Your alternative is to do something like I did. I joined the Navy, got my Engineer's Merchant Mariner's license, also my Captain's license, got a degree in Environmental Science and another in Nuclear Engineering Technology, worked for government and industry for 20 years, and put enough scratch away to buy a research vessel. I travel all over the Caribbean providing a work platform to perform other peoples research. Next week may be 250 foot rebreather dive to support benthic characterization of one of the most productive fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, the following week it may be studying shark populations in the Bahamas. This fall we are bidding a month long fish and benthic survey of Curacou and Montserrat.

I prefer to be on the periphery of the research. They can't do it without me or someone like me to haul them around, make sure their cylinders are full, and record their depth and bottom times for their respective universities. If I had it to do all over again, I would probably persue a degree in Marine Engineering with an emphasis on running ROVs, or AUVs, or doing exactly what I do, driving a small research vessel.

One thing to consider is joining the NOAA corps. I have a sometimes deckhand who just interviewed. She has a masters in Marine Biology but can't find a FTE anywhere, so she will give the Corps a try for 4 years and see if she can't break into a job somewhere.

Good luck to you. You are trying to get into something that a zillion of cute young hotties also do every year. Tough to compete with someone who looks great in a bikini, sorry to say.

Lol, im not one of those kids to join for the dolphins and sharks. I look to specialize in corals, but of course, be open to anything. I will be getting a PhD in Marine Biology. I will also be shooting for a Bachelors in Conservation Science. I don't want to go to college for Creative Writing, but I will get some kind of certification saying im a "above average" writer or something like that. I dunno if they have those, but I hope. Note again that I want to specialize in corals, and with all the damage coral reefs are getting, the Conservation Science degree will definitely help. There is also a ton more jobs for Conservation Science, so I could work as one until a Marine Biology job opens up.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 10:55 AM ----------

And guess what the pay looks like.

Lol, I don't care about the pay. My house will be a place to eat and sleep, therefor, I expect paying $50,000 for a trailer or a Tiny House. And my car will be less then $30,000. With that, I can put the rest of my money towards exploring and having fun in the outside world, haha.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 10:58 AM ----------

I suspect that a job listings web site like Indeed.com is not how many marine biologists or other PhD-level jobseekers find jobs. It may be "the world's second leading job site" overall (that is, averaged over all job categories), but it may not be the optimal way to find a job in every field. If marine biology is like other sciences, you would probably make contacts in the field while you're working on your degree or post-doctoral research. You would soon learn who is hiring for what positions in your area of specialization. There might also be organizations that people in the field join to review each other's research. The organizations often publish job listings that are found nowhere else. I have no clue about marine biology, but that's how other kinds of scientists tend to find positions.

Yup, I will definitely be making contacts in the field and always keeping an eye on organizations. Sitting in your Lazy Boy chair refreshing Indeed.com every 5 minutes while watching Spongebob isn't the way to go, haha.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 11:02 AM ----------

Know of one Marine Biologist PhD ( studied game fish off the NC coast) who wound up working for a major power company. They ran some nuclear power plants and used water from their own lakes for cooling. These lakes had to be managed so that the water was clean and did not foul their cooling towers but also healthy for the fish etc since the lakes also served recreational uses for good PR in the area. Point is that there are some not so obvious employers for biologists.

Interesting, but not the path I want to go down, haha!

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 11:07 AM ----------

Find a way to differentiate yourself. Just having a degree in marine biology is not enough. Also study math, or chemistry, or physics, or computers. Get a double major. Get intern experience with Reef.org. Volunteer in marine labs. Fix diesel engines. Be a dive instructor, equipment repair tech, underwater photographer, EMT.

if you don't stand out, you're going to be left standing out in the cold.

Yup! I'm getting a PhD in Marine Biology and will specialize in corals. And for me to stand out from all the other people who specialize in corals I will be getting a Bachelors in Conservation Science. I'm also an exceptional photographer and a great writer. My resume will definitely be loaded with volunteer work.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ----------

That has been true for at least the last 50 years and is likely to get even worse in the future. Forget about repaying student loans for a PhD from a big-name school.

How carefully have you considered this career beyond the allure described by Wookie? Carefully examine yourself and your motivation… regardless of which career interests you. Can you describe why you are specifically interested in marine biology?

In Marine Biology in general, I am interested in it because there is SO much we don't know about in the sea. I want to discover and I believe that's my calling from God, to dive deep into his creation. I want to specialize in corals. Its interesting to me on how they are actually alive, and I want to learn more about them.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 11:14 AM ----------

UNC Wilmington turns out oodles of Marine Biology majors each year. Most of them work in the various restaurants or volunteer to get experience when they realize a BS just isn't a viable degree as a research scientist. Fact is, I have 4-6 each year that come DM or teach with me just to get more time in the water.

So, four year degree in Marine biology basically means you can work in environmental sciences, law enforcement, teach or some such thing. Move up to a masters and some specialization, you can get into government work like NOAA, the EPA and others. Once you get to the Doctorate level, you increase your chances of research, but almost all of it is limited to being through academia.

As in all things, these aren't absolutes, but it is consistent with life experience and much of what you are seeing here.

I would suggest you be more specific about your goals (not really any such thing as a Marine Biologist, that's kind of an entry point). What are your ultimate goals (know they will change). What are some professions that can be spun out of such a degree??

I'm getting a PhD in Marine Biology as well as a Bachelors in Conservation Science. I'm also a photographer and writer. I don't know what you mean by ultimate goals, but I look to specialize in coral conservation and learning more about corals.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ----------

The OP never said he was interested in research...for which the PhD is mandatory, but still does not get you a job.

More jobs are available at the MS level than BS or PhD, and especially for those with a double MS, the other degree being in something more, well, technical, like computers or engineeering or even just math. Far too many folks pick marine biology for a degree precisely because they can avoid all the "hard" stuff like chemistry, math, and physics. Hey, it is the hard stuff that gets you the job. Suck it up.

I definitely don't want to get in degree in chemistry, math, or physics but I am getting a PhD in Marine Biology and a Bachelors in Conservation Science.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I look to specialize in corals, but of course, be open to anything. I will be getting a PhD in Marine Biology. I will also be shooting for a Bachelors in Conservation Science. I don't want to go to college for Creative Writing, but I will get some kind of certification saying im a "above average" writer or something like that. I dunno if they have those, but I hope. Note again that I want to specialize in corals, and with all the damage coral reefs are getting, the Conservation Science degree will definitely help. There is also a ton more jobs for Conservation Science, so I could work as one until a Marine Biology job opens up.

From your follow-up post above, it appears you either didn't explain yourself well in the original post or you have looked into it more since your original post and given it some more thought. The knowledge you express in your follow-up sounds well beyond what you said in your original post:

Check this out: Marine Biology Jobs, Employment in Florida | Indeed.com

All you see is:
Disney
Professor Jobs
And Aquarium Maintenance

On the world's second leading job site, the same search gets 0 results.

I want to be a marine biologist when I grow up, but my future doesn't look much promising. :depressed:

Best of luck. It sounds like you have a career path figured out.

 

[Mason22]

There's a supply & demand issue. If you want to break into a field where the demand for applicants is weak because there's an oversupply of them, ask yourself 2 questions. You get your Ph.D & apply for a given job. You qualify; you've got the degree, the grades, etc… Problem: there are 10 other qualified people applying for that same job.

1.) The hiring agent doesn't have time or inclination to do interviews on all 10 people. He may toss 5 resumes/applications in the trash and interview the other 5. What is there about your resume that's going to grab his attention so you get an audition (interview)?

2.) Once you get an interview, why you instead of the other 4?

Also, have you thought out the 'dark side' of Marine Biology? It's easy to think about going into a branch of Biology because you 'like animals,' but in biological research, it's not uncommon to kill healthy animals. And to kill them in training. In a Physiology lab, you may need to 'pith' a frog and a turtle, then do experiments on the still 'living' (but hopefully brain dead) body. What about collecting wild specimens to preserve in formaldehyde, or to cut open to see what their stomach contents tell us about their diets? Could you put a dog under anesthesia, perform experiments on it, then euthanize it? I'm not making this stuff up; the frog & turtle examples came up in a Vertebrate Physiology class in college, & the dog example in a Physiology class in medical school (it's been quite few years, and conscientious objectors could opt out of the dog thing).

The biological sciences are not just about learning about, taking care of and 'loving on' animals, plants, etc… You're going to get your hands dirty and do some killing. I believe it was one Biologist told me many years ago that from their perspective it's the species that is important (not necessarily the individual animal).

Richard.

I'm weird and enjoy the dark side, haha. But your a smart man with coming up with all of these scenarios.

---------- Post added March 9th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ----------

From your follow-up post above, it appears you either didn't explain yourself well in the original post or you have looked into it more since your original post and given it some more thought. The knowledge you express in your follow-up sounds well beyond what you said in your original post:



Best of luck. It sounds like you have a career path figured out.

I've been researching Marine Biology since I was 12, I am turning 14 in about a month. This thread was originally for discussing how broad of Marine Biology jobs there is, but it turned into a "How To Be A Marine Biologist" thread, haha.

 

[Lorenzoid]

You're 13!? Do your parents know you're on Scubaboard?

 

[Steve_C]

but I will get some kind of certification saying im a "above average" writer or something like that. I dunno if they have those, but I hope.

Mason, by the time you get your PhD if you have been trained right you will have written hundreds of pages and given lots of talks. Good written and oral communication are essential. A good advisor/program will force you to work on it regularly throughout your training. If not, then seek it out on your own.

Just remember the good commuincaters on a team (who are also good scientists) are the ones that get to go to the conferences in nice places (with diving nearby) and also get to be in leadership eventually and help set the agenda.

A certificate does not mean anything. Your references will talk about this if you are good at it, your talks and written papers will speak for themselves. I have read literally thousands of reference letters and if you are good at it, they will spread the word.

 

[Mason22]

You're 13!? Do your parents know you're on Scubaboard?

No, but they wouldn't care. I use it as a learning source, not like sexting with random people or something, haha.

 

[tursiops]

I don't feel good about this thread. The young man appears to be a victim of confirmation bias: he responds positively to the input that confirms his nascent view of the world, and ignores the other input. This is not usually a winning strategy, but good luck to him.

 

[Wookie]

I don't feel good about this thread. The young man appears to be a victim of confirmation bias: he responds positively to the input that confirms his nascent view of the world, and ignores the other input. This is not usually a winning strategy, but good luck to him.

Dude's going to be a PhD coral biologist, and live in a trailer. What could possibly go wrong with that?