The field of marine biology is very vast. I chose it as my future occupation because of this. A person can choose to specialize in mammals and their evolution, in the ecosystem, or in one species found in a specific area. It offers so many choices that I feel as if I have the freedom and time to really choose a field to specialize in.
According to Bioscience careers, despite there being so many options for marine biologist to specialize in different fields of study, the number of marine biologists far exceeds the need for them. This means that job opportunities are decreasing. However, many places hire marine biologists. Some of the places that hire them, depending on what they specialize in are (Marine, 1):
- Museums
- Zoos/aquariums
- The government
- Colleges
- Private laboratories
Employment projections supports the fact that job opportunities for marine biologist are decreasing by giving an estimated employment rate for the future. In 2014, 36.4 people were employed as a marine biologist, which will drop to 36.2 people in 2024 (Employment, 1). This may not sound like a large drop, but it certainly will be for the many people who won’t have a job in their chosen field of study.
Knowing that the job opportunities will decrease, it’s best to have degrees and experience directly related to what employers will be looking for. According to NOAA Fisheries, most people employed as marine biologists have a bachelor’s degree in biology and a masters in zoology (Careers, 1). This surprised me because I was expecting people to have a marine biology degree. This information has made me decide to get my bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in chemistry, because I still feel that chemistry is important in marine biology.
References
Careers in Marine Biology. (2015, November 06). Retrieved October 08, 2016, from https://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?id=54
Employment Projections. (2014). Retrieved October 08, 2016, from http://data.bls.gov/projections/occupationProj
Marine Biologist | Bioscience Careers | About Bioscience. (n.d.). Retrieved October 07, 2016, from http://www.aboutbioscience.org/careers/marinebiologist
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