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Want to be a marine biologist, too? Well then, here's what you, or we, need to know in order to become one:
- What skills and aptitudes should I have?~ You have to like the outdoors and you have to like repetitive work. You also have to like to communicate and have the facility to write and speak well. Most important of all, you have to like to THINK and have NEW IDEAS.
On the professional side of matters, an academic marine biologist usually has earned a Ph.D. in the subject and usually has had at least 2 years of postdoctoral training. During this time the skills required are very broad, including education in broad areas of biology and marine science, learning of associated areas of science and mathematics (calculus and statistics are both very desirable), a facility with computing and preferably programming, experience with at least some instrumentation techniques, both in the lab and in the field.
On the personal side, science is a subject that involves far more communication and cooperation skills than most people realize. If you are a difficult person, you had better learn to get along with your peers and supervisors. I do have to admit, however, that one in a thousand can be a perfectly awful person and succeed, providing he or she is a genius or really sneaky.
- What education and training would I need?~ Ph.D., masters degree, courses in biology, physics, chemistry, and math and even engineering.
- How many hours a day would I spend on the job?~ Depends upon the specific job.
- What does this career pay?~ It pays $45,000 for a basic Ph.D. and even up to $65,000-$70,000 for professors.
 
Last updated on May 29, 2004
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