i heard its hard to get a job in field of marine biology

[hamsterpower]

I am a high school student from Toronto
and at the moment i am thinking more into general vet, as in cats and dogs
but i wish I could do some work related to marine mammals too

I heard you need scuba certificate and boat handling certificate
does it take a lot of time?
do you need to have a experience with the marine field?

as a Canadian student which undergrad university should i apply? ( i am grade 10)

[ohionaturegirl]

One of my professors who has a phD in marine biology does not have a scuba certification. She is unable to dive becuase of a health condition. She says it has really not hindered her professional career. The boat handling would definitly be a plus though. Any field experience really pumps up your resume so do one if you can. Good luck!!

[seaweed soup]

It really depends on the specific nature of the job. Marine biology is a blanket moniker that encompasses a vast array of different fields of study. The difficulty of obtaining a job really depends on the specific area you are interested. Unfortunately, marine mammalogy is one of the fields that has little job growth, let alone open positions. At least for now. This is partially because of a paradox: many people become interested in marine biology because they want to work with cute animals such seals or dolphins, or they want to study whales. There is nothing wrong with that, except there just is not that many job opportunities available, and the jobs that are available can often times be filled by ecologists, zoologists, etc.

You do not need a scuba cert. to be a marine biologists, but you should have one anyways for the sheer enjoyment of the hobby.

Boat handling skills could be an asset, or a nil criterium. Research cruises have personnel who were hired to do a specific job, i.e., to handle the boat, deploy/retrieve equipment, etc. A marine biologist would be on-board as part of the science team, and as such would stick to doing science stuff-not boat handling. If you are working in an estuary, in a bay, along the coast, etc. and piloting a small craft, then in this matter some skills might be necessary (as there will likely be an absence of crew).

As for college; you should apply to the school that is the best fit for you. I am not sure about Canada, but here in the states too many high school students apply to college based on its name brand recognition (prestige), its ranking, or the ranking of a particular program. The college you should attend is the college that you will ultimately be happiest at.

The basic rule of thumb for marine biology is to generalize in undergrad (basic biology degree, basic zoology, etc.), and then specialize in grad school. If you talk to working marine biologists, or read their interviews online, you will find that many of them received undergrad degrees in a variety of subjects, some of which had nothing to do with biology.

[hamsterpower]

It really depends on the specific nature of the job. Marine biology is a blanket moniker that encompasses a vast array of different fields of study. The difficulty of obtaining a job really depends on the specific area you are interested. Unfortunately, marine mammalogy is one of the fields that has little job growth, let alone open positions. At least for now. This is partially because of a paradox: many people become interested in marine biology because they want to work with cute animals such seals or dolphins, or they want to study whales. There is nothing wrong with that, except there just is not that many job opportunities available, and the jobs that are available can often times be filled by ecologists, zoologists, etc.

You do not need a scuba cert. to be a marine biologists, but you should have one anyways for the sheer enjoyment of the hobby.

Boat handling skills could be an asset, or a nil criterium. Research cruises have personnel who were hired to do a specific job, i.e., to handle the boat, deploy/retrieve equipment, etc. A marine biologist would be on-board as part of the science team, and as such would stick to doing science stuff-not boat handling. If you are working in an estuary, in a bay, along the coast, etc. and piloting a small craft, then in this matter some skills might be necessary (as there will likely be an absence of crew).

As for college; you should apply to the school that is the best fit for you. I am not sure about Canada, but here in the states too many high school students apply to college based on its name brand recognition (prestige), its ranking, or the ranking of a particular program. The college you should attend is the college that you will ultimately be happiest at.

The basic rule of thumb for marine biology is to generalize in undergrad (basic biology degree, basic zoology, etc.), and then specialize in grad school. If you talk to working marine biologists, or read their interviews online, you will find that many of them received undergrad degrees in a variety of subjects, some of which had nothing to do with biology.

thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for the information
=)

and speaking of seaweed soup ..are you korean by any chance?