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February 20, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR MARTY CHINTALA
IN RI
Katie,
That is a good question. I have been a marine biologist for
years
(almost 20 years), and I will give you advice based on what
I know and
what has helped me. I would suggest that you don't go to school
specifically for marine biology, but go for a biology degree.
You can
take a minor in marine biology or use your electives to take
marine
biology classes. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that
there are
so many students coming out of college these days with bachelor's
degrees in marine biology fields, and the jobs are not that
plentiful.
For the jobs that are out there, you might end up spending
a lot of
money at a school that will give you a marine biology degree,
but not
make a great deal of money after you graduate (marine biology
is sort of
a labor of love- you have to love it to do it, because not
many people
get wealthy doing it!). If you want a good job, you'll end
up needing
to get a graduate degree anyway, and that is when you can
focus more
specifically in marine biology. Having a good general biology
background is essential to doing well in the future, and can
help you
decide what specialty area of marine biology you want to focus
on for
your career. Too many students finish college with a good
knowledge of
marine biology, but not a good general knowledge of biology
itself, and
that can hurt you in the long run. Also, if you find you can't
get a
job right away when you finish school, you have more options
for jobs
with a biology degree than a marine bioogy degree. I would
suggest that
you talk with your school guidance counselor, and try to find
a school
that is strong in biology and has a marine biology focus.
I hope this
has been some help, and please let me know if you want me
to talk more
about some of the specific schools that I have had experience
with-
there are many out there to choose from!
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