underwaterman:
Hey guys I just want to know if there is anyone on this board that has a degree in marine biology or knows a lot about the field because iam very interested in this and I am possibly going to major in it. So iam just asking for anyones advice on this i.e. schools, careers using this, salary etc...
Thanks. Zack
Hi Zack
Since you're from the US, you might be able to get some more accurate info from someone from the US regardings schools, I believe Firegoddess (on this forum) is majoring in marine biology, and by the looks of it, in your area as well.
I did my degree partly in Grenada and partly in the UK, due to the university at the former closing down the programme (bummer). You will find that having a strong science/biology background will be nesessary and math as well for the stats
One of the things we were told the day we started is that if we wanted to play with dolphins we were in the wrong room. It is not an impossibility, but that isn't quite what marine biology is about. If you're in it for the money, you'll probably be dissapointed, though in North America where science research is extremely well funded you should not find too much trouble getting into a good position.
There are two main ways to go, one is to keep in field academia-research and I would say it;s the most common one, get a BSc, Msc and Phd and do research and teach. There is obviously work in the fields of conservation, ecotourism and consultancy amongst others. Job wise it's a great field to be in, but it is competitive, but it can be quite cutting edge though you can always get stuck doing something extremely boring. Travel is also a good one if you land yourself a good spot.
From what I experiences it might be wise to try and think about what you'd like to do more specifically - is it more tropical marine biology, deep sea biology, marine microbiology, intertidal ecology - and there is a lot more. I am aware you won't be able to tell now which suits you better, but it is worth finding out what universities specialise in and though you'll probably get a well rounded education in most places. Also keep evaluating yourself, your interests and the development of the various fields so you can figure out which direction you'd eventually like to head in.
Go to the following site, it's by Jeff Levinton who's quite well known in the field. His site has a wide range of references and a section or two on becoming a marine biologist.
http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/mbweb.html
If you need any more help feel free to PM me and I'll see what I can do. This is all I can think of at the moment (it's late!), hope it helps
btw welcome to the board