Scuba dive job for cellular/molecular biologist?

[stebatta]

Hi!
I have a BSc in Biology and MSc in Cellular Biochemistry in one of the top universities in the world. I’m curretly doing a PhD in molecular biology but I’m not sure I want to keep living in a grey european city for the rest of my life..

Does anyone know what kind of job could I look into that would combine my esperience and scuba diving? I love research but I have no marie biology background although I’m sure there is more out there I don’t know about!
Even if I don’t get to dive every day it would be amazing to find a job allowing me to live next to a tropical coral reef!

Thanks a lot!

PS: I’m a PADI Divemaster, I have a swiss and european passport and speak Italian, English, German, French and Spanish

 

[tursiops]

You can do a post-doc at many universities...they are often looking to take a PhD and retrain them.
I'd look at some of the universities with diving programs, for example those looking at DNA of corals.
After the 1-3 year post-doc, you then are in a better position to job-hunt.

 

[stebatta]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
At the moment I'm a bit in crisis with my PhD... Due do high publishing demand in academia there is actually a possibility I may not make it (publish or perish as we say)...
I was thinking that maybe instead of wasting my time in a impossible PhD would make more sense to start a new one maybe in Australia where I saw there is an institute working on the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef (Coral Reef Studies in Townsville).
Also, assuming I make it to the end go my PhD, it's sometime dangerous to do a postdoc as you may end up overqualified... do you know what kind of job opportunities there would be after a PhD or postdoc in this field?
My ideal job would be to work for a scientific volunteering program, but I know it's very hard to get such positions...
Thanks again!

 

[Angelo Farina]

Hi!
I have a BSc in Biology and MSc in Cellular Biochemistry in one of the top universities in the world. I’m curretly doing a PhD in molecular biology but I’m not sure I want to keep living in a grey european city for the rest of my life..

Does anyone know what kind of job could I look into that would combine my esperience and scuba diving? I love research but I have no marie biology background although I’m sure there is more out there I don’t know about!
Even if I don’t get to dive every day it would be amazing to find a job allowing me to live next to a tropical coral reef!

Thanks a lot!

PS: I’m a PADI Divemaster, I have a swiss and european passport and speak Italian, English, German, French and Spanish

See here: MaRHE Center

 

[stebatta]

See here: MaRHE Center

Grazie mille Angelo sembra molto interessante

 

[kmarks]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
At the moment I'm a bit in crisis with my PhD... Due do high publishing demand in academia there is actually a possibility I may not make it (publish or perish as we say)...
I was thinking that maybe instead of wasting my time in a impossible PhD would make more sense to start a new one maybe in Australia where I saw there is an institute working on the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef (Coral Reef Studies in Townsville).
Also, assuming I make it to the end go my PhD, it's sometime dangerous to do a postdoc as you may end up overqualified... do you know what kind of job opportunities there would be after a PhD or postdoc in this field?
My ideal job would be to work for a scientific volunteering program, but I know it's very hard to get such positions...
Thanks again!

You don't even need the post doc to end up over qualified. I skipped the post doc and went straight into industry and my opportunities to go to another company are few and far between because nobody wants PhDs that aren't fresh (ie. cheap).

You could do what I did if you want to combine your PhD with your love of diving: I lead the chemical research team at the world's leading manufacturer of synthetic DNA, which pays the bills and allows me to work with a local dive shop where I am an instructor and trip leader. We're not in the Caribbean or even coastal, but the pay is a lot better than being a DM intern in Playa del Carmen, and I can make diving and traveling my fun hobby, not my slog of a job.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
At the moment I'm a bit in crisis with my PhD... Due do high publishing demand in academia there is actually a possibility I may not make it (publish or perish as we say)...
I was thinking that maybe instead of wasting my time in a impossible PhD would make more sense to start a new one maybe in Australia where I saw there is an institute working on the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef (Coral Reef Studies in Townsville).
Also, assuming I make it to the end go my PhD, it's sometime dangerous to do a postdoc as you may end up overqualified... do you know what kind of job opportunities there would be after a PhD or postdoc in this field?
My ideal job would be to work for a scientific volunteering program, but I know it's very hard to get such positions...
Thanks again!

In addition to Australia, consider San Diego, California. Lots of biotech jobs, and the University of California San Diego is there by the ocean. While the diving is more like the Med than tropical, it is still very interesting. I lived in San Diego for many years and loved it.

 

[stebatta]

You don't even need the post doc to end up over qualified. I skipped the post doc and went straight into industry and my opportunities to go to another company are few and far between because nobody wants PhDs that aren't fresh (ie. cheap).

You could do what I did if you want to combine your PhD with your love of diving: I lead the chemical research team at the world's leading manufacturer of synthetic DNA, which pays the bills and allows me to work with a local dive shop where I am an instructor and trip leader. We're not in the Caribbean or even coastal, but the pay is a lot better than being a DM intern in Playa del Carmen, and I can make diving and traveling my fun hobby, not my slog of a job.

I agree with you.. Your plan crossed my mind before I have to admit, but I would still need to live in a place where both pharma industry and weather/dive are good. Australia, Hawaii, Mexico maybe? Not so easy without a working visa (as I'm european) but maybe you know of somewhere where these two worlds meet?
Thanks a lot

 

[stebatta]

In addition to Australia, consider San Diego, California. Lots of biotech jobs, and the University of California San Diego is there by the ocean. While the diving is more like the Med than tropical, it is still very interesting. I lived in San Diego for many years and loved it.

I did my Master thesis at Salk Institute I was in San Diego for almost 1 year and loved it.
But again, there are working visa problems (impossible to work in USA without green card) and as you said the diving is not really tropical eheh

My idea was also to change research topic to really work in the marine field. Maybe be able to run a diving volunteering program for example.. but again, not sure how feasible this is..

 

[tursiops]

I did my Master thesis at Salk Institute I was in San Diego for almost 1 year and loved it.
But again, there are working visa problems (impossible to work in USA without green card) and as you said the diving is not really tropical eheh

My idea was also to change research topic to really work in the marine field. Maybe be able to run a diving volunteering program for example.. but again, not sure how feasible this is..

You do not need a PhD in micro-biology to run a diving volunteer program. The closest to that I can think of would be if you were on staff as a professor in a small university that had a diving program; as an additional duty you might be running the diving program. But, you likely would not be getting to do a lot of diving.

Seems like your first decision is whether you dive for a living, or make a living some other way and dive on the side. Most of us choose the latter, because then diving remains fun instead of work. And we make more money. And we can live where we want. You can travel to dive, and probably will, so your home location is not so important.

You do NOT have to choose the rest of your life right now. Keep your options open; don't close out opportunities by quitting your PhD program; your idea of changing research topics is good. Almost anything to do with coral DNA will allow you many opportunities.

Don't be afraid of being "over-qualified." Any employer who pulls that on you isn't worth working for.