If you have always loved dolphins, sea otters, sharks and even kelp, and you'd like to spend your life learning more about them or protecting them, there are several amazing careers in marine biology from which you can choose. Once you start your search, you will soon discover that there are several unique ways to launch a career trajectory that always keeps you steps from the ocean, lake or sea shore of your choice.
With an 8 percent growth potential for jobs in wildlife sciences for the years 2016 to 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it seems like a good time to see what marine biology career options await you. Here are five exciting marine science careers that will keep you near or in the water for years to come:
1. Marine Biologist
Starting with the most obvious career in this field, becoming a marine biologist will allow you to focus on the animal and plant life of a body, or bodies, of water that you choose to study. In this career, you may end up traveling extensively to follow the jobs and projects, notes Marine Insight, but you will probably find the rewards are more than worthwhile.
2. Marine Mammal Doctor
If you are like many future scientists eyeing this field, you may have your heart set on working with aquatic mammals like whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, beavers, hippopotamuses and sea otters, becoming a physician to marine mammals may work out perfectly for you. Aquariums and research facilities around the country and the world need marine life physicians to care for rescued mammals to help them return safely and healthily to the wild.
3. Marine Mammal Trainer
There are times when marine animals become injured in their natural habitat, bringing them to marine professionals to help them recover. Sometimes, unfortunately, they do not fully recover, but they can become educational animals for visiting school children. As marine mammal trainer, you can work with the animal to prepare it to become a teaching animal by slowly and carefully helping the animals become more comfortable around humans.
4. Marine Archaeologist
In this field, you get to use your education involving marine plant life and geography to learn more about the history of the ocean or other body of water. Your knowledge of the delicate underwater ecosystem, as well as your passion for diving and archaeology, will round out all the skills you need to dig deep into a specific water body and its history.
5. Marine Environment Teacher
If you don't prefer a career that keeps you in the water, or at its edge, marine environmental science teaching is a prime choice. Working with a marine research facility, aquarium, aquatic museum, or other facility, you can educate program students and visiting school children on all the wonders of the water, including its plant and animal life, as well as ways that they can help to protect the world's water sources.
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Marine Biology Career Options Are Vast and Varied
These five careers in marine biology are just a few of all the possible ways that you can merge your passion for the water and animal life to turn it into your life's work.