So you think a career as a Marine Biologist might be for you, or you’re passionate about oceans but not sure what to do after finishing school?
This article will highlight some of the key lifestyle and career factors of being a marine biologist, as well as university pathways and advice from a professional in the field.
如果你仍然感兴趣,继续读下去,发现莫re!
认识露西
什么是海洋生物学家？
Steps to Becoming a Marine Biologist
Future Outlook
Best Thing & Worst Thing
对有抱负的海洋生物学家的建议
认识露西
Lucy Jillings is a Marine Biologist who has在该领域工作了大约3年！
She has been研究助理and worked with various companies and universities around the world on research projects, particularly involving turtles and sharks。其中包括美国政府，佛罗里达大学和非洲乌龟基金会。
Image sourced from Lucy Jillings
How did you end up in this role?
Lucy’s university studies in Marine Biology lead her directly into this role.她曾在全球地区担任海洋生物学研究助理巴哈马，加勒比海和非洲！
露西的工作是对栖息地，人口进行定量和定性研究and more, for various research projects led by head researchers.
研究和经验
露西学习纽卡斯尔大学（英国）的海洋生物学和海洋学以及海洋生物学硕士学位。与海洋生物学不同，海洋学涉及对海洋各个方面的研究，更着重于海底地质，水流和物理学（这不是成为海洋生物学家的重要组成部分，但有用！）。
Fortunately,her university had a lab located on the coast near the beach, enabling lots of practical work built into her degree。她还说，有很多旅行机会涉及她的学位，在各种热带和寒冷的地方，例如苏格兰，百慕大和葡萄牙！
是什么让您想在这个行业工作？
Lucy had一直对自然海洋世界充满热情, frequently visiting the Natural History Museum in London, where she grew up, in her childhood.“I always wanted to do it […] when I was five I adopted an orca off the coast of America.”
“当我去大学时I wasn’t sure there was a career in it, but I knew I always wanted to do it,” she adds.
什么是海洋生物学家？
Marine Biologists study生活在海洋和连接的水体的各种生命形式的解剖学，生理，功能，特征，行为和环境。
Today, marine biologists’ jobs are also highly focused on studying人造污染，捕鱼和气候变化对我们的海洋生态系统的影响。
Roles and Responsibilities
As a marine biologist in a researching role, you canexpect to perform some of the following tasksin your everyday work:
-
- 准备数据收集的设备，例如浮潜装备或船齿轮
- Sample collection
- Data analysis
- 视频数据收集
- 动物行为的分类
- Recognition of different species
但是，作为海洋生物学家“从来没有一天是一样的”露西说，和research projects usually occurring in large chunks of several weeks on site.Therefore, the roles and responsibilities expected of this career often differ.
露西说，在研究鲨鱼的工作中an average day involved early rising (about 6am), loading the boat, setting a line and waiting for a bite, measurement and blood sampling, tagging, and making sure the shark is safe before leaving（它也可能涉及浮潜！）。接下来是清洁设备，加载数据（例如在GoPro上），并根据研究向美国渔业提出建议。
她也告诉我different seasons affect the activities marine biologists carry out, since their work is based on the ever-fluctuating natural world.In the case of sharks, she says, mating meant walking in the shallows whilst mating occurred.
她说，另一方面，研究海龟的海洋生物学家将在海滩上走来走去寻找乌龟，通常会忍受几乎没有睡眠。他们的一些任务包括digging up nests, building hatcheries to protect turtle eggs and maximise the species survival, measuring and weighing every baby turtle, and analysing turtle nestsfor temperature, humidity and bacteria.
Which industries can this career be found in?
Perhaps surprisingly,marine biologists are important over a range of industries today.Some of these include:
-
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- Public Administration and Safety
- 教育和培训
- 艺术和娱乐服务
- 新闻业
Areas marine biologists may work in includegovernment sectors, museums and aquatic parks, resorts, and fisheries.
What jobs do people sometimes confuse this with?
海洋学家
海洋学家s tend to study oceans themselves, including chemistry, physics and geology of ocean floors, while marine biologists studymarine organisms and their life cycles, such as plants and animals.
Marine Zoologist
Although theresponsibilities of zoologists and biologists often overlap,marine zoologists usually investigate and research particular types of animals, while生物学家研究海洋生态系统和动物种群。
Characteristics and Qualities
露西说，研究领域的海洋生物学家的一些主要技能包括野生动物处理，绘画拭子，标记，统计分析，潜水和船只处理，PCR，细菌培养物，在实验室中进行分析以及物种回忆(knowing particular species by sight).
| Characteristics | Types Required |
|---|---|
| Knowledge | Biology, mathematics (statistical and data analysis), chemistry, computers and electronics, language |
| 技能 | Reading comprehension, science, writing, active learning, speaking and communication |
| Abilities | 口头表达，口头理解，书面理解，归纳推理（使用大量详细信息来提出答案或制定一般规则），书面表达 |
| 活动 | Keeping your knowledge up to date, collecting and organising information, making sense of information and ideas, looking for changes over time, researching and investigating |
Steps to Becoming a Marine Biologist
What should you study?
You must studyaBachelor’s degree in Science majoring in Marine Biology, Marine Science or a related field to work as a Marine Biologist.It is also common to complete postgraduate studies.
您可能会考虑学习海洋生物学专业的理学学士学位在悉尼大学，科学学士/高级科学学士学位（荣誉）主修Marine and Coastal Science在UNSW，或aBachelor of Marine Biology在UTS。
成为一名海洋生物学家需要多长时间？
Most Marine Biology courses in Australia需要3 - 4年的完整模型te, however postgraduate study, such as a Masters or PhD, usually takes a few more years. Lucy says it also depends on your pathway.
如果您决定进行研究，那么you would already be experienced after that time and could potentially be named in some scientific papers。However, usuallya year or two after leaving university most people are in their area of interestand have a full-time paying role!
Industry Knowledge
露西说海洋生物学家learn to be skilled in boat-handling and scuba equipmentoften through experience.
数据收集和研究海洋生态系统的新设备不断出现，有些海洋生物学家选择专注于技术方面。这些包括确定drones (for whales), cameras/GoPros, audio recognition and recording devices, Accelerometers（用于研究加速力）和suction cups on turtle shells!
What will this career look like in the future?
这个职业如何需求？
Marine biology is相当大的职业， 虽然澳大利亚从事海洋生物学家（在主要工作中）工作的人数有5年以上：从2011年的840到2016年的670。
Despite being a relatively small career field, mARINE生物学家是现代世界中的重要人物guiding governments, countries and companies on how to conserve the marine environmentwhile managing constant threats such asoil spills, mining, climate change, ocean acidification and overfishing.
是否有成长或专业化的机会？
There are definitely many opportunities to grow and specialise as a marine biologist, says Lucy. Primarily it may includefocusing on a particular species or habitat.
海洋生物学家也可能专门研究公众的旅游和教育，在水上储备和自然博物馆工作; they may work with oil or mining companies building in the sea to make marine safety assessments, as well as government regulators and fisheries to set quotes on fishermen and protect certain areas.
Marine biologists may choose to specialise innavy work as coastal guards, or in researching and journalism writingfor companies like National Geographic.Charity and conservation workis also a pathway for marine biologists, as well as生物技术(e.g. developing and using drones for marine research) and调解动物（通常鲨鱼）与人之间的冲突in highly populated marine areas such as beaches, via buoys, drones and tagging.
薪水
| Annual Salary | Future Growth | Skill Level Rating |
|---|---|---|
| $ 93,000+ | 在接下来的5年中稳定 | Very high skill |
有影响力的趋势
Technological developments肯定会影响海洋生物学家进行研究和数据分析的方式。技术不断进行微调，海洋生物学家总是发现更多有关海洋的信息。
For example, Lucy shares how: “The whole justification of Japanese whaling is the need to check the age of the population, and the only way to do that was by collecting earwax, and you have to kill them to take that out. But there’ssome researchers here in Australia who have tracked a humpback since it was born… and have been able to develop a method of taking a bit of skin DNA and ageing the whale that way[using technology].”
Climate change and human activities如前所述，还不断地塑造海洋生物学家的工作。
这个行业的未来
Lucy says that there aremany more people studying marine biology than previously, with larger groups now specialising in niche areas。It is often said that humans know more about the moon than the ocean, she says, and thanks to technology new discoveries are being made everyday, making it an exciting field to work in!
有在南极和深海等偏远地区的更多研究比以前由于新技术以及气候变化的威胁不断增加。这是促使海洋生物学家研究温暖的海洋对不同生态系统的影响以及改善或适应造成的损害的方法，以及其未来后果。
Best Thing & Worst Thing
What do you enjoy most about this job?
“我最喜欢的事情是与我合作的人一起工作… every place that I went to, the people were so fun and enjoyable, but it was always because we were doing something so amazing,” says Lucy.
您觉得这项工作最糟糕的部分是什么？
“When I was studying turtles, it was sleep deprivation.It was the most difficult thing,” says Lucy.
“Also…I had to move away from all my family and friends for months at a time,而且我总是结交新朋友，所以很好，但这是其中最艰难的部分之一。您必须离开……没有太多时间可以跟上所有人在家。But the pay off for what you’re being able to do is not that much. It’s definitely worth it.”
对有抱负的海洋生物学家的建议
您希望在开始工作之前知道什么？
露西希望她对网络对她的职业生涯有多重要，尤其是您与讲师和同龄人的关系。“Once you’ve made those connections in the industry, everyone just wants to help you out.”
It’s okay to change gears, she adds;there are so many opportunities and skills to try out, so don’t feel pressured into sticking with one category.重要的是要获得尽可能多的经验。
这可能是您可能不会立即想到的简单事情，例如volunteering with charities (e.g. beach clean ups), scuba diving, and watching marine documentaries以获取信息！
Why should people consider taking on this career?
“这非常有趣。总会有一些新的要找出答案。真的值得做，因为the ocean is such a vast thing covering our whole planet; it’s survival is based on the ocean’s condition, and重要的是，您要了解自己做出的选择以及世界如何作为一个单位运作,” says Lucy.
露西还强调了海洋生物学的旅行方面，“You get to go to amazing places. I’ve been to nearly every continent…you meet amazing people and have incredible experiences.You are so privileged so often to go to certain areas. Like in Indonesia, you’re only allowed to go if you’re doing research to the most amazing coral reefs in the world.”
It’s fascinating to learn about an environment so vastly different to our own,she adds, and the ways animals have adapted to them.有no end point to what you can learn,and “no two days are ever the same”.
她说，此外，可以不擅长数学或化学。Every skill can be taught in the role, and you are constantly collaborating and being helped by others.
Job Flexibility
The work of a marine biologist is not structured,露西说。她说：“当您工作时，您正在工作。”指的是，花了一周或一个月的时间来研究世界各地的各种海洋栖息地，通常完全是与其他研究人员一起研究的。
这是因为animal migration and mating periods are sporadic, unlike a normal 9- 5 job(e.g. if you’re studying the whale migration period off the coast of Sydney). It often meansmarine biologists must sacrifice seeing friends and family for long periods of time.
However,once active researching (data collection) is complete, marine biologists usually have a lot of flexibility in their jobs,包括分析收集的数据。
What is the workplace culture like?
Lucy says the workplace culture of marine biology is incrediblyfriendly, collaborative and hard working.
“Everyone’s usually incredibly passionate about what they do. Everyone’s very hard working.这不是您要富裕的东西……因此，以某种方式使在那里变得非常好。Everyone’s there because they want to do it, they’re really passionate about it, protecting a species… or enhancing an area,” Lucy concludes.
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