Marine Careers :: Career Outlook

As you have seen in this guide, the marine sciences offer many educational and employment opportunities. But what are the chances of finding a job in your field of choice?

Your ability to land a job in the marine sciences will depend on many factors. And, while some of those factors will be out of your control, it's important to prepare yourself as best you can. Throughout this web site, a few key messages were repeated by several of the people featured. Their advice is based on experience, so you may want to heed their advice as you make important educational and career decisions.

Research Careers
Students interested in pursuing a research career may find opportunities in academia, industry, government, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, consulting firms, and owning their own businesses. Many factors influence job opportunities in these areas, including the economy, funding, and distribution of government support.

Researchers in Academia

Researchers in Industry

Researchers in Government

Researchers in Non-profit and Non-governmental Organizations

Researchers in Consulting Firms or Private Enterprise

In addition to being good scientists and engineers, today's researchers must also be good writers and speakers. Not only do researchers need to submit proposals to funding sources in an attempt to get financial support for their research, they must also present their results to colleagues, decision-makers, students, and funding sources. As Gregory Johnson, a NOAA oceanographer with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory states, "Science does no good unless it is communicated to others."

Non-Research Careers
A research career is certainly not the only option for students interested in the exciting field of marine science. In fact, the possibilities for a non-research career are as varied as one's desires and imagination.

Changes in the economy and politics can impact non-research marine careers in much the same way they impact the research community. A common example is federal support for education, which, in times of budget cuts, generally translates to cuts at the state and local levels. Eventually, federal budget cuts reach the small, community-based programs such as after-school science clubs, science museums, and nature facilities as well as educational programming on science or the environment.

With projections for the US labor market favoring the information, service, and technology sectors, what will this mean for students interested in a marine-related career? For one thing, more opportunities in the information and mass communication sectors seem likely, as do opportunities in marine industries, such as marine electronics, aquaculture, environmentally based recreation and tourism, engineering, hydro-geology, water quality management, and environmental education and communication.

According to Dr. Judith McDowell, senior scientist and associate dean of the education program at WHOI, the overall outlook for a career in the marine sciences is bright. "New jobs in marine sciences are expanding in many sectors due to continuing advances in technology and a growing appreciation for the importance of the oceans to all life on earth," she says. "The next decade should bring an even greater array of challenges and careers than we see at present. The future is exciting."