by Tammy L Mahan

Created on: April 15, 2010   Last Updated: April 16, 2010

A marine biologist is a wonderful career for people who enjoy learning about and helping the all the creatures of the deep blue sea. A marine biologist job includes studying the behavior, origins, genetics, diseases and life process of marine animals.

A day in the life of a marine biologist can be anything from counting whales or any marine animal and recording the numbers, collecting DNA, sponges, or you may find yourself looking for or collecting bioactive drugs that can aid in curing human diseases.

The work of a marine biologist is done both in the field (ocean) and in the lab. Many marine biologist spend their days overseeing aquatic parks or training dolphins and whales.

Many marine biologists prefer to spend their time working with sharks in both the wild and captivity environments.  

To become a marine biologist you must obtain at least a bachelors degree in science. Many marine biologist hold a doctorate degree. One of the best things about being a marine biologist aside from your love of marine life and working closely with the animals or from a far accessing the data to help repopulate or keep the populations stable is the that there are many specialty fields you can also decide to work in.

As a marine biologist you can work in the following areas: marine mammal specialist, director of an aqua park, research and conservation, education, collecting animals that wash ashore (and determine the cause of death.) Taking care of the animals at an aquarium is another well known job of a marine biologist. Training animals such as dolphins and whales for shows at places like Sea World is another option.

The yearly income for a marine biologist ranges from $45,000 to $110,000. Your income will depend greatly on the degree you hold, the type of work you do and how long you have been doing it.

Marine biologists who work in the field do not always have set schedule. If your team is tagging whales or squid you may be out on the rocking seas during a storm at 3 in the morning, because that is when you’re most likely to get the job done.

If you work in an aquarium and an injured animal is brought in for care you may be called in to work at 2am. Your work schedule will depend greatly on the type of work you chose to do as a marine biologist. There is plenty of Monday through Friday jobs in the field as well.

Being a marine biologist is not only a rewarding career choice for the individual but a noble one for all the animals that depend on humans for care to keep their populations up and going strong.

For more information on becoming a Marine Biologist:

http://blogs.payscale.com/salarystories/2007/04/name _dr_james_b.html?cid=96495668

http://oceanlink.island.net/career/career2.html

http://blogs.payscale.com/salarystories/2007/04/name _dr_james_b.html?cid=96495668

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