Marine Biologists

Entry-level marine biologists usually have several years of experience and on-the-job training. Any experience one can obtain in the field of marine biology—such as an internship, volunteering, or a part-time job—will be useful for aspiring marine biologists.

To be a successful marine biologist, you must have the ability to ask questions and solve problems, observe small details carefully, do research, and analyze mathematical information. You should be inquisitive and must be able to think for yourself. This is essential to the scientific method. Knowledge of computer software, such as geographic information systems and modeling software programs, is also critical in this profession. You must use your creative ability and be inventive in order to design experiments; these are the scientist's means of asking questions of the natural world. Working in the field often requires some strength and physical endurance, particularly if you are scuba diving or if you are doing fieldwork in tidepools, which can involve hiking over miles of shore at low tide, keeping your footing on weedy rocks, and lifting and turning stones to find specimens.