What Does A Marine Mammalogist Do?

If you are looking for a new career and you love working with animals, you might want to consider a career as a marine mammalogist. This is the perfect career for someone who loves the ocean, wants to help the environment, and loves nature. As a marine mammalogist you are going to study a variety of marine mammals and this work is very satisfying and inspiring. Read on to learn how to get started with a career as a marine mammalogist.

Some of the duties you might expect to have to do are research, rehabilitation, education or training. There are many different things you can do in this field to have a satisfying career. Most people end up doing research and that is an important job to have. You might be tasked with writing grants or collecting data. You could also write papers and publish them in journals. There are many animals that you can study and you can always find out more about them.

If you don’t go into research, you might end up working in the field, studying marine mammals in their natural habitat. This is an exciting job, especially if you enjoy working directly with animals. You can do research in the ocean or in a marsh or anywhere else that the animals live.

You are likely going to have to learn how to use complicated measuring and testing equipment and other devices that help you analyze and measure what the animals are doing. The job can be difficult and demanding and you have to be willing to devote long hours to studying the animals. You might have to work nights and holidays and you will be called to work at odd times when there is something especially interesting to see.

You can always decide to specialize in one group of animals or even just one species. Many people decide to do this and it will ensure that you become an expert since you can spend all of your time studying one species or group. Spreading yourself too thin isn’t always the best thing to do and specializing in one animal can turn you into an expert.

There are many different employers that hire marine mammalogists. You could work for the government or military. You could also work for a zoo or aquarium. Some marine mammalogists in museums and schools and there are also openings in conservation groups.

You are going to need a bachelor of science degree to get started in an entry-level career and if you want to do research or something more complicated you are going to need a graduate degree. It helps to have a background in chemistry or biology. You are going to need lab skills and you should definitely do an internship when you are in college to gain experience.

A good internship is going to give you training and it will also help you to meet people and make friends that can help you get a job. You are going to need to have good swimming skills which is going to be crucial if you are going to be working directly with marine mammals.

You can also consider joining professional groups. You can get plenty of information from the groups and they have conferences and journals and they also provide networking opportunities. Some professional groups even post jobs. Your salary is going to depend on how much experience you have and who you are working for. Most jobs start off on the low end of the pay scale, but your salary will rise the longer you work in the field.

The job outlook for a marine mammalogist is slower than many other professions and the field is very competitive. There are usually more people who want to work in the field than there are jobs so you want to make your resume and training as good as possible so you can get hired.

If you get a job as a marine mammalogist you are going to end up with a satisfying career and you will get to learn about marine mammals. This career is very exciting and you are going to enjoy going to work each day when you are a marine mammalogist.