Hello folks,
I am the type of person who gets caught in analysis paralysis, always changing my mind based on the latest new information I’ve found. I’ve finally settled on specializing in the area of seaweed science. I would like to have a direct impact on the environment, and algae are the most efficient organisms for sucking up nutrients and carbon and raising the pH of the ocean, all very serious issues facing the world today. So I would like my career to focus on seaweed and algae in some regard, potentially with regard to integrated multitrophic aquaculture. But I am unsure of the best route to go with it. I am older, just turned 30 in May, and have been in school previously for a music degree, so I do not have the best background in math, but have taken an accuplacer test at my community college which showed me to be sufficient in HS level algebra (been doing a lot of brushing up in my free time), which means I can start with precalculus in the spring. My current plan to save money and be able to make school work with my work schedule is to attend community college, and then transfer to a 4 year university. I may then go to grad school, for either a master’s or a PhD program, or go right into an entrepreneurial endeavor of starting a seaweed/shellfish farm.
So at the community college level here are the choices I am weighing:
AS Biotechnology
AS Environmental science
I would then transfer to a four year university for one of the following:
Environmental Science
Environmental/biological/ocean engineering
Aquaculture
Marine Biology
Then, my graduate studies would be largely based on what I study at the undergrad level, but probably focus on aquaculture, since there are a number of great programs for that in my area (northeast US). I may also look into chemical engineering or biotech, to study how to convert the seaweed into useful products. Overall, my career goals are to either start a seaweed aquaculture business or become a consultant and researcher for aquaculture businesses, either privately or through a university or government agency.
Do my career goals match my major choices, and what specific major choices do you think would fit with those interests best? I am leaning towards environmental science at both the community college and university level, with a minor in aquaculture (Roger Williams University in Rhode island has a program that would fit this path, and an undergrad research program with wet labs and a shellfish hatchery so I could get my hands into some actual research before I even do any grad work), and then doing a master’s or PhD in aquaculture or engineering. Does this sound like a good plan? Finally, what are the career prospects in this area? I know that seaweed aquaculture is a new field, and one with a lot of recent interest from both industry and government, and that there is a very large seafood trade deficit that the US has, so it seems like a lot of potential for growth there. Is this an accurate assessment?
Thanks in advance for your responses.