Hello! I have found myself in quite the situation recently. I’m an upcoming high school senior preparing for college, but i’m at a loss for what exactly to major in. You see, my passion and love will always be in marine biology and politics; I even considered double majoring in both to satisfy my passion. Yet, everyone I have ever come across has always put down my idea of becoming a marine biology major saying comments such as, “It’s just a hobby that does not pay well.”, "You will not be able to find a job, and if you do the salary will be horrible. ", and “The United States is not in demand for marine biologists. You’ll waste your money and time”. Although I love it, I’m weary about the financial security and competitiveness of the field, this is the same for political science. Everyone is pushing me toward a S.T.E.M. major and I’m not quite as passionate about these majors. I have found an interest in cyber security, but it’s mostly because of the salary offered and the Cyber Corps scholarship. I don’t have the funds to pay for college without scholarships, so that scholarship could really help. I just don’t know any more. Do I do what I love and risk financial security or do something i’m not so keen on if it pays well? I would really appreciate any opinions or advice!
Many students come into college undecided, and the majority of undergraduates change their majors at least once. Additionally, it’s common to have a career seemingly unconnected to your undergraduate major.
For now, focus on finding colleges that are strong across a variety of fields and that suit your particular needs (size, location, financial aid, etc.).
Most people, especially high school students, know very little about marine science or its job prospects. Yes, the career outlook for marine biology is not the best, and I have written many posts on CC warning students about that. Nevertheless, there ARE jobs in marine biology, many of them tremendously exciting and rewarding.
Marine science pairs very nicely with a major in public policy or geography.
An undergraduate degree in marine science is a rigorous path. My daughter found this website to be helpful: Southwest Fisheries Science Center | NOAA Fisheries. Know that you will have to go on for a MS degree at the minimum to be eligible for higher salaried positions. You can most definitely minor in political science, environmental studies.
Thank you for the responses!
I would encourage you to have a strong background in stats and programming as well in order to increase your job prospects.
Start researching a strategizing now for how you want to build up research and internship experiences. Are there any skills you can master this summer? Do you have SCUBA certification? Could you dedicate hours to a project on Zooinverse such as the Stellar Sea Lion project? It is just one of several on that site. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/sweenkl/steller-watch
What are your plans for the summer? Could you do a program such as SEA’s high school 3 week program? Call and see if they still have space available in the second session. http://www.sea.edu/high_school_programs Ask if financial aid is still available. Take a look at their college programs too. They are really good. (Accept gap year students too.)
Is there an aquatic pets store near you where you could pick up a part time job. Many college labs have tanks and someone gets the campus job of looking after them. Why not you? If no store near by, could you get a used tank off Craigs List and start keeping one?
Start a bookmark folder on your computer. Every time you read an article that quotes someone from a university, find the department and bookmark it. As you prepare your application list, go back and look at them. Keep this list for when you are looking for summer research positions. There are non university research opportunities too. In the summer months The Alaska Sea Life Center has college students working on various projects. I am trying to remember - sea lions and eiders are ones I can remember off top of my head. If you scroll back through their facebook page you can probably find enough information.
There is a lot of cross over of skills with Limnology - fresh water. Is there anyone in your area working on lakes, streams, Great Lakes, etc. Skills built with sampling lake water will cross over nicely.