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Is going into marine biology really worth it?

I’ve been wanting to do this for years, last year I even took a marine science and oceanography class at my high school and absolutely loved it, I’ve heard that the pay isn’t great and it’s not worth all the time.

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Nina’s Answer

"Worth it" is defined by YOU and what you want to get out of your career. If you find joy and fulfillment in your work you may find it's more "worth it" than the extra pay you would get from a higher paying career that does not make you happy. Or perhaps you will find the hours or locations are most ideal for you. Pay not only varies by profession but also by specific job and your unique experience and qualifications so you may find as your grow in your career there are more opportunities for compensation. Or maybe you decide you don't care what your job as long as you can earn $XZ or you want to work less so you can spend more time with your hobbies.

There are always tradeoffs, so consider your own priorities and personal situation when deciding which is most important to you. Sounds like you enjoyed Marine Science and Oceanography so worth exploring further!
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Brendan’s Answer

Hi Molly, great question. It sounds like you already have a passion for marine biology, informed by experience, and that this is a long-standing interest of yours. My impression for what it is worth is that pay in the sciences is better than it used to be, for example for post-doc positions, but there is no guarantee of landing a faculty position or a long-term research position. I got a PhD in astronomy, which was my passion in high school, and spent several years doing fun research into black holes and extrasolar planets. The pay was ok, but I figured out I could earn more in industry, and I also ended up preferring the faster pace of industry. So, now I build, validate, and monitor machine learning models. I don't at all regret my time in astronomy -- I got to observe with space-based and large ground telescopes, I went to conferences all over the world, I made friends and learned so much about the universe. In a practical sense, the skills and background I got in astronomy were very transferable to data science. One way to hedge your bets could be to pursue marine biology with an eye on keeping doors open; for example, if you do research as an undergraduate student, you might look for marine biology projects that also provide you with transferable skills in related industry fields. Ultimately your question is one that only you can answer, but I put a few optional next steps that might help your deliberation. Best of luck!

Brendan recommends the following next steps:

Look into marine biology programs of interest; many will have information about outcomes for their graduates
Make a list of your personal pros and cons of pursuing marine biology
Consider what alternative careers might be appealing to you, and if you could get transferable skills for them starting in marine biology
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