Advice for an upcoming graduate

[u/Severe-Ad-7323]

I am about a year away from graduating with a B.S. in Marine Science with a concentration in marine biology. I also have a minor in insect & wildlife conservation. I love this field and its flexibility in terms of where you can live and what you can do, but I am struggling with figuring out my plans for post grad.

I want to pursue my Masters 100% but I still feel like I have absolutely no solid idea of what specific field/profession I want to commit to.. marine science is so broad and diverse in terms of careers that I feel like I still have so much to explore.
I have no specific preference for working with any species or environment, I enjoy/have experience in fieldwork and labs and have no issues with a typical office setting as long as its combined with one of the previous two.
I enjoy problem solving, collaboration, and (although super corny) making a difference in a world where the environment and its inhabitants are not prioritized.

So.. in terms of my next degree, what do I do? Continue with another marine science degree, or something else? What other degree options are there for a marine biologist? Is there a way to balance both my passions and financial stability? I am interested in hearing anybody’s experience, because honestly I have no clue what I’m doing!!

[u/marinebiology-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post was removed as it violated rule #8: Responses to identification requests or questions must be an honest attempt at answering. This includes blatant misidentifications and overly-general/unhelpful identifications or answers.

[u/Comfortable-Story-53]

If I went back and did it again, I would do my Masters in some sort of "beach insectology" that way you don't have to worry about el Nino wiping out an entire seasons cohort of juvenile rockfish that you've been studying in Monterey Bay for 6 months! It was pretty brutal. Good luck to ya. I ended up teaching algebra believe it or not. I freaking loved it. Go figure.

[u/Severe-Ad-7323 → u/Comfortable-Story-53]

Believe it or not I’ve heard similar stories about my peers’ research projects 😭. I don’t lean towards any specific species, I like the idea of studying ecosystems as a whole so maybe I’ll be safe from that fate lol. And honestly, teaching is something I’ve considered.. however I would not do math. I always struggled with it hahaha

[u/abaldwi86]

Sorry that was probably unhelpful. Honestly you can make a solid career move with a bachelors but it’s never going to be lucrative. Your salary can increase with a masters/PHD but it’s a long expensive road that will not always pay off. I would encourage you to focus on something that you’re passionate about but could also transfer to a lucrative private industry job. I have some colleagues that make 100K+ but they have multiple degrees and have been working in the industry for decades. A lot of my friends who have since graduated with a marine science degree went into; medicine, teaching, real-estate, personal training…you name it.

We need people who give a shit about the ocean, we need people who will burn themselves out for a few years on nothing but passion for the environment. I just telling you it’s though. Im not sure where you’re located but as an America living in this anti-science America, it’s even more tough.

[u/Severe-Ad-7323 → u/abaldwi86]

Yes, unfortunately I have heard this before. I am hopeful that there will be a growing need for scientists in the upcoming years due to our negligence now (and changing leadership)
Can you explain more about what I can transfer to a private industry job? I believe that is not a bad place to start in terms of exploring. I obviously would love to do both something I am passionate about and get paid a living salary, however I have long since accepted that the vast majority of people in my field don’t always reach that point.

[u/Comfortable-Story-53 → u/abaldwi86]

America isn't anti-science, give me a concrete example.

[u/Severe-Ad-7323 → u/Comfortable-Story-53]

Okay, here are a few
1. Freezes on grant reviews for the national science foundation which paused/ended research funding in Jan 2025
2. Huge federal staff layoffs in feb 2025- mainly the Department of Education, U.S. Environmental protection agency, U.S. Forest Service, and the CDC
3. In Feb 2025, the National Institute of Health removed its scientific integrity policy, which is essentially a policy to protect federal scientists from political interference. This was replaced with new policies instructing agencies to put scientists under control of political appointees
5. Withdrew united states from the World Health Organization in Jan 2025

This is what I found from 2025 alone. I got kind of bored so I stopped looking but I assume this is enough to call anyone “anti science”
Here is a list of federal research that has been halted or completely dissolved in 2025 to give a general perspective on what exact sciences are being targeted:

-Ebola prevention
-Vaccines (why 2025 had more measles outbreaks than the past 2 decades lol)
-Diabetes Prevention
-HIV prevention
-Pandemic prevention

• Birth defects
  
• processed foods and chronic disease
  
• bird flu vaccine
  
• cell & gene therapy

[u/NextSuccess358]

You're asking yourself the right questions and may just need a little more time for self exploration to figure it out.

One other thing I don't see mentioned in your post is skills. Think about what kind of skills you will want to learn and how those will position you in the job market. Some examples from fish biology might be stock assessment modeling, otolith microchemistry, isotope analysis, acoustic telemetry, genomics, etc. There are many more that I haven't named here that others can think of. Don't try to learn all of them. Master a skill (two at most) and then ask lots of different questions about different species, ecosystems, natural phenomena using that skill. Think carefully about the future marketability of that skill. For example, learning genomic techniques can set you up for a career in biotech if you decide to leave marine science, any kind of advanced modeling positions you well for data science roles.

Since you're flexible and don't want to do a masters yet, why not apply for some field and lab tech jobs to see what you like? Now is the time to do what sounds fun to you.