OT: Zoology or marine biology??

[bluetanggirl]

I was originally going to do occuational therapist assistant, but ever since i was a little kid I wanted to train dolphins or train some type of sea mammal.. so now i am going to try and look into maybe trying to get into some type of program that would help me get to that point. Was going to look into maybe trying to study marine biology or zoology.. but dont know of any really good programs that could help me make my decision.. Thoughts?? opinions??

 

[frank the tank]

Do what ever. Your. Heart. Tells. U this hobbys. Opened. My eyes. To a lot of. Thing.

 

[nanafish]

Not that I do not think any of our state colleges are gr8- Perhaps you might want to check into some of the colleges in Florida.

 

[ariffle11]

i was told Penn State has a good marine bio program... i was out there for a swap a few years ago and they gave us a tour of their hub tank and told us a little about the program... im not sure you will find many jobs around here though, so as Nanafish said, you may wanna get a head start and find a school down south somewhere...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

training sea mammals is great

training sea mammals is great


but there's many other options

lmk if anything ever becomes of this

 

[bluetanggirl]

I am going to myrtle beach here in august and was maybe going to see if i could shadowing one at the ripleys aquarium.. Or i dont know if they have a marine biologist at the cleveland zoo that i could shadow.. I think i am going to have to do some claaing and asking around..

 

[cmbspd]

Nicole,

I am assuming that you just getting started with college?

I'm writing as a bio prof who often has students wanting wanting to work as zookeepers, train dolphins, etc. I agree with others that you should follow you heart, but be forewarned that lots of other people share your passion so it is a very competitive field to enter. Start trying to volunteer now at the Cleveland or Akron zoos (again hard to get a coveted position!) or with local veternarians just to get some experience working with animals in a professional setting.

As for school, I recommend picking a good undergraduate BIOLOGY or conservation program rather than trying for a specific subfield like marine mammals or even marine bio. Initially it is more important to learn the basics of animal behavior, ecology, and physiology and to demonstrate your motivation than to work with dolphins. Find someplace that can give you a good educational foundation and use summer internships to get experience in your specific dream of working with marine mammals, helping with research on coral reefs, etc. to specialize as an undergraduate. At U Akron, we've had students net these types of summer positions and have them turn into permanent jobs working with manatee conservation, zookeepers, etc. Also, you might start working with something like dolphin training and realize that you are even more interested in scientific research or conservation of dolphins - a good general background in biology means that you can go down any of these paths.

You can be smart about the school that you pick though and go somewhere that has faculty who specialize in research on marine mammals. For instance, Florida International University does have faculty studying dolphin communication so you could potentially volunteer to work in their lab even as a freshman.

 

[Mandragen]

I think it would help your decision to get a better understanding of the differences each program offers :0)

 

[spieszak]

If you look at the marine biology degree, please consider a minor in a field that might actually pay.. Marine biology gigs are mostly contract work, and there isn't a lot of stability. If you have a business related minor, it can get you through the rough times. Its great to follow your heart, but school loans are the equivalent of buying a house. You'll have to pay them back, and with patchy work, that can be really stressful. I don't in any way wish to discourage you, just throwing out that a practical minor might help you to make it all work out in the long run.

 

[bluetanggirl]

Cmbspd: yes i am just starting out.. I just graduated high school this year.. And was maybe going to spend some time researching and getting some feed back on what people thought on this idea.. And talk to people who have already persuaded this career and see what there thoughs are and maybe get some helpful advice to help me make my decision.. And or make me successful..

 

[Mandragen]

I would be happy to help out in anyway that I can.

 

[bluetanggirl]

I would be happy to help out in anyway that I can.

Are you a marine biologist too?? Need all the help i can get..

 

[Mandragen]

Umm, that's me in the avatar...

I was a Marine Mammal Trainer for 3 years, Atlantic Bottlenose, Pacific Bottlenose, Pacific Whitesided, a little bit of experience with seals and sealions. Was also part of a manatee rescue team. I've worked with people who now train at the Georgia Aquarium, Sea World San Diego/San Antonio, Dubai, Hawaii, South Carolina, Shedd in Chicago, and all throughout Florida. I'm sure there are some other's I am missing. The new pirate dinner show in myrtle beach was mine and my friend's gig, until we turned it down, now my ex works that show, along with another friend. She also is assistant currator at Alligator Adventure.

so, I might be able to answer any questions you have...

 

[bluetanggirl]

Umm, that's me in the avatar...

I was a Marine Mammal Trainer for 3 years, Atlantic Bottlenose, Pacific Bottlenose, Pacific Whitesided, a little bit of experience with seals and sealions. Was also part of a manatee rescue team. I've worked with people who now train at the Georgia Aquarium, Sea World San Diego/San Antonio, Dubai, Hawaii, South Carolina, Shedd in Chicago, and all throughout Florida. I'm sure there are some other's I am missing. The new pirate dinner show in myrtle beach was mine and my friend's gig, until we turned it down, now my ex works that show, along with another friend. She also is assistant currator at Alligator Adventure.

so, I might be able to answer any questions you have...

This is the kind of stuff that kills me and makes me want to do it so BAD!! Where do you work? because i see that you have been to myrtle beach i am going to be there at the begining of august.. i was going to look into job shadowing a marine biologist or something like what you do?

 

[nanafish]

I could dig working at a resort in the Caribbean or something similar training dolphins. I would stay away from anything that has a mouth big enuf to swallow a smart-car!

 

[Mandragen]

This is the kind of stuff that kills me and makes me want to do it so BAD!! Where do you work? because i see that you have been to myrtle beach i am going to be there at the begining of august.. i was going to look into job shadowing a marine biologist or something like what you do?

lol, easy there killer. All that was past tense, right now I'm selling insurance for the family business, not sure that's gonna help you out any. I have not worked at Myrtle, but yes, I've been there quite often and have some friends there that work with all kinds of animals.

Like I said before, try to figure out what the differences are between jobs so that you can narrow it down as to what would suit you better. Just do some work on a search engine, I'm sure you can find some sort of job discriptions. Marine Biologist/Zoologist tends to relate more towards someone doing field work/research, although I do have a BS in Zoology. There are keeper positions which are more husbandry related with minimal training, and there are "trainer" positions which are a bit more hands on, but also more dangerous. You also have to consider availability, as someone else already mentioned, pay, how much you enjoy weekends/holidays (because you sure are not going to be seeing those, lol), social life, how physical you want work to be, etc... Remember, when you watch an animal show you see 30 minutes of that life, and we wouldn't dare show you the bad, thats the best.

But first, I think you should focus on what you want to study in college and the differences between majors. There are so many that can lead you to the same place. Do you like all animals, just the ocean, animal behavior, companion animals, phsycology, etc? All these have different majors, but can all get you to a nice training position. College is going to be a big chunk of life, and if you are miserable in what you are studying it isn't going to be fun. If you don't make it out or do well, chances are the only job description you need to know is volunteer.

... and I don't think you want to shadow me, unless you want to know all about the wonderful world of insurance:spin2:. If give then chance I would do it all the same, but there are reasons that I quit.

Like I said, if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them...

 

[jflick345]

Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio offers a marine science minor. Don't be fooled and think just because they're in Ohio that the program doesn't offer much but they have great staff and provide many opportunities. I have several friends that majored in biology and picked up the minor to work in the marine field. (I did the same track but am not working in the marine field) The school actually set up the program this way because they agree with Cmbspd that a marine biology major is too concentrated and doesn't offer enough flexibility to grads. A B.S. in biology gives you a much more diverse background and you can create a focus to also get a good base in the marine sciences. Definitely look into schools that offer marine biology/science minors vs. going for a major. You'll get the schooling needed and not limit your background as much.

As a few other people said, In order to get into the marine mammal field you have to be willing to make sacrifices and be prepared not to make much money. It's a field that people get into for the love of what they do and both people I know working with dolphins have taken unpaid internships to get the necessary experience to obtain a $25k a year job. Both of them have said that a long term research position will require an advanced degree and probably working at a university. It's rewarding work but is by no means easy. My one friend works in the Florida Keys outdoors all day....it sounds nice but this time of year she's very busy with tourist season and spends hours a day standing out in 90 degree heat narrating shows.

 

[Mandragen]

As a few other people said, In order to get into the marine mammal field you have to be willing to make sacrifices and be prepared not to make much money. It's a field that people get into for the love of what they do and both people I know working with dolphins have taken unpaid internships to get the necessary experience to obtain a $25k a year job. Both of them have said that a long term research position will require an advanced degree and probably working at a university. It's rewarding work but is by no means easy. My one friend works in the Florida Keys outdoors all day....it sounds nice but this time of year she's very busy with tourist season and spends hours a day standing out in 90 degree heat narrating shows.

+1

One of my friends did 4 years of unpaid internships. $25k is on the good side of things. You definitely do it for the love the animals. I didn't have a Christmas off in 3 years, its one of the more busy days. Weekends change every few months, and you might never get Sat/Sunday. The 90 degree heat was not nearly as bad as an unheated pool in January when it is raining and a front is coming through, especially when you have to clean said pool for 2 hours.

Most trainers I worked with had a second job and still could hardly make rent and food.

 

[99probfishaint1]

I know we are talking about undergrad, but there is an opportunity that you may not be aware of. The Cleveland Zoo (through Miami University) now offers a master's program in zoology. I am currently enrolled in it. For the most part it is online other than two weeks each summer where you have to be physically present. Many people in the program are pairing it up with their teaching degree that they already have.