Help picking a career in Marine Sciences

[Wayfarer091]

Hello everyone I just entered college and I want to work with Cephalopods. Particularly Octopus as a long term career. I want to dive from them, Study them, breed them, anything to do with Octopus I want to do. My personal favorite at this time is the Veined(Coconut) Octopus or Octopus marginatus.

I am wondering what field I should enter to try and get a shot at working with these magnificent animals. Think any one can help me out? I am not looking for a career that makes tons of money i would be happy just working with Cephalopods (Octopus mainly but I find them all thrilling cuttlefish Squid Nautilus)

 

[Jean]

Biology, zoology, marine ecology, animal husbandry................check out your local universities etc

J

 

[marinebio_guy]

I would try to narrow down what area you what to work in and focus on it. A degree in Marine Biology if a good general start but there are other similar degrees that would work like marine science, fisheries, etc. However, there is a lot more to it than just getting the degree. Try to find someone working on cephs and see if you can volunteer in there lab, it doesn't have to be with cephalopods any field work or lab work will help.

 

[Steve O'Shea]

I too was very tunnel visioned when it came to octopus, thinking of nothing else for a decade. The reason ...... well, I had nobody there who knew anything about squid, nobody there to expose me to their magnificence, and they just seemed too hard to come to terms with. After working on the NZ octopus fauna, and needing a change (I'd finished one job), self taught I came to 'understand' squid (if this is ever possible). They are equally, if not more so fascinating! Don't discount squid!

I am so pleased to read you say you're not intrested in tons of money. If you were then I would suggest octopus aquaculture (there is money to be made here, but for a Masters I would not ever suggest you work on it; do it as a side project). Otherwise, the world is your oyster, and I urge you to stick around!

Tony will shoot me for this, but I find octopus too easy to understand now. Squid to me is where the challenge is. Squid taxonomy is just the first step. Squid biology .... now that is where the challenge is!

 

[WhiteKiboko]

the world is your oyster

We don't take kindly to them around here....

just kidding... they're Ubertasty..... and the octos like 'em too!

Wayfarer, congrats on having more foresight than i had....

 

[Tintenfisch]

Squid taxonomy is just the first step. Squid biology .... now that is where the challenge is!

I'll just be off deleting my thesis then...

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Gotta keep you on your toes; when I wrote that last eve I thought it might elicit a response from you

 

[sorseress]

strikes back!

 

[fluffysquid]

hey Wayfarer, so where are you going to college? What does your particular college offer in the way of majors? I spent a good while in Marine Biology, then I switched to a more multi-discipline Marine Sciences, though I do have a minor in Marine Biology.

I entered college with a dream to work with cephalopods just like you and found out I happened to be in the same town as the National Resource Center for Cephalopods. Been workin there dancing with the cuttlefish (and octopus, squid, nautilus) ever since.