Many of the careers listed offer personally and professionally rewarding opportunities. However, at this point many people need more information and some hands-on experience.
Reading can open a world of knowledge. Organizations in your field of interest offer excellent information. In addition, involvement activities such as an internship are a must. Some suggestions follow.
Visits
Aquaria, nature centers, marine sanctuaries, and maritime museums offer wonderful awareness and in some cases hands-on opportunities. Many of these institutions exist in our country, so that a visit is not too far for anyone. Maritime museums offer excellent possibilities for learning experiences. Likewise, many fine aquaria exist. For example, the New England Aquarium, located in Boston, provides excellent programs, including multimedia shows, observation of divers feeding fish, touch-and-see aquatic animals, dolphin and sea lion shows, a Sea Explorer post, and independent study. Most importantly, many aquaria have specialized programs and volunteer opportunities for young people. For example, the Vancouver Aquarium boasts a Youth Volunteer Team designed "to build future leaders in conservation and career skills"; consult the Youth Volunteer Lounge link on the aquarium's web page: www.vanaqua.org/volunteer/ volunteer.htm. Organizations such as Sea World offer similar activities specifically for young people. The San Antonio facility offers a Careers Camp for high school students. The week in length "this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity permits daily interaction with all aspects of marine life". They also offer an Advanced Career Camp. To participate in such programs, contact the Aquarium/Oceanarium’s Education Department. For additional opportunities, you may wish to check the web site of the National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML) at www.mbl.edu/html/ NAML/NAML.
School Programs
If you are a student, ask your teacher to plan marine and maritime studies field trips and encourage your school to integrate these topics into the curriculum. Look into all available marine and maritime courses and programs. Volunteer to aid in setting up the program. Approach faculty members and ask them to sponsor a marine science, SCUBA diving, or maritime careers club; or originate an NJROTC program. These experiences can be profitable for educators and students. You may take field trips, invite speakers, have discussions, and organize exhibits at the school and in the community. You may even get to take a virtual field trip on the web; the Jason Project hosts an excellent site at www.jasonproject.org.
Opportunities
Several businesses and schools regularly schedule cruises combining recreation and education for young people. Some of these are the Sea Education Association (SEA); Schooner, Inc.; the University of Hawaii's Blue Water Marine Laboratory; the Summer School at Sea of Texas A & M; the Institute for Shipboard Education (Semester at Sea); and Marine Sciences Under Sails.
These typical programs offer college credit and have objectives similar to SEA's Sea Semester, which is a rigorous academic, scientific, and practical experience leading to a thorough understanding of the sea. The Shipboard Education voyage resembles a luxury cruise in which students take courses and visit United States and foreign ports while enjoying life aboard ship. The college cruises vary in sophistication. Advanced high school students may participate in some programs.
Schooner, Inc., operating on the Long Island Sound, has conducted many fine experiences for teenagers from the greater New York City area. In a program focused on the environment, one student, John Leeds, from Choate/Rosemary Hall, discovered, "My God, the slime is really horrible." A classmate observed, "It's like people telling you all about the starving people in India; you really don't know until you see it."
The pre-collegiate cruises generally have an objective similar to one of Hawaii's programs: The primary purpose of the Blue Water Marine Laboratory Program is to increase the awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Hawaii's marine environment in the intermediate and secondary school population in the state, and to do so by offering unique seagoing experiences in ocean studies. Most of the learning activities involve students spending approximately four hours obtaining samples of water and aquatic species, experiencing life aboard ship, and investigating life along the shoreline.
If your college does not offer marine science courses, consider a summer program that does. The University of Hawaii (at Manoa) offers World Maritime History and Maritime Archaeology Techniques. Southampton College of Long Island University plans an excellent selection of courses: Underwater Photography, Marine Ecology, Traditional Maritime Culture, and others.
Think about becoming a student member of the National Marine Education Association; its publications frequently contain lists of summer opportunities in the marine sciences.
In addition to scanning the newspapers for commercial advertisements, you can find out more about learning experiences aboard ships by consulting Sea Grant educational advisors at colleges and universities offering this program.
A number of organizations offer boating/sailing training programs: The Chapman School of Seamanship in Stuart, Florida, schedules Summer Boating for Youth (ages eleven to seventeen); Boat Camp (ages thirteen to eighteen) in San Diego forms part of the Discover the Ocean, Inc., program; and Kid Ship (ages five to fifteen) is located at the Annapolis Sailing School.
See the following articles for more information:
- Find Your Calling: A Checklist
- 5 Ways To Build Your Career Outside of the Office
- How To Impress Your Interviewer When Making a Career Change
- 5 Tips For Successful Networking
