Marine Biologist

I had a very interesting conversation with a university biology professor on career day. Instead of telling me about his career as a professor, he told me about different occupations in the field of biology. He mentioned a lot of potential career options, but the ones I wrote down include botany (the study of plants), microbiology (the study of microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses), zoology (the study of animals) and marine biology (the study of marine life). All of these fields interest me, but I am truly fascinated by the ocean and the animals that live there.

I picture myself going down deep into the water in a little submarine, collecting specimens from the ocean floor. I see amazing creatures that are only seen in nature shows. I may even discover a new species that has never been seen before. I then imagine myself in a white lab coat examining the specimens I collected. Wait, what do I do now? I’m not sure I like the idea of poking and prodding at live animals I have removed from their habitat.

Maybe I would be better off studying life on the coral reefs. I imagine myself in Australia, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. I gracefully float along the reef, collecting data about the colorful coral and the beautiful fish that I observe there. That's more like it!

I begin my research online, looking up the different kinds of marine life I may encounter on the Great Barrier Reef. I am so excited about all of the amazing creatures that I see, until I get to the Great White Shark, sea snakes, jellyfish, lionfish, and cone snails. Yes, I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to predatory, stinging and venomous animals.

Maybe botany would be a better option. I wonder if I would have to work with poison ivy or stinging nettle?