Education · 1 of 5

The path

A bachelor's degree gets you seasonal work. A master's degree is what usually turns seasonal work into a job with health insurance.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Biology, chemistry, physics and statistics. Volunteer at an aquarium, a hatchery or a beach cleanup, and learn to swim well.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Marine biology, biology or ecology. Take statistics and a coding course even though nobody tells you to. Get on a boat every summer you can.

3. 3

   Technician seasons

   1 to 3 years

   Two or three field or lab contracts. This is the real entry exam, and it is how you meet the people who later hire you.

4. 4

   Master's degree

   2 to 3 years

   Two to three years on one specific question, usually funded by teaching. The normal price of a permanent research or agency job.

5. 5

   Doctorate, only if you want to run research

   5 to 6 years

   Needed to lead your own lab or teach at a university. Funded with a stipend, and the job market at the end is tight.