Help what profesion to choose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bouke]

I have a problem i am in love with computer animation and marine aquarium/Marine Biology. I just can't decide what i whant to base my life around i was sure i was going to buy a tank but now am debating wether to buy a new computer or a new tank. Are there many fields in Marine Biology and if so what are some good colleges and what are some of the fields.

Any advice at this moment would be much apreciated thanks a lot.

 

[RockyHeap]

So do both..........!

You're not going to make a ton of money as a Marine Biologist (don't shoot me I could be wrong) But unless you're getting a big government grant to study a species, or work for an institution, ? I don't see a whole ton of "Marine Biologist" help wanted ads in the papers.

that said, your love of computers can also open doors for you as you travel the worlds studying the one eyed flying monk fish.....develop websites and animations freelance to help pay the bills......you can work from a computer from anywhere, joys of the internet.

Amazing what a google search can do too: Happy Reading!!!

http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/guide/career.html

http://swfsc.nmfs.noaa.gov/publications/careers.htm

http://www.unixl.com/dir/physical_sciences/marine_biology/

 

[Bouke]

Thanks that helps a lot

 

[spongebob lover]

I agree with Rocky dood.
If i was you, i'd put myself into computers, I have an uncle who graduated as a marine biologist in Mexico and trust me.... they don't pay him that good.
You can find many jobs computer related and you can make decent money .... AND IF after you're done and have a decent job... you can always go back to school and study Marine Biologist..... hey if my in laws are doing it... why not you .

 

[Sk8r]

Follow your passion---and make enough money to afford to do the other one, whichever it needs to be. Above all, study everything: let me digress one small point.

A friend of mine after WWII got a chance to go to Italy, and spent time going to various Roman ruins, but refused to visit the cathedrals: had no interest---at the time. Decades later, when we traveled together, my friend made a special point of visiting all of them. Changed point of view. Very changed, and a lot of regret for missed chances. I wasn't that interested at the time...but on that example, and after that story---I visited cathedrals. And now I'm glad I did.

Never refuse to learn anything that falls across your path. You just never know. Life is long, and the modern world changes so fast you absolutely can't predict where any job is going to take a turn to something you never expected.

 

[Reefdaddy1]

Shoot or Do what people like us do, Start a buisness around coral industry on the computer. Its fun a descent living, and you get all your supplies at real good price I was the Director of Recruiting Operations for IBM server farm in RTP in Raleigh for 3 years. Was good Pay but not very satisfying to me. I prefer to own a LFS. After retirement from the Army , its a real Peaceful profession, Cant beat it, And you meet some great people in this line of Work.

 

[Slickdonkey]

Whatever you do, don't get a desk job. Maybe it's just me but I think my life is rotting away under flourescent lighting.

 

[charlyclown]

First follow your dreams, then follow money. If you don't, you will be sorry later. I studied physics and astronomy first and did some research there, that was my passion and I enjoyed it. But, it's no life jumping from one two-year contract to another. You get old, have a family and kids and bills need to be paid. So, I moved on and followed the money. Now, I am a pharmacist, it is alright, and it pays well and no need to worry about money. I am glad I followed my dreams first. So should you. I know people who studied marine biology and became pharmacists, or physicians later on in life. You decide.

 

[wrightme43]

Try this, it may help. Sit down, and think about what you would do for just absolutely free, all day long, and be happy at it.
Figure out how that can make you money.
My way of thinking about business, is to find something nobody else wants to do, that I have fun doing, and do it better than people can do it themselves.
It pays well.
I play with fish all day, take usually two days off a week, to play with my neice, and make a nice living at it. I have worked hard at jobs that paid in a week, what I make in a day now. The topper is I am just playing with fish, its like all the people pay me, to come to thier house and take care of (my) fish. They even pay for the fish, and the corals, then I get to play with them. It rocks. I trade out frags from my tanks for frags from their tanks, so I get the coolest corals for nothing. Sometimes I want to roll around on the floor laughing.
Dont get me wrong, its scary, its risky, but heck so is checking the mail.

 

[Sparks]

PLEASE don't take this as me knocking marine biology.

But, I'd talk to people who have a degree in Marine Biology.
Because do you know what the best & most realistic job they're gonna have is?

Working at a Zoo/aquarium for crappy money.

(and you don't need a degree to work at one either, I have friends who either have a B.A., a masters or a doctorate in marine biology, and when they apply for positions at zoos, they're competing with people who don't even have an AA)

Unless you plan on being the next Jacques Cousteau, I would never choose to spend 100k+ educating myself in something that doesn't really have any fun jobs with decent pay.

I'd imagine you could make great sums of money with that kind of a degree, helping oil companies with off shore drilling or someone building hydroelectric dams or something, and they'd need an expert so they don't screw up the ecosystem. But that's probably not why anyone would choose marine biology(when i was 13, it was my dream too).

Computer animation wise, what do you mean? 3d like pixar and video games or just regular animation for cartoons?

if you go the 3d animation for games/movies I'll tell you, your job only lasts as long as the project(meaning max like 2 years). Even if you work for someone like pixar or EA, you get hired on as part of a team because with each game/movie thta's made, a producer is put in total charge of a project and since there is soo much stress riding on him, he hand picks people to work for him on this one project that either will make or break him. I don't know anyone making videogames longer than a 5 years stretch (I'm a programmer/designer myself).

If you want to start making cartoons, learn just 2 programs. Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Aftereffects.

This is how Aqua Teen Hunger Force is made. sure it's not the most elaborate animation, but dollar for dollar it is actually the most money-making show on t.v. (I couldn't believe when I read it)

It costs just 50k per episode to make... for all the voice actors, and time spent making it.
But the money it pulls in from advertising (the whole 10-midnight block of adult swim beats freaking Leno even for the 18-34 male demographic
& the inital month each dvd goes on sale, it is the number 1 sold tvshow dvd for that month)

2 guys make the entire thing, and if it weren't for them wanting to pay profesion voice people, they could do everything themselves.

 

[moortim]

There are jobs in both fields that pay good, you just have to find one. This basically means if you are willing to sacrifice and work harder than everyone else you will find what you are looking for.
Also, it isn't bad to get into something and then change directions. Just do it while you are young. I started out in electronics and now, several years later I am working on a mechanical engineering degree. I may be a bit behind many of my peers but now I know exactly what I want to do.
Good Luck!!
Sorry I don't have any school recommendations in those fields, I can't see beyond engineering right now..................

 

[Llarian]

Boy, you sure picked a couple field's that're hard to find jobs in!

The halcyon days of us computer folk making tons of money right out of the gate are over (and were rare for you animation types anyways), and marine bio is a very very limited field.

So really, it comes down to, resign yourself to putting a TON of work into whichever you pick to succeed, and then GO FOR IT! Seriously, that's the best thing to do. The money will come with effort, at least in some amount.

-Dylan

 

[Skimmy]

work for yourself, don't sell your abilities to someone else for less.
i do the same thing as wrightme43, design, install and maintain reef aquaria, i still have a part time day job, but i am working for the goal of having my own shop and i took on a job to augment my finnancial plans, i dont mind as much because it's helping pay for my future store. like other people have said, just figure out what you love doing and do it, if your young, than screw the money, you got your whole life ahead of you for making big and oweing big money. life truely is too short to fill it with meaningless dribble that someone else wants to pay you to do.

 

[Krish]

My way of thinking is what's the point in working, if you aren't going to enjoy what you are doing. The majority of your day will be spent either at work or asleep at night (unless you have insomnia) I got into auto sound and security becaue I loved it. I started out about 10 years ago not making a whole lot, but I enjoyed what I was doing, now I make great money and still kinda enjoy it. Not as much as I use to, but still enjoyable...No point in working your butt off for tons of money you can never enjoy because you work 7 days a week. I say, do what you think you will be most happy and comfortable doing and also, that will make you a good living. In relation to computers and marine biology, that is something you will have to decide upon as to what will work out best for you as a person. I wish you all the best

 

[spongebob lover]

I started out about 10 years ago not making a whole lot, but I enjoyed what I was doing, now I make great money and still kinda enjoy it. Not as much as I use to, but still enjoyable

LMBO!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[Sparks]

The majority of your day will be spent either at work or asleep at night (unless you have insomnia)

that's why you shuold always make sure to spend your money on 2 things:
A nice bed and nice shoes, because if you're not in one, you'll be in the other.

Seriously if you can get a profession that allows you to:
retire before 65
drive a car that doesn't break down
& buy a house in a peaceful neighborhood (which, depending on what city you live in, can be very hard)

then you're good.

 

[Bouke]

Thanks a lot everyone you help me out every thread i am in You guys make me proud to be a reef frontiers member

Thanks again

 

[alison]

I'm facing somewhat of the same dilemma. I'm getting payed well as a journalist fresh out of high school, but I want to pursue a marine career... so i plan to combine. My dream job--- National Geographic.