10 Things I Love About Being a Marine Biologist

As promised, here is my response to the post of Alvin on 101 Things I Wished I Knew Before MedSchool...and this one is dedicated to all my students who are not entirely sure med school is for them...



1.While your batchmates are in medschool, getting 4 hours of sleep daily from too much studying your Wednesday sched at  at grad school in Dumaguete  is  11 am-wake up and have lunch; 2 -7 pm - class, library session, class again;  8 pm- dinner;  10 pm-3 am --Hayahay for reggae wednesday!  5am: wait for the sunrise at the boulevard, and then crawl back to your place, you have class at 4 pm on Thursdays.....

2. On your 2nd batch Christmas party/reunion, you will be the only one with substantial amount of melanin from days out in the sun and the beach, while your classmates can give Kristin Stewart a run for her money on who is paler from lack of sun exposure.

3. While your batchmates are learning to dissect human cadavers, you will probably dissect sharks, fishes, and maybe dolphins. Shark in formalin is very bad and the smell will stay with you--but at least you get to do the dissection in a laboratory with a great view of the sea. And then you can always take a dip in the sea when you are done. :)

4. You will get paid to dive (to survey fish, corals, etc.) AND travel. Doing this while you are young and energetic and penniless, such as in grad school, is perfect, because it will get harder and harder as time goes by.

5.You will be assigned to do work in far off islands and exotic places that you never even knew existed on the map. By the time you are done with grad school you will be a seasoned traveler already and will have many nanays and tatays in several islands and cities all over the Philippines. If you are really lucky, you might be sent off to attend international conferences, all expenses paid.

6.  You will be your own boss when you are doing your thesis. Of course, you have deadlines, but you do your thesis on your own terms, in your own pace. The writing part will take the better part of a year, but if it gets too much, then you can always go on that small mini vacation anywhere you want to. And once field work is over, you can write your thesis anywhere--even in your pajamas! :)

7.Your office during summer time will be a small hut cooled by the ocean breeze, and the view out of the window is a white sand beach,with a boat moored in front, waiting for you to don on your diving gear and dive.

8. You wiill become good friends with Statistics and Research.  Your doctor friends will ask you to help them with their medical research later on. Then you can charge them for being their "Research Consultant" :)

9. Having an MS degree gives you the freedom to pursue many different careers-you can teach, you can work for the government, work for an NGO, or become a consultant.  Some moonlight as dive instructors, underwater photographers, or work with aquariums. Because there is not so many of you, the jobs come looking for you, and not the other way around.

10.You may decide to proceed to your PhD later, so you can still be called Doctor, if the title really means that much to you. Just be sure to tell people ahead of time you are a fish doctor, so they don't ask you to prescribed medicine to them.

Jerome back from a hard day's work in Danjugan... its five thirsty! :)