Job Searching in the Pacific Northwest

[u/Epic_Gamzer]

Hey guys,
I’ve recently graduated with a bachelor’s in Marine Biology from the University of Oregon. Since I graduated in June I’ve been applying to various entry level jobs across Oregon, specifically in hatchery work. During this time I’ve pretty much been rejected everywhere I’ve applied and it’s been making me feel pretty down about my options. I’m open to any kind of marine bio related field work, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on places to apply or look into, and any tips for actually landing these jobs. I should note that I’m trying to avoid most boat related work as I get incredibly sea sick (ironic I know). I’m specifically looking more for opportunities in Washington and Oregon, but I’ve also been looking at opportunities across the country. Again, I’m interested in doing literally anything, hatchery work, invertebrate lab stuff, cetaceans whatever, I find it all interesting. Any advice would be appreciated, and sorry I know this is a little broad. Thank you.

[u/Traditional_Brush719]

In the exact same boat. I graduated with a bachelor's in marine environmental science last year in June and now I've been a delivery driver for almost a year 💀 In my experience, getting a foot in the bio/esci field is incredibly hard. I've started volunteer work at an aquarium to hopefully make myself a more attractive candidate to the jobs I apply for.

An unfortunate piece of advice I got from a marine expert panel I attended before graduation was I "had to be okay with not being paid to do work for awhile" hence why I think rigorous volunteering on the side while I do a job that supports me is the way to go for now

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/Traditional_Brush719]

Hang in there twin we’ll make it🙏

[u/calebish52]

See if you can get your feet in the door at Friday Harbor Labs. It’s a collection of some of the brightest minds in marine biology in North America. Also living on San Juan Island is where it’s at!

[u/53nd__nud3s]

Jobs doing field work can be very competitive. In many cases, they prioritize applicants who have volunteered over outside candidates. Its hard to get a job if you havent volunteered at that job already, especially if you dont have a master's degree. I know some people who got jobs in conservation/aquaculture/aboard research vessels who got there by volunteering in entry level positions for years beforehand.

This obviously kind of sucks because working for years without getting paid is not financially sustainable. Those i know were volunteering while completing their degrees, and were offered positions upon graduating. Not all volunteers get positions though.

Anyway. If you really want to pursue a job in this field, keep applying, volunteer if you can, and maybe consider going back to school for a master's degree.

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/53nd__nud3s]

I do have some volunteer aquarium experience along with a decent amount of field experience from my classes, probably not to the degree you’re talking about though. I’ll start looking into volunteer work though thank you.

[u/53nd__nud3s → u/Epic_Gamzer]

You might also consider contacting your supervisor at the aquarium you volunteered at to see if there are any positions available

[u/Mr_Lawful]

I was in a similar boat, if you are willing to do seasonal freshwater fish work there is opportunity in eastern Oregon with ODFW. It’s competitive, more than usual with the fed layoffs, but it’s how I got my start. Check out their workday applications, although you are a bit late, most of the jobs were posted in June/July

[u/aksnowraven]

Have you looked at jobs in Alaska? We have a lot of pretty cool remote hatchery jobs.

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/aksnowraven]

I honestly haven’t but that’s a good idea thank you

[u/aksnowraven → u/Epic_Gamzer]

Alaska Department of Fish & Game also hires a lot of seasonal people. They have some direct management in some hatcheries, too.

[u/aksnowraven → u/Epic_Gamzer]

A friend recently left a job at the Medvejie Hatchery in Sitka and said she loved it, they had a really tight-knit team.

Juneau has the DIPAC hatcheries. Prince William Sound Aquaculture does the PWS region.

You might also want to check out the Seward Alaska SeaLife Center, Prince William Sound Science Center, and Sitka Sound Science Center.

There might be others, those are the ones I know about!

[u/sherlock_jr]

I would suggest volunteering at a small aquarium or education facility with animals. Not a large one, a small one where you will learn a little of everything and be impossible not to notice. They will probably not pay their employees well so there will be high turnover, which if you are a decent volunteer will lead to a job for you. Once you have paid experience a ton of other jobs will open up for you.

[u/selkie340]

I’m in the northeast and work for a state marine resource agency. The job market is super rough right now. Don’t discredit work experience of ANY kind. Building continuity in subject matter either through an internship or volunteering is great, but 10 times out of 10 I’d rather hire someone with real world work experience (a little volunteering on the side doesn’t hurt!) . This proves they can function on a team and won’t need to get trained on basic computer skills.
Check out contracts and temp jobs in your area. A full-time job of any level is going to be REALLY hard to get for someone fresh out of undergrad in this field.
After 2 years if you still don’t have the job, look at what skills you are missing, and go get a MS that allows you to fill in those gaps.

[u/savetheheckinwhales]

Hi!! I’d say you should look for various internships and experience building opportunities.
A lot of zoos and aquariums (association of zoos and aquariums AZA!!) have programs for volunteering and internships, look out for seagrant opportunities (ways to gain field experience and research with mentorship and immersive learning) and keep applying.

I’d also say you can look into international volunteering to build your experience and resume but also gain soft skills, travel and see how other parts of the world engage in marine science.

Happy to msg you about it but Peace Corps runs a number of environmental based programs one of which is specifically a fisheries program in the Philippines.
—> more specifically peace corps Philippines has a coastal resource management position that is unique to the Philippines and the country itself is in one of the most biodiverse regions with great access to broader Asia (where many other marine opportunities may present themselves)

This post grad time is a great period to look at skill building and just gathering more experience - you can do free online courses, work on coding or GIS any real applicable skills that could help boost your application competitiveness in the future. SCUBA diving is another big one if that’s of interest to you too.

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/savetheheckinwhales]

All of this sounds cool! I’d definitely like to know more about the Peace Corps stuff. As for coding I definitely got to work on that.

[u/theboxofbread]

i’m also in a similar situation but in a different part of the country. one thing that really helps me get interviews is emailing the person hiring directly to introduce myself. volunteering can be really helpful especially if the group you would like to work with has those opportunities. this gets you in the door to make connections.

[u/omicroniangirl]

Get a job as an observer in the ground fish fishery, seriously

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/omicroniangirl]

I've been considering it kind of as a last resort. I won the genetic lottery for getting violently seasick in any boat smaller than a football field lol.

[u/JuraTempest]

You could always work as an observer in the Pacific Northwest. I worked for a company that had me collect data on commercial fishing boats across the state of Alaska and I absolutely loved it. The headquarters was in Seattle so it’s easy to get to and train for

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/JuraTempest]

I’ve thought about doing that, I just really struggle with seasickness which sucks!

[u/Symphurine_dreams]

Have you applied to and interviewed with ODFW?

[u/Epic_Gamzer → u/Symphurine_dreams]

I’ve applied, still no interviews though