Resources
Through years of trial and error, I hope to pay forward my years of troubleshooting and job searching by collating these resources below:
1) General career advice
2) Job Boards
3) Funding Opportunities
1) General career advice
2) Job Boards
3) Funding Opportunities
1) General career advice
1. Get as many experiences as you can. They are tools that build your repertoire of skills over time, equipping you for your chosen field.
2. Crossing things off your list of possible careers is just as important as finding things you like, and WANT to pursue.
3. Find and maintain good mentorships
4. Networking is the best way to get a job.
5. Put yourself out there, be persistent and be yourself!
- Say ‘yes’ to everything that interests you. You never know when experiences or skills you've learned will be helpful in the long run.
2. Crossing things off your list of possible careers is just as important as finding things you like, and WANT to pursue.
- Knowing what you DO NOT want to pursue helps you identify your strengths, passions, and will aide in narrowing down your career interests.
3. Find and maintain good mentorships
- These can act as references in the future; they also can guide you through tough experiences.
- Keep in contact with your references (update them on your job search, your research goals, career interests, etc.)
4. Networking is the best way to get a job.
- Go to places (conferences, job fairs, volunteer opportunities, community open houses, etc.) where you would meet professionals in your field. Introduce yourself, and don’t be afraid of talking about your job search.
5. Put yourself out there, be persistent and be yourself!
- Don’t be afraid of cold emailing, introducing yourself to strangers, advertising your expertise, and relying on your community. Keep being yourself and trusting your journey! Everyone's career journey is NOT THE SAME, and some take more time than others to find your passion and/or dream job!
2) Job Boards
General job boards
Specialized Job Boards:
NOAA links and Contracting Job Boards:
Very helpful website:
- Federal job listings (USAjobs.gov)
- Schmidt Marine Science Job board- job board
- Conservation job board- job board
- Marine Bio Job board- job board
- Open Ocean job board- job board
- The Society for Marine Mammalology - job board
- Texas A&M - job board
- The Wildlife Society - job board
Specialized Job Boards:
- SC Aquarium - Charleston, SC - job board
- NC Aquariums - job board
- NC DMF - job board
NOAA links and Contracting Job Boards:
- NOAA Fellowships - list of NOAA fellowships (NOAA Hollings, EPP, NMFS/Sea Grant, etc.)
- NOAA Jobs - 'Work with us' - NOAA
- CSS - Job board of a contracting company to NOAA
- Lynker - Job board of a contracting company to NOAA
- Univ. of Miami, CIMAS - Job board of a contracting entity to NOAA (where I worked previously)
- Univ. of Miami, AOML - Job board of a contracting entity to NOAA
- Ocean Surveys Inc. - Job board of a contracting company to NOAA
- NV5 - Job board of a contracting company to NOAA
Very helpful website:
3) Funding opportunities
- NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program - undergraduate fellowship
- I was a 2015-2017 NOAA Hollings Scholar. This scholarship program opened the door for me to continue working at the NOAA Beaufort Lab (where I performed my Hollings internship) after my M.S. degree between 2018 - 2023.
- NMFS / Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship - graduate fellowship
- PADI Foundation - graduate funding opportunity
- Graduate Women in Sciences - national fellowship
- Marine Technology Society - undergraduate and graduate scholarships
- I received ~ $3,000 in scholarships from MTS during my bachelor's degree at U of SC.
- Sea Grant Fellowship Opportunities
- NSF / NASA / NOAA Funding Opportunities
- Marine Mammal Commission Funding Opportunity
- Society for Conservation Biology
- Pathways to Science - Internships, service, funding, and job opportunities
- Save our Seas - funding opportunities