The hours can be long and irregular. An example is a recent 24-day oceanographic cruise which sailed from Panama to look at the relationship of the cycling of carbon and trace metals and biological productivity in the upper ocean. It included two equator crossings and an excursion to the Galapagos Islands. Plankton and chemical samples were collected at four stations. Six oceanographers will work at least nine months on the data processing, chemical analysis, and publication preparation to produce the final results.
Career opportunities are open to both women and men.
Eighty-six percent of our recent graduates are employed in oceanography or related fields, or are pursuing graduate studies. As most oceanographers are employed in the public sector, pay scales reflect current compensation rates for scientists. Oceanographers often travel around the world as part of their research or its dissemination. They express a high degree of job satisfaction.