Oceanographers are generally very creative and innovative people who embrace challenging problems and address complex issues impacting our society today and in the future. Your life as an oceanographer is really variable, and you could work in a lot of different settings. For example, you may be in a small boat along the coastline for a day, in a laboratory setting over several days, or on a research vessel near Antarctica for several months. You may be on the water, in the water, under the water, or studying the areas along the shoreline. In the laboratory oceanographers process data, perform library research, prepare graphs and tables, and write about their results.
Oceanographers also present their research at scientific meetings and in scientific journals.
Beginning oceanographers with a B.S. degree work as research or laboratory assistants, performing routine data collection, computation, and analysis. Experienced oceanographers direct surveys and research programs or advance to administrative or supervisory positions in research labs. In fact, you may spend long hours on a project or be on a research cruise for months at a time. You must be flexible. Being an oceanographer is a great career.