William G. Ellis, Jr.
Assistant Professor, Maine Maritime Academy

Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) is a small coastal college in Castine, Maine with a history of educating merchant marines. In 1990, MMA began offering a bachelor's degree in Ocean Studies. I was hired in 1996 as the most recent addition to the Corning School of Ocean Studies. I have taught Chemical Principles, Organic Chemistry, Marine Geochemistry, Chemical Distributions and Tracers in the Ocean, and Physical Oceanography.
     When I was a student at GSO, I developed a great respect for my professors and their ability to conduct cutting-edge research which they combined with a talent for passing information on to graduate students. I was torn between whether to do more research and less teaching or more teaching and less research. I kept my options open by completing two postdoctoral appointments; one at the University of Maryland in the Department of Meteorology as a Research Associate, and a second back at GSO. My career path can be viewed as the product of two main driving forces; my interest in science and teaching, and timing. At the time I graduated, the competition for research grant money was very intense (and still is). This, combined with my interest in teaching, led to my decision to work at an institution where teaching undergraduates was the main focus and conducting publishable research was secondary.
     My advice is to be aware of the diversity of roles for oceanographers today. If you are an oceanography graduate student, in an environment of very intense research, don't forget that there is a vast pool of jobs that will not only utilize but welcome what you have learned in pursuit of a master's or doctoral degree. I was recently at a meeting of the New England Board of Higher Education where 60 undergraduates involved in environmental internships described their experiences. I was amazed at the diversity of environmentally related jobs. Many of these internships were related to oceanography and included marine policy, coastal pollution, aquaculture, and herring population studies.
     More importantly, I really like my job. When I walk into my office every morning, I am excited about teaching undergraduates chemistry and oceanography at a time when all of society should have some interest in, and an understanding of, our environment. At a small college, I have also been able to get involved in areas outside of academics like coaching the club hockey team, and I get to work with students on a one-on-one basis by helping them with summer internships, jobs after they graduate, and advice about graduate school. So, as a final piece of advice to students interested in marine careers: Think about what interested you about oceanography in the first place, and find a job that reinforces that interest.