September has come any many of are starting working and school again, looking maybe for new opportunities. This article is the youngest dreaming to work one day into sharks field. I would like to share some pieces of advice that have been pretty useful to get closer to my dream career. Also, in this article, I will have a special guest, Ally, a zoologist that carries expeditions in South Africa with great white sharks and other species, where students can take part into internships and gain a massive experience on the field with the best researchers.
Let's see some tips to get closer to the job of your dreams:
#1 PASSION. It may sound obvious, but passion is essential if you want to work with sharks, cause, let's say it straight, this field has very few places to offer to new, inexperienced people, so if studying sharks it's just an idea that came up into your mind after watching the Shark Week, maybe think it twice. Working with Sharks will require a positive attitude, cause some days may be very long, and physicals.
#2 KNOWLEDGE. Whether you are a biology student, an aspiring wildlife photographer or pro scuba diver, knowledge about biology, physiology and behaviour of sharks will be extremely necessary and also pretty useful to prove that you are the good person to be part of the team of sharks professionals. Start by watching documentaries, here the Shark Week can be a valid help :), read books, find out news about attacks and sightings, but most importantly, start doing your own research and readings through scientific articles, you can find a lot for free by taping on Google Scholar the keywords ( e.g. "Shark tonic immobility") or you can find out on Research Gate many articles and many profiles of researchers.
#3 CONTACTS. Find out researchers working on the shark topic you like. When reading scientific articles, you have all the names of the authors, and in some cases even their mail! Dig on the internet to find the laboratories the researcher is working for, you will easily find the academic email address. Write to them! despite many researchers might be very busy, there are plenty of them willing to help and giving advice.... and maybe looking for interns :)
#4 INNOVATE! Innovation is a must. When looking to enter into the shark field, a good way is to innovate and create something on your own. For example an Instagram page with facts about sharks, conferences in your town about shark conservation, a YouTube Channel, podcast or a blog. All these tools can be useful to create a network, learn more about sharks and bring into opportunities.
#5 ACADEMIC WAY. Of course, taking a BSc. and/or an MSc. in biology can be very useful for you to get closer to this field, and it is maybe the "easiest" one to take, but you should consider that it gonna takes a lot of years of hard studying, so a good motivation is highly recommended to that.
#6 DECKHAND on cage diving boats. If you don't want to pursue an academic path but willing to work with sharks, one of the solutions could be offering yourself as a deckhand, showing that you are ready to do whatever it takes to work with sharks by helping with whatever is needed, will increase your chances to get hired.
#7 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER/ VIDEOMAKER Here's another way to get closer to sharks, it is possible to start a career as a freelance documentarist. In this case, though you will also need a solid knowledge of sharks behaviour and biology as well as good diving experience.
#8 TAKE PART INTO INTERNSHIPS!! There are many opportunities designed for people willing to learn and gain experience at sea/ lab. This kind of internship give multiple opportunities: learning from practical activities, creating networks with researchers and organisers and in some cases also get some credits for university.
I had the chance to had a chat with Ally, from Adventure Ally ltd, who coordinates internships for students that are looking for practical experience:
What is your background (scientist, photographer…) and what is the thing that made you want to work with sharks?
I'm a Zoologist, been fascinated by sharks for as long as I can remember.
What is your activity and how long have you been working with sharks?
I coordinate scientific research and postgraduate studies.
What piece of advice would you give to a person willing to work in sharks’ conservation?
EXPERIENCE! do anything you can to get experience, volunteer, interning etc even if it means paying (I did).
What are the most incredible things about sharks you could see in South Africa?Great Whites breaching.
Do you see a decrease in sightings of sharks during your expeditions? Are there species that have remarkably changed (decreased or increased or became more aggressive/shy) since you start working with sharks?
A lot less Great Whites! They don't follow the original seasonal movements.
What do you like most about your job?
I like Being with Sharks
These are some of the activities you can do to get into this area of work, of course, your knowledge, perseverance, motivation and abilities will be great allies while searching for gaining experience into shark research.
Also if you would like to start gaining experience with sharks in South Africa, I suggest checking Ally's website by clicking here.