Hello everyone,
I am currently planning a total career change from being a computer programmer with a diving and u/w photo hobby to work in marine sciences and conservation. Those in that particular field, please read on - you may be able to give me some advice.
Over the years I got the impression that beyond volunteering with eco-tourism organisations like Coral Cay (I did that as dive instructor) some higher education would be required to be able to as a marine biologist or oceanographer.
I therefore started to work on an application for a BSc in Marine Biology and Oceanography at the University of Plymouth, UK. I've already been in touch with them, but with mixed results. Yes, they would accept my qualifications as prerequisites, but No they couldn't give any detailed information about the chances of sidestepping a BSc course. I already have a degree (in Computer Science, also in the UK) and starting all over with a bachelor is possibly not the best use of my time (I'm in my thirties now).
Hopefully someone here can give me clearer idea on possible career paths. My goal is work in marine conservation by a combination of field work (such as diving, mapping, surveying), lab work (analysing samples) and scientific desk work (writing up results and studies) while making the best use of my 10 years experience in computing.
Would it be possible to use my Computing BSc as prerequisite for a relevant MSc course ?
Could I initially work at a scientific institution as a computer programmer and gain entry into the scientific field "along the sidelines" ?
Do you know anyone at such institutions I could talk to (by email/phone) ?
I have already prepared my "personal statement" for my application and would be glad to send it to anyone who wants to offer assistance.
Thanks for listening.
