1. What University did you attend?

a. I attended The University of North Carolina at Wilmington

2. What was your major and degree?
a. I Majored in Marine Biology so my degree is a Bachelor of Science
3. Could you describe one of your typical work days for me?
a. My day started early, I like to be at work around 6:30 am. When I first
get there I do a walkthrough of the entire aquarium to make sure no
systems have malfunctioned overnight. Once that is complete and any
issues have been attended to I begin feeding the exhibits and holding
tanks. Right now we have quite a few animals that require hand
feeding, including cuttlefish, Nautilus, and Black Ribbon Eels. After
them I feed the general aquarium. Once the aquarium is fed I move to
the other exhibit I am in charge of, Fantastic Frogs. This exhibit
required misting daily and if fed very Monday, Wed, Friday. After all the
animals have been fed I begin water changes. We have a schedule that
we follow every week so that every tank, both exhibit and back of
house, gets a 25% water change. After water changes are finished it is
usually time to close down for the day. The cuttlefish, and eels are fed
twice a day. And we do a feed of the exhibit tanks for the public. All of
this is followed by a closing walk through of the aquarium to make sure
everything is functioning well before we leave for the night.
4. What skill are required for your position and a day-to-day basis?
a. Daily I am required to juggle more than one task at a time so
multitasking is a must. I also must pay great attention to detail.
Physically I am on my feet 8-9 hours a day and have to lift varying
weights of objects including but not limited to 80lb boxes of salt, used
to make our salt water.
5. What part of your job do you find most challenging?
a. Honestly the most challenging part of the job is doing a job you are
bound to fail at. My job is to keep animals alive and everything dies.
6. What do you find most enjoyable?
a. The most enjoyable part of my job is getting to work with all kind of
exotic animals. I work with everything from Black ribbon eels, snakes,
green iguanas, octopus, and much more.
7. Are there any negatives to your job?
a. The negative part is developing a connection with an animal and then
having to watch its life run its course.
8. How many hours do you work in a typical week?
a. I am a salary employee, which means I make a flat rate of pay no
matter how many hours I am at work. On the other hand there are
hourly employees as well who get paid for every hour they are at work.
We try to work 40 hours a week but sometimes circumstances come up
that require us to be there longer.
9. Is your field growing, as well and marine biology, enough that there is room
for someone like me?
a. I believe there are so many opportunities in the marine science field
that there is always room. That being said the aquarium Aquarist is a

tight field to get into, due to the limited number of aquariums in the
nation.
10.Are there opportunities for self-employment in your field? Where?
a. The marine Biology field is not the kind of field that you would seek
self-employment in. The biggest reason for this is the shear expense of
running an aquarium.
11.What would be a reasonable salary range to expect?
a. The starting salary for an entry aquarist is in the 20-30 thousand
range.
12.Hat is the long term potential?
a. The potential, as with most jobs, depends on the venue you are
employed at. In the perfect situation you would begin as an entry
aquarist and rise through the ranks to eventually run the aquarium.
13.What is the advancement potential?
a. This too is dependent on the organization you are employment with
and youre potential as well. You have to prove yourself and work hard
to move up with any job.
14.What is a typical path?
a. The typical path for an aquarist is entry level aquarist 1, then aquarist
2, Coordinator, Director.
15.How did you get your job?
a. I applied for a temporary position at Discovery Place, and was hired, I
worked very hard and proved myself during the 6 months I was there
and when my time was up my boss kept me on as a permanent
member of his staff. At that point I was an Aquarist one. I continued to
work hard and prove myself and was promoted to an Aquarist 2.
16.If you could start all over would change your career path in any way? Why?
a. If there was anything I would change it would be when I was in college.
I would try to be more involved in the extracurricular events, clubs,
activities that dealt with aquatics.
17.What educational preparation would you recommend for someone who wants
to get into this field?
a. I would strongly suggest an internship or volunteering at an aquarium.
The more you learn after your degree the better you are going to look
to a potential employer.
18.What qualifications do you seek in a potential employee?
a. When looking for a new hire we like to see energetic individuals willing
to learn. We like to see some sort of experience in an aquarium, a
degree in science, someone with a good work ethic.
19.How do most people enter this profession?
a. Most people are hired into a full time or part time position from a
volunteer. Employers watch their volunteer and can tell the work ethic
of a person during the time they are volunteering not only that but
volunteers are used to the aquarium and the responsibilities and can
make an easy transition into the staff position.
20.Can you recommend any courses I should take?
a. I think this depends on the path you are looking to take. Courses that
focus on your interests are the best path to take. I personally took a

range of different classes because I didnt want to restrict myself to a

specific genera. These included marine mammals, invertebrate
zoology, chemistry, biology, animal phycology, to name a few.
21.Is there anything else you think I need to know?
a. The biggest thing I can express to you is to get your degree and then
get experience. Personally I believe the hands on experience is the
most valuable. Being in the environment working with the animals and
equipment is the best way to learn.

22.