Getting Started - Aquaculture Student

As of 2025, Tommy has just graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor's degree in Biology (Marine Biology and Ecology option) and is now in his first term at Oregon Coast Community College. He enjoys the hands-on experiences given to him by his aquarium science certification courses. In the short term, he hopes to obtain his Master's Degree in Aquaculture, specifically in genomics and animal husbandry. Long-term, he hopes to work in the industry as a farm technician or researcher and eventually own his own farm.

Tommy mentioned that when he was growing up, both of his parents were in academia, so he had plenty of opportunities to experience field work. This allowed him to fall in love with the outdoors and ignited his passion for nature. His mother was part of an aquaculture extension education program, which allowed him to “get his feet wet” and experience the world of aquaculture through the conferences he attended with her. He mentioned that aquaculture is becoming an increasingly prominent research focus.

The main transferable skill that Tommy mentioned has been helpful to him throughout his education, and as he applies for jobs and masters' programs, is "people skills". Knowing how to communicate clearly, efficiently, and relate to people has allowed him to come in contact with a variety of exciting opportunities. He also mentioned that experiencing a mixture of field work and lab work to determine where your strengths, weaknesses, and passions lie is important. The hands-on experiences that you gain throughout biology classes and chemistry classes can be a great starting point, as well as allow students to gain experience with more technical skills, such as pipetting, gel electrophoresis, and even genomic structuring. Similarly, experiences in statistical software, such as R Studio, can set you apart as an applicant. Lastly, any experience that gets you out in the field, such as boating, trapping, animal husbandry, and/or handling, will prepare you for future experiences. 

Similar to the last question, Tommy highlighted that experiencing field work is invaluable. These experiences included BI 450, Marine Biology and Ecology, at Hatfield Marine Science Center and the research project he completed there. In addition, he mentioned working with the Small Boat Program to see how a professional academic unit runs, and the hands-on experiences studying at Oregon Coast Community College. All of these brought him in touch with the field of aquaculture.

Whether you have been interested in aquaculture for 7 years, 2 years, or a couple of months, Tommy emphasized the importance of showing that this field is your passion (and that doesn’t just go for aquaculture). You may not have the specific field work experience, but showing genuine interest and a willingness to apply the transferable skills you have shows employers that you would be willing to learn the more technical skills you may not know yet.

Tommy wishes he had worked in a research lab and been exposed to more diverse experiences and potential career paths. He wishes he had utilized his professors' office hours or visited them after class to ask about potential openings in their labs. Even just volunteering for a couple of hours a week will provide you with invaluable experience that you can mention in your resume, in internship applications, etc. 

Tommy immediately mentioned that rejection and denial “come with the territory,” and the hardest part has been finding job opportunities. Rather than seeing these opportunities featured prominently on job boards, career fairs, or listservs, Tommy found most aquaculture experiences required you to do some digging. Putting himself out there and mentioning to professors what his interests are has required practice, including walking up to them at conferences and cold emailing for opportunities.  

Continuing off his answer to the question above, he mentioned that networking as an undergrad is something students should take advantage of. Talking to a professor after class can have a cascading effect. They themselves might not be able to take on any undergrad or don’t have the opportunities you are looking for, but they could connect you to people who do. Tommy also mentioned the value of job fairs and their ability to connect you to your chosen field.

Tommy mentioned that failure and figuring out what you don’t want to do are more important than figuring out what you do want to do. Oftentimes, students feel pressure to have every aspect of their career path figured out. However, sometimes it is more useful to know what you do NOT like to do rather than what you do, as this allows you to eliminate choices from the vast amount of career possibilities before you. As mentioned before, taking advantage of the opportunities that are available as a student, such as networking, talking to graduate students, and other peers, will be invaluable.