It is that time of year when final year students are coming to see me to discuss what should be the next step in their oceanographic careers. Some have plans for, and even jobs lined up in, the marine industry. Some always wanted to become accountants—they will be back in a couple of years, once boredom sets in. Many will be asking, “Should I do a PhD?” Of my five MOcean¹ tutees, four are planning this as their next stage. One could argue that if they have to ask the question, then it is probably not the best pathway for them—but it is actually a very valid query. When I started year one in my bachelor’s at university, I genuinely had no idea that postgraduate degrees were a natural progression—I naively assumed that my degree was the pinnacle of the education system. I quickly learned otherwise and had always wanted to do oceanographic research (blame Cousteau), so I went on to earn a PhD.

Boxall, S. 2019. Dr. No (or Yes?). Oceanography 32(1):237–238, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.106.

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