Reviewing Year 1 as a Young Jamaican Scientist
So this one is intended to be a little more of a personal post, not necessarily as data heavy or marine biology heavy as the others. This post is actually one I’ve been contemplating since starting up a blog. This one is designed to be a little “review” of what its been like to be a young Jamaican scientist, a year after graduating. This has been my experience, but hopefully its also something you can learn from. I suspect its also not limited to Jamaica.
A Little Context
So my graduation was November 2022, and this post is being written in December 2023. So its roughly been a year since I graduated from the University of the West Indies. My major was in Marine Biology with a minor in Economics. A good chunk of this degree took place during the Covid Pandemic, meaning a good chunk of courses were online, at least partially.
Overall
Honestly, Overall I’d say its been a fun ride. I chose the field because I was inspired and passionate about it. That hasn’t changed. I’m still a marine biologist because it gets me going. That said, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered switching to something more “mainstream”, even if just for a while. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still get those thoughts now. That being said, after a year, I think I have enough experience to share to those considering a similar path in Jamaica. My journey is still just starting, but you get an opinion from one who’s taken their first steps.
Brief Summary
So, Just to give a brief rundown of the last year. Since graduating, I’ve started work with a Start-up in my field. There’s other posts around the blog (see here) about stuff i’ve done with the company. The start-up is Kee Farms, a relatively young company aiming to combat climate change through regenerative ocean farming. The company is young as well, so it’s as much of a leaning curve for me as it is for them. I’ve learned more about how things are done than the technical marine biology here.
I’ve also done an internship with the Discovery Bay Marine Lab. This lab is located in St Ann, Jamaica. The lab has an internship program taking in two cycles of interns per year. Normally these include the recent graduates from the Marine Biology program at the University of the West Indies, but it is open to interested international students. This was one of my first times away from home for so long. It was also a chance to work with more seasoned Marine Biologists. The lab taught us quite a few skills and tools, but they also exposed us to research, teaching and outreach. In the process, the interns could get a feel of what worked best for us and what we gravitated towards.
Finally, in the process, I’ve decided on a rough area of marine biology I’m interested in. I’ve suspected for a while where in marine biology I’d love to focus on in an ideal world. At the current moment, aquaculture is where my interest lies. I love the idea of putting knowledge to work, actually applying it to produce something, and aquaculture fits that perfectly right now. Time alone will tell how far I go with it, but I’m definitely going as of right now.
What I Like
I love that I’m in the field I’m passionate about. Honestly, more than that, I’m grateful for it. I know so many STEM students (especially those out of computing) who are nowhere near what they studied. Heck, one of my best friends studied bio medical engineering (building drugs and stuff) and is outside the field trying to break in. And that’s after migrating. STEM careers get a lot of hype, but especially in small developing countries, the fields are crowded. And its never that we don’t need developing in those STEM related areas, the space just never seems to materialise and its discouraging for so many of my cohort.
I’ve managed to be on the water and in the water over the last year. I picked the field in part because I love the feeling of being out at sea. I don’t think I’m meant for a job permanently behind a desk. So I appreciate and I’m grateful for the fact I’ve gotten to go out on and under the water. The Discovery May Marine Lab was great for this, and to this day, most of my favourite marine memories are at (and under) the sea there.
I’ve done hands on, practical work. Maybe this one’s part of being a covid student but I missed a chunk of my schooling experience due to the pandemic. I’m glad especially for the Discovery Bay internship, that helped me get out and do a lot of the nitty gritty work. I didn’t love all of it at the time, I don’t even love all of it now. But I appreciate that I got to make up for lost time. It was definitely a growing experience.
But beyond a shadow of a doubt, my favourite thing one year after graduating is that I can look back and see new skills I’ve cultivated over the year. I’m now an advanced open water diver. I’ve taught myself a good deal of R. I’ve learned to do a couple in water surveys. I can roughly ID some fish at a glance, way way more than I could a year ago. I did my first pitch for a company at PitchDeckJa. I pushed myself to do new things and honestly, I’m glad I did. The learning had just begun and even a year out of graduating, I have so much more learning to do.
What I Don’t Like
This is absolutely not all sunshine and rainbows though. There’s not a ton of organisations out there for science in developing countries like Jamaica. Someone I respect, with a few years more experience than me, from DBML has told me its absolutely getting better compared to back in his day, but there’s still only so much room.
That means a couple things. Firstly, there’s a good chance you’ll have to move more than you like. This may be within the country. I’ve seen some parts of Jamaica I’ve never seen before. But you still miss home if you are like me. If you’re less lucky, you may have to leave your country entirely.
Personally, developing and helping Jamaica means something to me. And leaving may be the best way to do that. But It may also mean you leave and never return to settle and contribute the way you want. Heck, I’m still coming to terms with that and trying to hold on.
The few organisations means you’re competing. Against your cohort yes, but also for funding. There’s only so much money to go around, especially if your science is more theoretical, or requires infrastructure which is lacking in your country. A good chunk of work may actually end up being just writing and calling and trying to figure out that funding.
Its hard and its not for everyone. But for those who can (resource and ability wise), you may need to start something for yourself and create your own seat at the table so to speak. This is absolutely not easy, and not for everyone in the slightest. It may be needed though.
Finally, related to that is people. You’ll have to deal with people regardless of what you do, but if you want to make your own seat at the table you’ll need to deal with it even more. I was sort of prepared for doing science…sort of. But I was unprepared for just managing the people and relationships that can grow up in a small field where everyone knows everyone. Again, I’m talking about marine biology in Jamaica, but I imagine it would be the same for a lot of other STEM fields in developing countries. It’s definitely not something I thought about off the top of my head.
What I’d Change/Advice
Here comes the last part. Advice. Here’s what I’d tell myself(or anyone where I was a year ago), about to graduate with my degree.
Keep learning
Be more than just a scientist
Reach out to people
Firstly, keep learning. Graduating doesn’t mean you know everything. It doesn’t even mean you know most things. It means you’ve learned how you learn best, and have enough of a foundation to learn something else new. So keep learning. Pick up little bits from whatever you’re interested in and whatever opportunities come your way. That’s how you figure out where you’re going. Where I am right now, I’m considering dipping my toes into a whole other section of the biological sciences to enhance my existing skillset.
On that note, don’t just learn STEM stuff. We need scientists who are more than just scientists. I’m not proclaiming to be an expert but here are some of the top skills I think fresh grads should dip our feet into:
Writing and communication: this is good for grants, proposal and getting your work out there. NEVER ever discount the skill of being able to tell a good story.
Basics of finance/accounting: Sourcing and managing money to do your science(without being scammed)
Project Management: Learn to approach and carry out projects(like research) in an organised way.
Finally. talk to people. Offer to help with things. Even if its a cold message to someone you don’t know, put yourself out there aggressively. Let other people reject you, but don’t discount yourself. You’d be amazed how willing people are to talk to someone younger who seems to have a good head on their shoulders. You’d be even more surprised the benefit you can get from an experienced mentor who wants to see you succeed.
Feel free to follow up. This post was to me a year ago, but its also for any upcoming grads in Jamaica or other developing countries. If you have any Questions, message me on Linkedln, Twitter, or my Email, and I will do my best to get back to you soon.
Walk Good and Happy New Year.