What does a career protecting our ocean actually look like?
Marine biology might be the first thing that comes to mind, but as our latest Blue Futures webinar made clear, solving ocean problems will take people from almost every profession – from law and economics to engineering, technology, communications, education and entrepreneurship.
For the second conversation in our Blue Futures series, we brought together Charlotte Connell from Greenhouse, Jo Shulman, CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office, and environmental economist Jim Smart from Griffith University and the Blue Economy CRC.
Their careers could hardly look more different. Yet the same themes emerged: careers are rarely linear, people skills matter enormously, and you don’t need to have your entire future mapped out before you begin.
There Is No Straight Line to an Ocean Career
Looking at someone established in their career, it can be easy to imagine there was a clear sequence of decisions that led them there.
Our panellists quickly dispelled that idea.
Charlotte began writing for a surf magazine as a teenager, expecting to become a journalist. Her varied career took her through television and radio, communications work in Vanuatu and sustainable seafood before eventually leading to climate innovation and startups.
Jo originally wanted to become a marine biologist. Instead, she studied law, spent two years at a large law firm and moved into human rights organisations. Her work with Indigenous communities, coupled with growing concern about climate change, ultimately brought her environmental and human rights interests together.
Jim trained as an engineer in the UK and spent more than 15 years designing electric motors. An interest in renewable energy led him back to university to study environment and economics, beginning an unexpected journey into environmental economics, academia and his current work in Australia.
The lesson was reassuring, particularly for young people facing pressure to make the ‘right’ subject, university or career choice: careers are built through steps, not one perfect decision.
The Skills That Matter Most Might Surprise You
Despite working across innovation, law and economics, all three panellists returned to one skill above almost everything else: working with people.
Jim described listening, communicating and understanding people as central to solving environmental problems. Technical knowledge matters, but so does understanding the communities, businesses and individuals whose decisions shape environmental outcomes.
Jo echoed this from the legal world, highlighting communication, collaborative problem solving and adaptability alongside traditional advocacy skills.
For Charlotte, working in a rapidly evolving startup ecosystem requires agility, curiosity and the ability to learn quickly. It also means understanding your audience: an environmental solution will only scale if it solves a problem people genuinely need solved.
Her experience working in Vanuatu reinforced another lesson: good communication starts with listening, understanding and building trust.
Where Are the Opportunities?
The blue economy includes industries connected to the ocean, from shipping and aquaculture to renewable energy and tourism. As these industries transform, the skills needed within them are changing too.
The panel highlighted opportunities in renewable energy, climate technology, low-carbon fuels, circular economy and waste management, hardware and engineering, community engagement, education and environmental law.
Importantly, many of these opportunities won’t require a career with “ocean” in the job title.
Jo highlighted the growing need for people who can work with communities through the transition, including opportunities in community relations, engagement and education.
Charlotte shared examples from the innovation sector: researchers developing new materials, engineers making vessels more efficient and people from communications, fashion, music and sport finding entirely new ways to contribute to environmental solutions.
And you don’t necessarily need to invent the technology yourself. The blue economy also needs people who can communicate ideas, build businesses, connect communities and help good solutions scale.
Start Where You Are
Perhaps the strongest message of the webinar was that young people don’t have to wait until they have a qualification, a job title or all the answers before they begin.
Our own Ocean Youth participants have demonstrated what that can look like – identifying problems in their schools and communities, speaking with decision-makers and turning ideas into action.
One Ocean Youth Ambassador, after learning about Marine Stewardship Council certified seafood, discovered that it wasn’t available in her local supermarket in Albury-Wodonga. She approached the store manager and successfully advocated for it to be stocked – a small starting point with a tangible outcome, and a powerful reminder that young voices matter.
Jo urged young people to recognise the value of their perspectives, particularly because many of the solutions to today’s environmental challenges are yet to be developed. Jim’s advice was equally simple: don’t be constrained by the skills you think you don’t have. They can develop along the way.
Creating a healthier ocean will require marine scientists, but also technologists, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators, communicators, teachers, economists and many others bringing their skills to the challenge.
So rather than having your whole career mapped out, start with a simpler question: what problem do you care about, and what is one step you can take towards solving it?
Be curious, listen, build relationships and have a go. You don’t need to know exactly where that first step will lead – and, as Charlotte reminded us at the close of the webinar, don’t be afraid to fail. There are many ways to build a career that helps create a healthier ocean.
Watch the full panel discussion here.Â