Environmental Studies & Sailing?

[klinecm]

I graduated from a college here in Florida in 2011, with a degree in Environmental Studies, Coastal Management, and a concentration in Geology. While I am still looking for a job in my field, times are tough. I have been hired with a sailing charter company (mainly doing yacht maintenance). After being here for 3 months, my boss has approached me about trying to incorporate my degree into sailing and the company; He's really just trying to keep me from searching for another job! I've been trying to do some research and figure out a way that I could incorporate my degree into the company and the sailing world, but I've hit a wall ... Can anyone help me brainstorm?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, klinecm.

[tbodine88]

Plan an eco-tourism cruise through the keys. Or along the coast of Florida.

Get with some faculty at some nearby college to plan research trips.

Good luck.

I wanted to go into Geology, worked in the Geology Department at San Diego State, but when I saw the grad students still hanging around after graduation looking for work, I went into computer science instead.
I wish you all the luck.

[David M]

I agree. Incorporate your knowledge into a boat tour of some sort. It may have to be on a larger commercial boat where you have the economies of scale for it to be profitable for yourself and the company you work for. Taking six passengers out for a few hours may not pay for itself.

You might also want to look at getting a captains license. I wish you the best with your career.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here.
kind regards,

[barnakiel]

The best thing for the environment is when there are no cruisers/sailors.

I think the best way you can implement your academic knowledge in your job is when you show people the damage we are doing and show them how we CAN minimize this damage.

Ecology tours are a fine idea (perhaps as long as they are done with full respect to the environment in the first place - no sewage/grey water dumped, minimum use of the engine, etc..) and you may too like to explore the possibilities in the media / social networks too - e.g. by making eco-podcasts, eco-journalism, etc.. and publishing well produced ecology information on the web (your fb, yt, twitter media can be in turn used to drive clients to the company you are working for).

I think it is important to talk to the young generation - they have their habits only half-formed by now, they are idealistic, they have time to go sailing, etc.. You may be able to design a sailing-ecology course for young people. And by doing things with the young generation you may in turn be able to watch how they interact with the world (and how they spend their money ...). I think this may later be used to develop effective strategies and target your companie's services in the right way, to the right client.

b.

[JK n Smitty]

I've been working in the environmental field for over 15 years and have been sailing longer. If you are serious about exploring this option, pm me your email and we can chat.

Fair winds

Jesse