Whilst I was in one of the tutorials for one of my subjects last week, the conversation that we were meant to be having was derailed.

This time it was in regards to my future prospects of being a marine scientist.

So when people ask me what I’m doing at university, usually I tell them that I’m doing a bachelor of science and I’m majoring in marine science “Because I want to be unemployable”, or “Because I like failing upwards”. I think that it’s a funny comment to make despite how grim it may seem. The other mature age student in the group that I was in laughed as they seemed to get it. One of the more youthful students didn’t understand.

I told them why it was funny, advising that marine science has more supply than it does demand (as far as I’m aware) and also explaining that my age is a contributing factor to my ability to be employed.

Now I’m not that old. I’m not old by a long shot. However, being that It’s going to be a good while before I get to the end of doing all that I want to do study-wise when it comes to Marine Science and by the time I am done I will be a bit older than I am now. On top of that I will be competing with a bunch of people who are younger than I will be and they will be more likely to get a job than I will due to it being easier to give them a lesser salary than I, as well as many other reasons that I can’t be bothered to get into right now.

I have no delusions about the situation I’m putting myself in and even if I do go for an internship (which I will as soon as I can), I know that all I really have going for me is that I’ve been working for a long time in relation to my current age.

With that being said, I’m not deterred by this and am still studying marine science. I’m not doing it for money or a job, although being able to work in the field is something that I would very much like. I’m studying marine science as (I think I’ve written this before at some point around here, but I’m not certain, so here you go) I feel drawn to the ocean.

I feel a compulsion to know more and study it, as well as its inhabitants (and those around the ocean). The best that I can explain it is that I think I have a resonance with it in some way. I’m not sure, but that’s the best that I can explain it as I don’t know the words to explain what it is that makes me drawn to the ocean.

The ocean is a fearsome body that is as worthy of awe as it is respect. It is something that will be around long after we are gone, providing just as much to whatever the next dominant species will be as it does to us.

But I digress.

The student told me that age wouldn’t be much of a factor at all, so I explained to them why. I explained to them about how it affects salary and that someone younger than me is much more likely to be hired because it’s easier to give them a lower salary.

The student disagreed with me and I can understand why because it came down to a lack of employment experience. They told me that a business will hire the right person and give them a higher salary if they’re older if they’re the best person for the job.

From my understanding, a business can only provide within a certain range for a position and aren’t necessarily going to hire the best person for the job for a number of reasons and I’m not going to pretend that age isn’t a major factor.

There was a bit of back and forth on this with my being told that I’m not going to get a job in marine science if I’m going to be negative about it. I explained that I was speaking from experience and have a realistic view of it. I also explained that, despite my disadvantage, I was still going to try anyway because it’s what I want to do with my life.

I think that people are entitled to being ignorant so long as they’re willing to learn and be challenged. I also think that, just because someone is older than you, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t challenge them at times. I think this extends to people  who have extensive experience in a field. It’s  a really good way to learn and improve your knowledge.

I can’t pretend that my being older than the average of the rest of the students and eventual graduates is not a factor for employers and I can’t be deluded about that affecting my chances.

Despite this, I’m not deterred because I know that so long as I do my best and show my passion, then I can go a long way.