Connect Through Commerce

Ocean commerce is business conducted through, or using, the ocean’s resources. Ocean commerce plays an essential role in everyone’s life, regardless of where they live. That’s because the world depends on ocean commerce in one form or another for food, recreation, transportation, and the movement of products between continents. Think of all the jobs associated with those industries – the list is endless. And while not every job may have a clear connection to the ocean, every one of these jobs ends up having an impact on the ocean in one way or another.  Because the jobs of so many people depend on the health and well-being of the ocean, we must use our ocean resources in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Ocean-Related Industries

Industries that have an obvious connection to the ocean include:

• Shipping
• Tourism
• Fishing
• Energy
• Commercial Diving

And some industries whose connection to the ocean may not be so obvious include:

• Architecture
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Mining
• Fashion

An Endless Amount of Jobs

Of course, all of these industries contain many related areas and jobs. For example, the general category “tourism” includes more specific things like cruises (officers, crew, entertainers, security, and rescue personnel), resorts (management, staff, water safety personnel, maintenance personnel, chefs, cooks, and security personnel), and merchandising (t-shirts, towels, hats, sunglasses, beach umbrellas, souvenirs, jewelry, and real estate). That list doesn’t even include the people who designed and built the cruise ships (marine engineers and naval architects), the people who made sure you reached your resort destination safely (pilots, drivers, travel guides, and travel agents), or who made sure the souvenir shop was stocked with your favorite things (cargo ship captains, truckers and delivery persons).  And this just scratches the surface of the tourism industry! So when we say the list of industries and jobs connected to the ocean is endless, it really is endless.

Snapshots

To help you get an idea of what opportunities are out there, Ocean Connect has created snapshots of different careers related to ocean commerce. Each snapshot provides a general overview of a particular area of ocean commerce and then gives you suggestions for the path you should take to pursue your interest. Each snapshot also contains a link to the Ocean Connect Opportunities Database, where you can find internships, scholarships, academic programs, and training programs that focus on that particular area of ocean commerce. But there is so much more, so click on an area that interests you and get started!