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Snag That Dream Job: I wanna...work with sharks!

Getting ready to dive with sharks (that's me on the right!).

What do you wanna be when you grow up? GL recently had the chance to go to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove in Florida to interview peeps with some of the most coveted jobs in the world (dolphin trainers, roller coaster engineers, animal pathologists and more!).

Find out how they got started and how YOU could score one of these coveted careers someday.

I love to swim and I'm pretty much down for any adventure but I gotta admit I was sort of scared and nervous when I saw a "Sharks Deep Dive" on my schedule for SeaWorld. I'd be plunging into a tank with yep, real live sharks (more than 30, plus all sorts of live fish!). Um, would this end up as the plot of Jaws IX (what number are they up to, again?)!

When I got to the Sharks Deep Dive, I was outfitted in a full-body wetsuit—gloves, booties, everything! I was still kinda hesitant when I saw stuff like those astrounaut-y helmets and a huge metal cage. Our guides gave us a brief talk about what to expect and some dos and don'ts and then it was time to dive in and take the plunge.

I'll admit I was still pretty nervous the first few secs I was underwater. The great thing about the helmet is you have a balloon-like device on top so you're kinda floating AND you can talk through the helmet to the guides who aren't in the cage just in case ya have any questions or some sort of an emergency.

As soon as I got used to being underwater I realized just how AWESOME this experience was. The cage is totally safe—made from heavy-duty wire with a thick glass panel at about eye level so I could get up close and personal with all the sharks and fish. Ever looked straight into a Great White Shark's eerie blue eyes? Yeah, pretty amazing!

After the deep dive was over (um, and I kind of never wanted it to end!) I got to interview shark expert Gretchen Scrimger about her awesome job.

With my crazy-looking helmet after my dive. And to think that Gretchen does this for a living....

Here's what Gretchen had to say about getting started, her typical work duties and her fave parts of the job. Are you really into marine animals like sharks? Pretty much a mermaid in the water? Then Gretchen's career might be perfect for Y-O-U!

GL: How did you go this sort of career? Did you wake up one day and just decide, "I want to work with sharks"?

Gretchen: I actually don’t remember. I’ve been wanting to do this my entire life. My parents said that pretty much ever since I could talk that’s all I ever wanted to do was sharks. I don’t remember one specific thing that made me want to do this but ever since I found about it, it’s all I’ve ever focused on.

GL: Did you have any specific school training that you had to go through?

Gretchen: I was going to school for marine biology and I did two years of my degree. I ended up coming here to work and got the job that I was going to school for, so I was very lucky that I was able to find the right place and the right company at the right time.

GL: What's a typical day like? What does it involve?

Gretchen: Well this [the Sharks Deep Dive] is a big part of our job.The main part of what we do is actually working with the people and getting the people acquainted with animals. Another big thing is observation. We’re really the only ones that stay up here all the time, so [you get] a chance to watch the sharks, you get to kind of know their behaviors, what to look for, it's really good because if anything happens that’s different we know right away.

We can look at that animal, and go, "OK, we’re going to keep a close eye on this shark because he’s not reacting the way he normally does." And we help out with other things, we do help out with cleaning, feeding, we just had our physicals last week that we helped out with.

GL: How many times a day do you actually go in the tank?

Gretchen: It just depends. Some days I won’t go at all, and other days I’ll do up to three dives, we usually split the day up.

GL: What do you think your favorite part is of this job?

Gretchen: My favorite part is watching somebody come up from the dive who is hesitant about the sharks or is not quite sure, and watching them come out with an amazing smile on their face. I’m so happy, I’m so excited, they got over their fear and they realized these are really incredible creatures. That’s the best part. It’s amazing.

GL: Any challenges? What's the hardest part of this job?

Gretchen: There’s not really a lot of hard parts. The thing is trying to get people over the myth that sharks are dangerous.

It’s a very big struggle. Shark populations have been decimated over the last few years. It’s really important for us to try to get that perception changed. That’s the biggest obstacle that we face, is we’ll get people who are like, “I’m terrified of the sharks,” and then they’ll be like, “Well I’ll go jump in with the dolphins.” We get that kind of thing where the reality is they are not really as dangerous, it’s just what you see.

Think SeaWorld's Sharks Deep Dive is right up your ally? Head to seaworld.com/orlando for more info!

-Cait Rohan

BLOG IT OUT! Do you love sharks? Would you ever dive with them? What's your dream job?

BY CAITLIN R. ON 11/15/2009 7:00:00 AM 37 COMMENTS

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From Facebook, to MySpace, to Twitter, and more, there are so many ways to get connected and have fun. And let’s face it: who doesn’t want to post pictures, update statuses, and chat with your chicas in seconds? It’s great!

But you gotta be aware that some of the info you're putting out there could get into...eek! The wrong hands. Here's the scoop on what NOT to post.

Don't get TOO personal

Let’s say you got a new screen name or, better yet, a new cell phone. Hitting up all your peeps through texting is a lot of work for a busy girl. So you decide to post your new number on Facebook for everyone to see. Ummm...major DIS-like for this one since it's super dangerous.

You should never post info that could let people track ya down for the wrong reasons. So never ever, put up stuff that could put you at risk. This means no: e-mails, screen names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.

Don't make new friends...with cyber strangers

When you’ve got 3,658 friends on your page, it can feel really good. Everybody loves to be popular, right? But if someone requests you, saying, “Oh, I’m your friend Bob's soccer teammate,” and you have no idea who he is, changes are you should just hit IGNORE.

Follow your instincts and don’t accept friend requests from anybody unless your absolutely, positively sure you’ve met him/her before. And if some creepo starts sending you personal messages or harassing you? Block him or report!

Don't play paparazzi

Yeah, you probably heart taking photos with your pals and making long-lasting memories. That's cool. But some pics should just be kept private—in your scrapbook or just between you and your BFFs. Say you and your chicas decided to dress up totally silly or something. Would you really want other people to have access to those photos? Probs not.

When a photo is posted up online, it’s no longer yours. Anyone can see it and it only takes three simple clicks to save and use it for different reasons. In other words, don’t upload photos that don’t represent who you really are. Save it for yourself and share pics that you wont regret showing.

Don't think it's OK to insult people since you're doing it online

Just because you aren’t directly interacting with other people online, doesn’t mean that you can say whatever you want. FYI: most sites now have a “report” link or a system that will allow users to alert admins if something’s amiss. If you make a mean joke or insult others online, don’t expect people to take it anonymously.

Manners matter—even in cyberspace. Communicate online as you would in person. There’s no need to be mean. Be respectful of others and others will respect you.

-Jean Lee

BY CAITLIN R. ON 11/10/2009 11:27:00 AM 65 COMMENTS

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Photo credit – Jason Collier/SeaWorld Orlando

One of my first interviews was with roller coaster designer Brian Morrow. Brian is the director of design and engineering for SeaWorld's flying roller coaster "Manta," which just opened up in May. There are only FIVE "flying" roller coasters on the planet. Never heard of one before? It's a coaster where you're strapped in with your back parallel to the track so ya feel JUST like you're, yep, gliding under water like a giant manta ray would. And this ride is far from your ordinary coaster—there's a close call with a waterfall, pretzel-loop spins and no less than FOUR inverted loops. Plus you're experiencing all of this head-first. How amazing is that?!

Of course being a complete coaster-chicken, I didn't go on the actual ride itself. But the coolest thing about Manta is ya don't have to ride to enjoy it. Yep, if you're waiting for mom, dad and your older bro to have a whirl, you can walk around the super cool aquarium right next to the actual coaster. Some of the awesome attractions included a pretty (not to mention, um huge!) pink octopus, a tank full of 300 stingrays and all sorts of underwater animals.

Photo credit – Cait Rohan

Here's what Brian had to say about his super-cool career. If you love roller coasters, theme parks or are into craftin' up all sorts of gadgets and gizmos, Brian's job might just be right for you.

GL: How did you get started?

Brian: I decided I wanted to build roller coasters when I was 12. In school I would always say, "I want to do this! I want to build roller coasters, I want to build roller coasters." And all the way through college my guidance counselors and teachers told me there were no jobs doing that.

GL: How did you get involved then?

Brian: It was before the internet, so there was no way to easily search for things. I looked at magazines, newspaper articles, and finally found an internship with another theme park company that I worked for all through college. I had great mentors that taught me how to do it, and let me learn that it wasn't so much building the rides that I liked doing, but building the guest experience is what I really enjoyed. So our jobs here are far wider than just a roller coaster. They delve into shows and animals and atmospheres, and everything else. That's the part I like—the whole, the whole deal.

GL: What would you say to a kid around 12 looking to go into this? What advice would you give them?

Brian: I was that kid who didn't have the good help or directions, so the key is to target exactly what you want to do, and the industry you want to be in. Don't get hung up on what particular aspect of it, just grab the industry and do nothing but work for them. And this particular industry, almost everybody here has at one time, worked in the park on the front line, you know, greeting guests, selling food, selling merchandise. I was a ride manager for awhile....

GL: So start off small?

Brian: Yes, you have to start out there in the park so you understand what you're doing. How else do I know how guests flow through a few lines if I haven't had to run them in my past life. So step one, get a summer job in the industry and don't think that it's not important, what you're doing. At the end of the day being in the front is where the memories are made and where the interactions happen with the guests, work is kind of the supporting role of providing great attractions. It takes those guys in the front, the 12, 15, 16 year olds operating these rides, absolutely.

And also, learn all you can learn about the industry, be the expert. Get to know the people who are designing things, get to know what everybody's building, what everybody's doing, what all the different parts are, how they all operate. The internet is perfect for that. I'm always looking online, [to see] who's doing what, what's happening.

Photo credit – Jason Collier/SeaWorld Orlando

Wanna learn more about Manta? Head over to DiveDeepFlyHigh.com for more info!

-Cait Rohan

BLOG IT OUT! Do you heart roller coasters? What's the coolest one you've ever been on? What kind of coaster would you design? What's your dream job?

BY CAITLIN R. ON 11/8/2009 8:00:00 AM 32 COMMENTS

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Study 911!

Are you sitting in class daydreaming away about that boy you’re crushin’ on this week or what you're gonna wear to the school dance? Concentrating can be sooo hard. I mean, how can our teachers expect us to study and learn when we have boys, friends, and family drama 24/7!?

Lucky for you, GL has the scoop on some helpful and successful study tips to keep your mind focused and your concentration as high as ever! Your mom will be wowed by your next report card.

Flashcards

Flashcards are a tried 'n' true way to study for any test. They're cheap, easy, don't require a lot of extra time, and you can make 'em up quickly and easily all by yourself. These cards can be extremely helpful for any type of vocab quiz or an exam where you need to know definitions.

How to make 'em up? Just buy a pack of index cards. On one side of the card write the word, and on the other side write the definition. Don't flip a card over 'til you've taken a guess (be honest!). You can quiz yourself all night long!

Mind maps

In high school, one of my teachers turned me onto the idea of “mind maps," and I never looked back (Psst! CLICK HERE to see how they work!). They can be used for note taking, brainstorming, problem solving, studying and memorization, research, planning for a paper...and even more! A mind map is a helpful, visual way to represent ideas and concepts by laying 'em out graphically.

In a mind map, as opposed to traditional notes or linear text, information is structured in a way that looks a lot more like how your brain actually works. They're both analytical and artistic. To draw one, start in the middle of the page with the idea that you intend to develop. Next, write up the related subtopics around the main topic, connecting each sub to the center topic with a line. Finally, generate lower-level subtopics as you see fit, and connect those to the corresponding subtopics. Mind maps are a way to have fun while retaining info. You can use colors, drawings, and symbols to help your brain MEMORIZE!

Taking notes

A key study skill that'll have you acing those exams is learning how to take great notes. Taking great notes is extremely important 'cause some profs take the info they teach in class, and put very similar stuff on their tests. Also, excellent notes make it much easier when it's time to cram for the big exam!

A study tip that's sure to help ya succeed? Organize all the notes that you took in class, and type them up a week before the test to create a study guide. You'll have an organized packet of all the info and an easy-to-use study sheet. Also, typing it up helps your brain retain the information much easier!

Study groups

When it comes to cramming for quizzes or tests, nothing beats a study group. Ever heard the saying "two minds are better than one?" Your brain is powerful, but it gets stronger and stronger when you add more peeps! Study groups are stellar because you and your classmates can work together as a team to ensure that you all get A’s.

Stumped on a problem? Someone in your study group might have the answer. Added bonus about study buddies? It's the perf excuse to invite that cute guy in your class over!

-Jackie Evens

BY CAITLIN R. ON 10/25/2009 7:00:00 AM 63 COMMENTS

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