You should focus on science and mathematics. If your school offers a course in geology, take it if at all possible. After that, it depends on what subfield of oceanography you are most interested in; if you're most interested in marine life (biological oceanography), then you should go for biology, then physics, then chemistry. If you're going for another subfield, go for chemistry and physics first (after geology, as mentioned above). In college, if your school actually has a major in oceanography, that's what you should take. Otherwise, geology is probably your best bet. Oceanography is used in a lot of fields and disciplines, but it's not my field so I don't know exactly what the job market is like. I know that the navy likes oceanographers, but so do meteorologists, various government agencies, especially those dealing with climate or weather, and of course academia. Good luck!

Thank you for the question!

For oceanography, you can take classes such as biology, physics, geology, chemistry, math, and engineering. With oceanography, you will be doing a lot of science A tip that I have will be to take AP classes which will help you in college because you can get credit for that and not have to take it in college. You can also go to your nearby community college and take classes there and if they are transferable, you won't have to take them later, too! And even if they don't transfer, taking some classes about oceanography will still help you a lot.

Another thing that you can do is to try and be involved in things that are oceanography field related like clubs or finding places to volunteer at. You can look towards applying at museums, aquariums, and or nearby colleges (they might have some programs you can volunteer at). At first, applying to these places might seem scary but I promise you it won't be! Just keep trying and I promise you will be able to land one of these opportunities. Do things like email people working in the field and asking for their advice just as you have done here. You have already took a step in the right path in asking for advice here. Good luck!

Unfortunately I do not have the percentages of being able to work somewhere, but with persistence and the right resources, I'm sure you will be able to find somewhere to work.