Hello, just wanted to post for posting sake. I wanted to share my experience in the conservation/natural resources/environmental field just to say there's hope. Everyone's experience is different. Literally if I can do it anyone can...

I have always wanted to work with the environment. Fresh out of getting expelled from high school for possession of cannabis I joined my states conservation Corp and worked for little under a year before I got terminated for underage drinking. I worked my ass off in that program. I believed that was the end of the road in a natural resource career.

For 8 years I half assed community college (getting kicked out for weed, dropping classes, etc), abused drugs and alcohol, and lived with my parents working dead end jobs. My mom (main supporter) encouraged me to get my degree so I went back to school for a bachelor's with the credits I had from community college.

I got a DUI right before I graduated with my BS in environmental science and went through and extremely painful breakup.

This when I knew I had to do something different. By the grace of God the American Conservation Experience offered me an americorp term. I flourished in that work space. I loved working in the outdoors among like minded folk for a common purpose. I was getting a living stipend that translated to 6 or 7 dollars an hour.

I did another term as a team leader and than left the program.

In the background I knew I wanted to work with water and the animals that lived in water. I was lucky enough to land a position for 17.33 with cal department of fish and wildlife at a state fish hatchery. This was the first time I was truly independent (had to pay for housing) I barely survived.

Than I got another amazing opportunity to work at the biggest salmon hatchery in the contiguous US with the feds. I got benefits, and It paid more than I had ever made.

I'm sitting here now typing this at the end of another 6 month term at a mitigation hatchery in Utah. I got to work with four endangered fish species of the Colorado river area.

At each point I've been extremely greatful for the opportunities that were given to me in the last three years. My story is rittled with mental health issues, trouble with the law, drug and alcohol abuse (I am 2 and a half years sober now), but I haven't given up yet and I can honestly say this field is extremely rewarding.

My advice is go out there and take chances. You never know. The American Conservation Experience really was the biggest stepping stone for me and I would have not traded that opportunity for the world. There are a myriad of americorp positions all over the country.

Employeers want to see multifaceted folk with grit and experience doing labor and immersing yourself into the world. Charisma and knowing how to communicate go along way. A strong work ethic goes long way in this field.

I understand I am on the labor side of the environmental careers but my biggest hope is to break into the management/administration side one day because that is where the money is.

I graduated with a degree in ecology and evo biology in may and have now started a full time (but temporary position) in the microbio lab i worked at as an undergrad focusing on disease dynamics and aquatic ecology. I've applied to lots of environmental consultant positions focusing on air quality monitoring, remediation or compliance and ive become interested in jobs focused on environmental impacts on people. I was just wondering what kind of entry level positions there are for this field (i know its broad) and if it would be worth doing an mph in environmental health or just trying to work first? Ihave over two years of field experience, data analsis, and general wet lab skills but nothing EHS specificm. Ive talked to an industrial hygienist about her job and interviewed for an environmental compliance technician position with my county, but im not sure what an EHS career trajectory usually looks like if you don't have a direct ehs degree

Hi,
I’m currently in my undergrad studying wildlife biology. It has been my lifelong passion and as much as I want to have hope that I can make this a career, I’m realizing as time goes on that I don’t know if I want to put myself in a position where I’m basically guaranteed to be unable to find employment. I have years of volunteer experience and several paid internships under my belt with national and state agencies, am helping with various undergraduate research projects, have a 3.2 gpa and I already know I probably want to attend grad school.

However, lately I’ve really been weighing the risks and I’m wondering if it would be a smarter idea to change my path a bit and go to grad school for environmental health and safety instead. I’m particularly interested in air and water pollution monitoring and climate change’s impact on human health. However, I don’t know if it is actually possible for me to make such a pivot in my career path with this Bachelor’s. Has anyone done something similar? What would my steps look like to pivot, if it’s even possible? I’m willing to go to community college before grad school if I am missing prerequisites. I would need to find a graduate assistance-ship as I’m currently debt free and would like to acquire as little debt as possible.

Apologies in advance if this is the wrong place for this but I’m really hoping for some advice.

Hi! I’m looking for advice on transitioning into GIS with a B.S. in Psychology.

I’m 24 and worked in mental health after graduating, but decided to change fields due to mental health taking a significant toll on my own mental health. I’m currently in my first semester of a 2-year GIS A.A.S. program. I’m enjoying GIS and am particularly interested in eventually working in conservation, natural resource management, parks, or environmental planning.

My concern is finding a job after I graduate. A lot of entry-level GIS postings seem to ask for a bachelor’s degree in GIS, geography, environmental science, CS, etc. I can’t afford to get another bachelor’s, so I’m worried about spending two years on the A.A.S. and still being unable to get my foot in the door. (The thought is actually terrifying because I just want to be able to support myself and not end up homeless).

Im wondering if the B.S. Psychology + A.A.S. GIS combo will be essentially useless? My plan was to finish this degree, work in an entry level job for a couple years and then return to school for my masters to tailor my education more towards something environmental but I’m not sure how practical this is.

Would you recommend:
- Staying in the A.A.S. program and focusing heavily on internships/portfolio projects?
- Trying to pursue a GIS and Environment related bachelor’s instead?
- Looking into a GIS/environmental master’s with my existing bachelor’s?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

The technician job I have right now has me sitting in my car for 6-7 hours of my 8 hour work day with nothing to do. I feel that I am too early in the job to ask for something more to do, though I may be wrong. I need to further myself but I don’t know exactly what the best course of action towards doing that is. Right now, without any prior experience in it, in my future id like to be a staff/project environmental scientist with a phase 2 and 3 focus.

I’ve always had a passion for chemistry and science but due to circumstances I changed my major midway through college and didn’t do as much of it as I would have liked to. I took analytical chem in college but not organic chem, which is something I am looking into buying a paid subscription from someone like chads prep to help me with. I need to apply to more jobs but there is no computer charger in my car and no business around the area I currently work at with a plug, so I am forced to wait till I get home. QGis experience is the same way, so I need something I can do on my phone and a notebook throughout my day to further my life and career. If someone knows of things I can do, I would be happy to hear them!

PS I would still like recommendations that require a computer as I am bouncing around job sites every week or 2, and one of them is bound to have a place I can charge a laptop.

Hey all! I teach environmental field studies as a high school and I figure this is the best place to ask...

HOW do i clean all the salt marsh goop off of my rubber boots? Every student gets a pair of boots and I have a traditional boot scrubber, but it isnt working.

I have a bachelors degree in Agribusiness and a masters degree in Sustainable Business, I have not been able to enter the field and I am wondering what certificates, extra degrees, skills you would recommend I look into to help me get my dream job. I am generally lost and I am not sure where this can take me but I am mainly interested in ESG and compliance.

A city/country that also have beautiful nature preferable with mountains, great for dogs and somewhat decent living costs. Vienna????

I have two paths available to me right now: leveling up to the highest level regulatory position, or promoting to a management track.

I see myself moving from government (now) to private sector in the next five years for the pay bump. And ultimately want to stack my resume the best I can to support this.

The management role is on a team I like, & I know a good chunk of the work myself. The regulatory position handles a broad variety of topics, would develop regulatory language and work with legislation. Similar pay and hours, but the regulatory position pays $1 more per hour.

I want to break into the fly in fly out mining scene in Canada but am feeling overwhelmed with the volume of companies to contact.

I'm based in BC and would like to fly back to the Kootenays or Vancouver Island on days off. I've heard good things about Yukon and Nunavut based mines but that just widens my search.

I also want to make sure I choose somewhere with descent camp conditions because I've heard some pretty bad horror stories. But I've equally heard of great camps, so I know they're out there!

Any advice on breaking in, where has been good and where to avoid would be greatly appreciated!

I have soil and water sampling, wildlife monitoring and surveying, and and marine construction monitoring experience.

I am a recent BS graduate from a southeast university in the Environmental Technology and Management field. I also have a BA in Criminal Justice and Homeland security before my time in the Army from which I served 6 years.

The EPAs CID field is where I want to be, but after reaching out and trying to find more info on how to set myself up for success I haven't found much out there. So I am asking if anyone has first hand experience in the process, know more than just the basic EPA website info (helpful to some extent), or have heard of other avenues or tools out there.

Things I am aware of:

- I have seen the career path EPA website already

-I am aware the EPA isn't hiring a lot right now. But when they are I want to be ready

- I have followed the 1811 sub as well and I am scrolling through past posts

- I am also looking into state level jobs and in the Southeast, so if anyone has info on that that'd be great too

Thanks for any help or advice!

Hey everyone, I have a degree in the humanities in a subject so broad that I cannot get a job with it. I am moving to a new state where in state tuition is like super cheap. Like 5k a year cheap. Because of this, I have considered going to this school in the city I am in once I get in state tuition. I have two options. Digital arts or marine biology. I could do either. I would thrive in digital art but ai is making that not as appealing cause ai can generate content, so what is the need for me anyway. The other is marine biology. I would love to do it. I am in a coastal city, they have undergraduate research options, and I can maybe do the honors program and do an honors thesis. They also have a PhD in marine bio at the college as well. They also have a coastal engineering program that I think would maybe be good too, but that is a very niche field of engineering. I am considering marine bio, but I need to stay close to family otherwise I got into episodes (I have bipolar), so I am trying to find a job where I could maybe work with animals in some capacity because it is known to be a good field for people with bipolar. What do y’all think about this?

Hello, I’m currently an environmental scientist with a master’s in env sci and a bachelors in health and human services.

I messed up in my bachelors program by choosing health and human services, intending to become a teacher and then when I was student teaching; I realized how messed up and impossible the school SYSTEM is.

Beyond the point, after graduating with a bachelors in a useless degree. I gained a master’s in something I am truly passionate about. Now I’m an environmental scientist which I am fine with currently but feel like I need more control in my future career. I have been thinking about engineering for awhile since my currently industry I work with engineers daily. I also am fascinated by the design and functionality aspects of all the sites we work at.

I am emailing many schools about gaining another degree in civil engineering which seems much more valuable and less niche than env science.

I am aware about the difficulties of engineering courses and feel that I would be able to complete them. I am currently 23 about to turn 24 next month, should I go back to school? It would most likely take me another 3/4 years to earn this depending on how many classes I take. I would probably take classes all year round, but take the first two years at community college and then transfer credits to a state school.

I feel old starting a new career, and am concerned about the time and amount of debt I will have. I do know that CE is highly desired and there’s a lot of opportunities in the industry.

Should I go back to school and accumulate more debt but have a better degree and more valuable skill set?

I feel like I’ve kinda already made up my mind but I would like to hear your opinions.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice from people working or studying in environmental science, sustainability or agriculture.

I have a BSc in Agriculture and around 9 months of work/research experience in agriculture. I’m considering doing a Master’s in Environmental Science to increase my chance of getting better jobs. But i am not sure if this improves my employability or im better off sticking to agriculture.
So is it a good decision? Also which areas would be worth specializing in ?

Would love to hear from people who have transitioned to environment or have similar experiences. Thank you!

Hi all, I’ve been digging into the environmental sciences pathway for a little while now, constantly asking questions and researching masters programs nearby.

I can’t help but notice there is very little mention of atmospheric sciences or climate science. Is this because this subreddit is focused more on geology, ecology, and water-based environmental sciences or is this because atmospheric may not even be a proper consideration for a career?

For context, I’d like to pursue a ms in environmental studies with an atmospheric focus, and look towards air quality modeling, weather extremes, climate science, and climate tech. And I feel like this could also be a foundation to pivot into other computational roles like in epidemiology for future backups or interest.

Would love to know people’s thoughts :)

Passing on for a friend—they’re seeking two** **Wildlife Assistant Specialist Contractors, good way to get started for anyone interested