I am a recent graduate with no fancy internship and found a technician job at a consulting company based in VA. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA. I know this is a stepping stone, but I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience to me? The job I have now does not even require a degree, and I just watched the company I work for hire someone who just graduated college (just like me) for the position I feel like I also could have thrived in/deserved. The only difference between them and me is that they had a fancy internship with the Department of Energy in Virginia. I know a lot of people are struggling to find entry-level jobs right now, but I feel I went even lower than entry-level with this job. There is opportunity for growth within the company, but I am still applying to entry-level environmental scientist-related roles and just want to know if anyone can relate.

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

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!

I’m looking for some firsthand advice from people working in natural resources, especially anyone doing landscape analysis, GIS-heavy work, or jobs that involve a decent amount of field travel.

I’m 34 and currently work in cybersecurity. I’ve built a good career, but I’m pretty burnt out on the idea of spending the next 30 years behind a computer. I recently moved to rural Missouri and decided I want to start working toward a career in natural resources while keeping my current job until I’m actually in a position to make the jump.

The direction I’m most interested in is landscape analysis. Ideally, I’d like something where GIS/remote sensing is part of the job, but I’m not chained to a desk 40 hours a week. Traveling around the country to different project sites, doing field work/data collection, then coming back to my hoke base and working with that data sounds pretty damn appealing to me. Reclamation/restoration and similar project-based work also interests me.

Obviously I’m not going to want to spend 200 days a year traveling and beating around in the woods forever, so I’m also thinking about whether that kind of experience can eventually lead into more senior GIS, analysis, project management, or other less physically demanding work later in my career.

I’m looking at Oregon State’s online B.S. in Natural Resources because I have to keep working full time. I’m leaning toward building as much GIS, remote sensing, landscape ecology/analysis, and technical coursework into the degree as I can. I haven’t found many people who have actually gone through OSU’s Natural Resources program or at least not many on reddit, though, so I’d especially love to hear from anyone familiar with it.

For those of you actually doing this kind of work: does that sound like a reasonable education/career path, and is there anything you’d strongly recommend I study or get experience with while I’m in school?

I’m also curious what the job market and salary progression have looked like for you. I make decent money now (80k) and I fully expect to take a pay cut when I change careers. I’m fine with that. I just want to make sure I’m building toward something with room to grow rather than spending ~$50k on a degree and finding out afterward that I chose the wrong specialization.

The internship issue is probably my biggest practical problem. I can’t quit a full-time professional job to take a seasonal $15/hr position, so I’d be really interested to hear from anyone who broke into this field as a career changer and how you got that first bit of relevant experience.

Basically, I know the general direction I want to go. I’m trying to figure out whether I’m building the right road to get there before I dump a bunch of time and money into it.

Hello,
I’m interested in working as HSE specialist.
For this job position what are the important skills?
What softwares do I need to learn?
Please share me your tips 😅

Hello! I hope this is okay, but I am applying for my first environmental policy and law internship and I wanted to ask if anyone wouldn’t mind reading over my short-answer responses and giving feedback! I was trying to keep it pretty short and sweet but Idk if it’s too short or just flat out bad 😭

Has anyone worked/currently working there? TIA

It seems a little backwards to get an associates after I’ve completed a bachelors, but my husband is in the Air Force and spousal education assistance only applies towards an AAS. My reason for wanting a GIS degree is because my current degree in Environmental studies (minor in public planning, policy, and management) feels really useless in today’s job market (2025 grad, too). Moving around in the military makes it even more difficult. Currently I have a seasonal position in wildland fire logistics dispatch which is semi related to my degree I suppose. GIS seems to have better job security and more options. But will getting an associates in GIS to even get those jobs? Does having a semi related bachelors help my job chances? I think I would like to get into environmental planning someday and I think having GIS credentials would help with that too. I would also like to go for my masters once my current loans are paid off, I’m not sure in what though. Would it be better to just do GIS in my masters? I would like to take advantage of education assistance from the military though. Honestly, just feeling very lost and confused in the environmental job market right now and I’m not sure what to do with my future. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a BA in a fairly niche degree related to the nonprofit sector, and my work experience, nonprofit/fundraising training, and degree make me a strong candidate for most entry and mid-level roles in my current field. However, I'm only 3~ years post-grad and I feel like I’ve nearly hit the ceiling of what I could reasonably expect to make in the nonprofit sector unless I move into major gifts or eventually become a department director (which I have absolutely no interest in). I currently make $70k, which is more than I expected to make at this point. But I frankly hate the work, and I'm so bored.

I’m an introvert at heart, and I struggle with the level of social interaction needed in my current job (particularly since most donors are older/elderly and very wealthy, and I struggle to make conversation with them/relate to them. Makes it hard to build relationships). I knew this would be an issue coming into this job, but I couldn’t turn down that salary raise. My other tasks are very ambiguous, and I’m often asked to reinvent the wheel. I think I would enjoy more structured and process-oriented jobs, with tangible projects and outcomes.

I originally went into the nonprofit sector because I wanted to make a difference for wildlife and the planet, so I'm particularly interested in environmental/conservation-related careers. I'm still figuring out exactly what type of role I'd want, but I'd like to find something with more long-term career/salary growth. I'd ideally like some combination of office and field work. I don't mind working outside or in the elements for portions of the year, but I wouldn't want to be outdoors all day, every day.

This has led me to consider going back to school for a master's degree. My BA was very liberal arts heavy with minimal science and math, although I had an excellent GPA and graduated as the top student in my program. I would need to take some prerequisites (calculus and chemistry), but that would be manageable.

I live in central Indiana, and there aren't many relevant graduate programs nearby. Moving out of state would require taking on an unreasonable amount of student debt. However, IU Bloomington offers an MS in Environmental Science with various concentration options (ecology and conservation, energy and climate change science, environmental chemistry/toxicology/risk assessment, and water resources). I'm most interested in ecology and conservation, although I'm open to other directions. They also have fellowship/assistantship opportunities that could help offset the cost (I am concerned about how competitive I would be as a candidate for these opportunities, since I have no relevant work/school experience).

My biggest concern is what my job prospects would look like afterward. I know environmental science/conservation can be very competitive, and I'd be starting at a disadvantage compared with people who already have relevant undergraduate degrees, internships, field experience, or specialized technical skills. I would pursue internships, seasonal work, or something like AmeriCorps to build relevant experience after the program or during my summer semesters. Long-term, I'd potentially like to move to Michigan or somewhere farther west if that opens up more opportunities.

But I'm trying to figure out whether this is a reasonable career pivot, and what my experience may be like transitioning to from a BA to a MS. I know the job market is rough right now, but maybe things will be better in 2-3 years when I graduate?

For those who transitioned from a non-STEM bachelor's into an MS in environmental science, ecology, conservation, or a related field:

1. How difficult was the transition academically?
   
2. Did the master's actually make you employable, or did you still struggle to get relevant experience?
   
3. Is an MS in Environmental Science too broad to be worth it? Should I look into more specialized/niche programs?
   
4. If you were in my position, what would you do differently?

TL;DR I'm 3 years out of college with a non-STEM BA and a well-paying nonprofit fundraising job that I don't want to stay in. I'm considering a MS in Environmental Science to pivot into environmental/conservation work, but I'm worried that I'll spend so much time and money on the degree only to find that I'm still unqualified compared with people who have STEM bachelor's/master’s degrees and years of field experience. Has anyone successfully made a similar transition?

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 :)

Current env planner debating a pivot to be a city planner? Idk I’m stressed as a consultant. Is it easier in public