Marissa
What should I major in if I want to work in a field that allows me to raise public awareness for environmental issues?
So far I have completed two years of community college credit towards a degree in Psychology. However, I am unsure about my choice to major in psychology based on the job market and amount of schooling required to get a job. Recently I began reading about environmental issues such as our overuse of plastic (that keeps being created but cannot be destroyed and is killing our coral reefs), the addition of BPA to multiple items including receipt papers (even though research believes it causes health issues), the addition of unsafe chemicals to our food, and the overconsumption of sugar in our society. I feel passionately about issues such as those listed above, and would like to work on a team of people that would try to fight big corporations, encourage people to sign petitions, and raise awareness in general for healthier eco-friendly living. #psychology #social-work #social #environmental #environment
2 answers
Latoya Jeeter, MSW, GCDF
Latoya’s Answer
In addition to Hanna's answer, I would looking into Public Health or Environmental Psychology/Studies.
An environmental studies degree is an arts degree, looking at the environment from a humanities point of view. Aspiring scientists who are interested in the environment can major in environmental science, explaining environmental processes in terms of biology, geology, chemistry and other science fields. Degree programs in environmental health, toxicology or environmental engineering will teach you how to keep people safe around potential hazards like industrial waste. An environmental law degree program will teach you how to interpret current laws and create new laws affecting the environment.
Public health is working to protect the environment, identifying sources of illness in population groups, controlling disease outbreaks, evaluating the economic impacts of changing demographics, developing interventions to promote healthy behavior, and producing health policy legislation. Public health draws from a broad array of disciplines, such as the social and behavioral sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, business, economics, statistics, epidemiology, law and biology, and each provide unique insights for the diverse set of activities involved in public health practice.
Hanna DeBruhl
Hanna’s Answer
Marissa, These are wonderful aspirations. I majored in psychology as well, but with what you want to do, you may want to look into political science or public affairs as an well. You may also want to look into leadership or community development. Good Luck!!!