What courses should I apply to that have to do about the environment in community colleges while I am in high school?

Hi Gina.

The environment is a strong button with me too. We have to do something about climate change, and quick. So, I'm going to suggest a couple of different approaches rather than just a list of courses. There are a gazillion jobs with an environmental bent to them. Some jobs are actually trying to help the planet, and some 'environmental' jobs are continuing to destroy it....for instance people who work at oil and gas companies with the title 'Environmental Engineer'. Their job is to AVOID costs of environmental regulations for their employers. So they find ways to work around them, but the company often says publicly they are doing great environmental things. This is often called 'green washing'. Watch for it.

I hope you are talking about the first group. If you aren't, please stop reading.

Here's an idea. Since there are so many potential jobs having to do with the environment, can you at this time focus on 2-3 job categories within environmental careers. For instance, do you want to monitor stream water, measure cloud density, discover a means to extract CO2 from the atmosphere, clean up the oceans of plastic, find a bacteria that will eat nuclear waste, manage a wind mill farm? Something else? If so, research those 2-3 industries and email them perhaps with this question:

"Good morning. I'm a high student with a strong interest in the environment and would be very grateful for your brief help. Can you please suggest 2-3 courses that would be helpful for me to take, now and at a community college, so that I could work at a company like yours in the area of __________? Thank you very much"

You can often find email addresses on company websites for at least a human resource officer. Better if you can find the email of specialists there like you'd like to be. You'll be surprised. Try this at several companies and someone will respond. Everyone who has a job today was in your exact position sometime back, and fundamentally people want to help those dealing with the same career questions they once had. To many folks, it can be flattering that you asked. So don't be timid in asking. Worse case is that you get no reply or one that says I don't know. No big deal either way. Just keep trying to reach someone else till you get a helpful reply

Ok, and here is the stranger recommendation for courses to take. Take courses that will teach you about how politics works. That's the problem with the environment right now. Not the science behind it, but the public desire to do something about stopping the degradation of our planet.

There is a large body of what are called 'climate deniers' who block meaningful legislation to stop the pollutants. THAT is where climate change will be addressed---in our legislative bodies. THAT is where YOUR scientific future will be determined. So, besides being a good scientist, understand what you are up against to get good science respected and utilized appropriately. At the moment with the current members of our US Congress, that isn't happening. And our planet is melting. If you are of voting age please support political candidates who will change this. Thank you.

Gina, we need more persons like you ready to tackle solutions for our environment. Thank you! Go get 'em!!