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How is the field of Environmental Conservation looking?
I just want to be sure that my future job field has either a decent turnover rate or a large enough demand for jobs so that I can go straight to work after I get my degree. #career #money #career-path #salary #environmental #job-market #wildlife #financial-planning
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Erin’s Answer
When you say a career in environmental conservation, if you're referring to the overall environmental sustainability field, including climate change, then that field is booming right now (2021). I've worked in this field since 1997 (when my mother worried whether I'd ever be able to get a job in that field), and I've seen a consistent growth in job opportunities since then. And currently, the field of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is growing so much. Many companies and governments are trying to figure out what they should be doing to reduce their impact on climate change. This ends up generating jobs in many areas, including environmental consulting, data analysis and reporting, energy conservation, renewable energy, working in the carbon offsets market (developing carbon offset projects, matching companies with them, etc), and more. My first job was in an environmental engineering consulting company (even though I was not an engineer), and I see a lot of job opportunities for people coming out of college in consulting companies. That gives us some solid experience to understand where we want to focus in future jobs and gives us skills to take to the next job in that area.
One helpful step is to get clear on your skills you want to use in the environmental field, and then look for jobs that use those skills to help the environment. With all the growth in this field, skills or a degree in many other fields can be applied to the environmental field (computer science, economics, public policy, chemistry, even marketing and business).
Erin recommends the following next steps:
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Roxanne’s Answer
In my job search, I've seen a lot of opportunities in the environmental field but they are aimed at engineers. Environmental engineering offers more opportunities than an environmental science degree.
I pursued my Masters in Environmental Management after getting a BS in Environmental Science because I had trouble getting a job with just a bachelors degree. With a Masters, I've been able to work for state government and organize recycling programs for nonprofits. I just switched careers from the environmental field to risk consulting.
Having an environmental degree has made me marketable, but I have had to explain my degree and my skill set in depth in interviews.
I pursued my Masters in Environmental Management after getting a BS in Environmental Science because I had trouble getting a job with just a bachelors degree. With a Masters, I've been able to work for state government and organize recycling programs for nonprofits. I just switched careers from the environmental field to risk consulting.
Having an environmental degree has made me marketable, but I have had to explain my degree and my skill set in depth in interviews.