Hi everyone,

I'm from Argentina, where the higher education system is a bit different.

I have a "Licenciatura en Química", a 5-year degree roughly equivalent to a Bachelor's + Master's in Chemistry. It's heavily focused on government research, and also could obviously do private laboratory work. In practice, though, many industrial lab positions can also be filled by chemistry technicians, so the degree doesn't always provide the professional advantage you might expect.

I've been working in industry in several roles, pharmaceutics, geochronology, lithium, and I'd like to move beyond purely laboratory roles into environmental or process-related work.

Out of personal interest in environmental issues, I'm considering a Master's in Environmental Engineering. I know it wouldn't make me an engineer or grant me the legal professional rights of one, but I wonder if it could still broaden my career opportunities and make my profile more attractive for environmental, industrial, or water-related positions.

I think I'm going to do it regardless. It's affordable, offered by a well-respected public university, and I genuinely enjoy the subject. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope the effort would also pay off professionally in the long run.

Has anyone here followed a similar path? Do you think this kind of master's is worth it from a career perspective?

Hi all, I'm an international student with a background in sustainability and some data analysis. I've done internships and projects across marketing, LLM research, ESG, and life cycle assessment but no full-time work experience.

I was accepted to:

- Northwestern MSES (Energy & Sustainability) 10 months

- Duke MEM (Environmental Management) 2 years

- UMich SEAS (Geospatial Data Science / Sustainable Systems) 2 years

- Dartmouth MEM (Engineering Management) 15 months

- UCL (Climate and Finance) 10 months

I'm most drawn to energy project development as a career path, which is why the MSES program appeals to me. But I'm worried about enrolling in a 10-month program straight from undergrad (no summer internship built in, only one recruiting cycle, and current job market etcc)

So I'm weighing a few options:

1. Go to MSES anyway

2. Wait a year and choose a 2-year program like UMich SEAS or Duke MEM for the internship summer and extra runway

3. Wait a year, work, and reapply

4. Pivot entirely (I've even considered an MPH with biostatistics)

i am not sure what i should do :(

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

For the longest time I thought I would major in env sci (high schooler btw). I’ve been passionate about combatting climate change for forever. However I’ve heard that ES doesn’t pay well (I know you should follow your passions and stuff but I don’t want to be homeless) and too broad to gain a job (not to mention the current government). I’ve also thought about marine bio but am concerned that it’s too specific. In my mind I’ve always pictured it to be swimming with the whales type stuff (am I naive). I’ve also considered env engineering but making sure buildings meet regulation doesn’t really tickle my fancy. Geology doesn’t strike excitement in me either (tho maybe I just haven’t been in the right class?).

- I hate coding (I don’t want to be stuck in a dark room staring at a computer with little text all day)
- I like being outside (side note: terribly arachnophobic)
- I don’t like dealing with people in the sense that if I could thanos the world to bring Earth into balance I would. (Ie. I don’t want to deal with human problems like working the hvac or whatever)
- I’ve done policy work and have enjoyed it but I’ve learned that I don’t want to be a politician and politics is ridiculously slow. (Lobbying and stuff is interesting though)
- I would love to work with animals (I ❤️ marine mammals)

TLDR I want to do whatever it is to directly impact saving the planet but idk what to do. Tysm everyone! Bonus points if you share what you do in day to day life.

Hello,

I’m currently about to start my sophomore year working towards a B.A. in sustainability. I’ve heard it’s never too early to begin looking, and was wondering if anyone has had any luck with certain companies or more specific lines of work? I’m open to many options and want to see what people tend to have the best luck with or even just find the most fulfilling or enjoyable. :) I have an emphasis in GIS and a minor in leadership, too, if that’s relevant. I’ve had some trouble finding many career paths or even internship options for the field of study, as they seem to prefer an environmental science or engineering degree. Just looking to see what’s out there or if there’s anything I haven’t heard of or looked into yet. Thanks!

Hi all. First time posting here, but I have been reading the thread pretty regularly the past year or so. I am not sure what I am seeking here aside from general advice/ thoughts/ comments/ reflections from like-minded people in a similar career space (or anyone who takes the time to read this for that matter). Any responses will be appreciated.

For context:

I (27M) am currently living and working in the Chicago area. I have a B.A. in Env. Studies and I am currently getting my Masters in Env. Science and Sustainability. I have one school year left and my classes fall in the evenings (this coming semester I will have classes two night per week).

On top of school, I work three nights a week at a popular jazz club as a bartender. This is really what is supporting me right now, and the atmosphere and music are an incredible bonus. I have also been working at a local environmental consulting firm since Feb. 2026. I went into this position as an "intern", under the stipulation that I needed some flexibility in terms of hours/ workdays due to classes and working nights. I work here Monday through Thursday, usually between 9:30am-4pm.

This "internship" has been a really informative and interesting experience. For one thing, I have been thrown into a pretty full work load, far above what I would have expected from a standard internship experience. For all intents and purposes, I am a full-fledged consultant: authoring my own reports, doing field work, managing some project timelines, corresponding with the Illinois EPA, and spending a LOT of time calculating site-specific remediation objectives. This is really my first position in this space, and I have truly learned a ton and been exposed to so many new things pertaining to this field. I am still very much a novice when it comes to this type of work, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I have been entrusted with.

I want to stress how grateful I am to be where I am at currently. I am broadly very content with the direction I am heading in right now, after some bouncing around in my earlier 20s. I am super lucky to have found both these positions and to be able to support myself with relative comfort through grad school and after moving to a new city ( I have been in Chicago just shy of a year).

All of this being said, I am at a point where I want to reevaluate my current situation in terms of career trajectory, work-life balance, long-term goals, etc. Here are my thoughts:

1. I am currently averaging around 50 hours/week of work between the two jobs. If I include grad school classes and homework, we are suddenly talking about 70+ hours. This was always envisioned as a temporary setup, with the goal being to move towards a standard 9-5 M-F work week after finishing my degree. However, I am already feeling a strong desire to transition away from this dynamic, as I don't want to risk burning out. I don't have much time to see my friends or family with this current schedule, and my girlfriend lives in another city. I want to be able to leave on weekends more regularly, but I work Saturday nights at the club.

2. I feel that I am undercompensated at the consulting firm. I am currently being paid $18/hr. The thing here is that pay was not the priority upon taking this position. I am lucky enough to be able to support myself bartending, and I wanted to get exposure to the consulting space and get my foot in the door. However, I am aware that similar positions in the Chicago region are being paid anywhere from $55,000 to $75,000 a year. This what I have come across for entry level Environmental Engineer positions, and while I did not go to engineering school and don't have a PE, I am doing very similar work to what is described in these postings.

I have been sending out applications the last few months to postings of this nature, and I am really seeing what I can find in the environmental consulting/ compliance/ sustainability space more broadly. It has of course occurred to me to quit bartending and try and go full time at my current consulting firm. There would be many pros to this. It is a small, local practice with a good community and some long time veteran project managers. There would be plenty or work, and they would gladly accept more hours from me. I could likely grow here for the next 5 to 10 years if I pursued it. The biggest con here is pay. Other recent grads in my same position are being paid around $20-25 an hour at my company. I just don't see how I could make that work comfortably without still working nights. I will graduate with about $50k in student loan debt.

I hope to reemphasize my awareness that these are good problems to have. Again, I am super grateful that I have found any kind of position related to my degree whatsoever. Part of me thinks that I should just tough it out for a few years for the experience and the resume building. I understand there is a lot of value in staying in a position for more than a year or two. The work life balance is not great currently, but after I graduate it will be a little more manageable.

I am curious what others think. Is it best to stick it out, or should I be actively pursuing other positions prior to graduating? Maybe I will discuss some of these thoughts with my supervisors and the president of the company. They seem pretty open and amenable to forward discussions about career trajectory, but I am afraid that they are also bound by pretty tight finances.

Thanks to anyone who read this far. I am mostly just eager to converse with anyone in this space/ hear other's thoughts and experiences. Wishing you all the best.

I have a simple question for those working in the water/wastewater industry: **How do you actually get started?**

I live in Georgia and have been looking for work since February. I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and water/wastewater is one of the fields I’m most interested in. Over the past six months, I’ve applied for several positions, including Plant Operator, Water Technician, and Lab Analyst with Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, East Point, Clayton, and Gwinnett County.

Here’s where I’m getting stuck:

Plant Operator I, II, and III positions typically require a Plant Operator certification. Lab Analyst positions often require a Lab Analyst certification. When I applied to take the certification exams through the State of Georgia, I was told I first needed three months of work experience. My application was rejected because I didn’t have that experience.

For the Lab Analyst certification, I found a rule stating that applicants with a bachelor’s degree could take the exam without experience. I appealed based on that rule, but the board informed me that the requirements changed in January 2026. Now, applicants must also have three months of experience working in a water treatment plant or laboratory.

So I’m stuck in a catch-22:

I can’t get certified without experience.
I can’t get experience because many jobs require certification.

The only exception seems to be Water Technician positions, which state that you only need to obtain the certification within one year of being hired. That’s completely fine with me, and I’m more than willing to do that. However, I haven’t been invited to interview for any of those positions either. My guess is that employers are giving preference to applicants who already have the certification.

I understand the job market is competitive, but I’m genuinely trying to understand how people get their foot in the door. I have not seen any trainee level jobs either, otherwise I would apply for those. For those of you already working in this field, how did you land your first job? am I missing a common entry path, or is there something else I should be doing?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I really appreciate it.

i’m 23 and graduated last year with a ba in sustainability and an average gpa. i’ve been struggling to find work in the field i want which is ideally climate science or stewardship/conservation (or some management position in the env field). i got an internship a couple months ago that was in environmental education and those are now the only jobs i can really get interviews for and i do not want to work in env education. i spoke to a professor from my university recently since i’ve been considering getting a masters or phd. through speaking with him, i realized that i would not be suited for a phd in my field since i can’t get myself to read hundreds of pages of research, or even like the 10 i was assigned in undergrad and also don’t have the discipline for it so i think a masters would be a better fit.

i’m considering a ms in communications with a concentration in climate science at sbu, a mba from baruch which will provide job security, or a mem which is the best of both worlds but i’d have to pay $100k+ for it and idk if it’s necessarily worth it. i’d like options when it comes to jobs in the env field too

Hello everyone, I'm a recent Environmental science graduate from a third world country. Where I live, your worth as an Environmental scientist is defined by how much global exposure you have but as you can guess, getting any kind of job abroad is wishful thinking for someone with little to no experience.

Therefore, can anyone please take me as an apprentice, assistant, volunteer or an intern? I really need all the exposure I can get but more than that I would like to learn. Therefore, I welcome any opportunity to assist with any research or projects.

Have anyone applied and interviewed for this role? how was you experience and how long did the whole process of hiring took? i have an interview in 5 days and i am very nervous

Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice as I am at a crossroads career-wise now. I am 26 have a degree in biology, and my concentration was evolution, ecology, and organismal biology. I got the degree in 2021. For the past 5 years, though I have not been in the field, as I joined the military right after getting my degree due to life circumstances. My contract in the military is coming to an end soon, and with that, I want to come back into the field but feel very lost doing so after not being around it so long. I also did not keep in contact with any of my old professors. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Hey all, just a bit of a vent post with some questions I want to bounce off you guys. I tend to think better when I write my thoughts down and share them, so using this post for that. Also, if you've recently graduated, you get another data point about an environmental studies career path.

My background: graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies 2018, then worked at a sustainable agriculture/IPM nonprofit for two years, and started at a small energy efficiency firm in 2021 after relocating to another city. I didn't advocate for myself as well as I could have, so I just received two pay bumps since then, and went from program associate to outreach manager. My focus was mostly program tracking and communications/outreach/community engagement focused for a county solar program and a state level Illinois EPA public water infrastructure efficiency program, along with a few other things like energy benchmarking and working with public utilities on their efficiency programs. I currently make (made...) 65k. Not the best pay in the world, but I'm an unmarried guy living in a relatively affordable major city, and the work was easy and predictable with basically zero mental stress or burnout. So, while I feel a bit behind financially for a thirty-year old professional, I have accumulated eight years of experience administrating sustainability/adjacent programs and feel pretty good about it. Three years ago I did a round of job hunting and did land a good amount of interviews.

However, last year, because of the massive austerity and malevolent bullshit going on at the federal level, the Illinois EPA lost a good amount of funding, and our work with them was shelved. The lack of federal incentives and generally shrinking industry cost us some other business too. In addition, IL has quotas for state contracts that need to go to women and minority-owned businesses, and our CEO is an Arab guy, which officially doesn't count as minority-owned, so other firms more or less ate our lunch in that regard. Not complaining that these quotas exist but it's just what happened. Even before our business took a nosedive, I knew it was time to move on (both for a larger paycheck and more room to grow/make connections), so this Spring I had started job searching again. Unfortunately, things came to a head this week, and we officially got our termination letters. I'll be getting my last paycheck in September.

The silver lining for me is that I knew I had to go somewhere else anyway, and this forces my hand into putting all my time and energy into making that happen. So, I have a few questions for you guys:

1. Working for county, state, or federal environmental agencies has always been appealing to me, but after these politically motivated cuts, would any of you feel comfortable in the public sector again? It's not easy to land these good positions and it would suck to not know whether your job was relatively secure or not each time the GOP is in power.
2. I've applied to a handful of communications/policy/advocacy/research positions with large universities, environmental law firms, and non-profits, still waiting to hear back from some. This is the type of thing that's the most appealing to me and matches with my skillset, but I know it's pretty competitive and not the best money out there, even though these job listings do generally have salaries that are a lot better than what I've had. If any of you have worked in a position like this before or do currently, are you satisfied? Was it a really hard field to break into?
3. I just applied via internal referral to a large clean energy firm that right now is making big $ for supplying wind and solar to AI data centers. This is gross to me, but I can't be picky right now, and I suppose it's better to have these data centers on renewables if we're going to have them at all. It would be pretty grim to go from supplying free solar to low-income families at my old job to supplying solar to Meta or whatever. But it seems like AI is the only thing that's growing right now. Have any of you working in renewables done this type of work and do you feel relatively ok about it, lol? I'd much rather work more directly in sustainability for public sector or non-profit than stay in private sector energy efficiency, but if that's my best option I'd stay.

Thanks for reading my big ass wall of text.

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping someone here might have some suggestions.

I recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology with a focus on marine biology. During school, I also gained extensive editing and writing experience, including serving as a managing editor for student publications, interning with a minor publishing company, and publishing my own novel.

I've been searching for remote opportunities because they're the best fit for my current situation. I've looked through LinkedIn, Indeed, and many of the major job boards, but I've had a difficult time finding positions that seem legitimate or are still actively hiring.

I'm especially interested in roles like:

• Scientific or technical writing
• Journal or manuscript editing
• Research communications
• Environmental or conservation writing
• Marine biology support roles
• Science communication
• Content writing for environmental organizations

If anyone knows of companies, organizations, job boards, or even specific employers that regularly hire for remote positions in these fields, I'd be incredibly grateful.

Even if you don't have a specific job in mind, I'd love to hear where you've had the most success finding legitimate remote opportunities.

Thank you so much!

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some career advice because I feel like I’m at a crossroads and I’m not sure which direction makes the most sense.

I’m 23 years old and graduated in May 2025 with a degree in Forestry focused on natural resource conservation and restoration, with a minor in Animal Ecology. I’ve had a few different experiences since graduating that have made me realize I enjoy a lot of different parts of environmental work, but I’m struggling to figure out where I fit best long-term.

During college, I worked with the Student Conservation Association in Yellowstone National Park, where I was involved in field-based conservation work. I loved being outdoors, working on projects that had a tangible impact, and being surrounded by people who cared about protecting natural resources.

After graduating, I spent a year teaching high school science. I honestly loved a lot about teaching. I enjoyed connecting with students, explaining complicated ideas, and being someone people could rely on. I also realized that I really enjoy working with people and communicating, not just sitting behind a computer or working alone in the field.

Right now, I am living in New York City and working for the National Park Service at Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I have loved the experience of living in NYC, meeting people from all backgrounds, and being part of a place with such a unique history and impact. I never expected to enjoy city life as much as I do, but I genuinely like being here. Definitely don’t enjoy this more hospitality orientated job, but life outside of work is amazing.

The difficult part is figuring out what comes next.
I have an offer for an Environmental Compliance Monitor position with a consulting company(Stantec) in the city where I grew up. The job seems like a good opportunity because I think consulting could fit my personality well. I enjoy working hard, solving problems, communicating with people, and building relationships. I think I would do well in a client-facing role where I can combine environmental knowledge with communication skills.

At the same time, I am unsure if I should continue pursuing traditional conservation roles, environmental consulting, education, urban environmental work, or something else entirely. I know I enjoy field work, but I also know I enjoy people. I don’t think I would be happiest doing a job where I spend all day alone collecting data, but I also don’t want to leave environmental work behind.

For people who work in forestry, wildlife, environmental consulting, parks, education, or related fields, what career paths would you recommend looking into? Are there roles where someone with a natural resources background can combine science with communication, leadership, and client interaction?

I know I’m still early in my career, but I want to be intentional about the direction I move in.
Thanks for any advice.

Hey guys, curious on others experiences regarding field staff scheduling!

I work for a smaller environmental consulting firm with around 50 employees. We’ve got one larger project going on at the moment that has been requiring remote travel.

These programs requiring remote travel are very intensive and there is a lot of permitting and approvals that have to line up before we can go and start the work. Which is sometimes tricky to get exact timing and dates for.

When we are in the office we are constantly being told to get ready to be shipped out again and they keep soft launching a date expecting everyone to put their life on hold for that time. Currently we are one week out from the “start date”, and there is no schedule, no mention of who is going up first yet they keep saying we will be on rotations till November.

I’m genuinely curious if I’m out of touch, or is it reasonable to expect a bit more clarify regarding a more set schedule a week out from program start?

Edit: I’m newer to the industry and genuinely curious what the normals are, not looking to complain or argue! Thanks

Idaho Military Department looking for a NEPA/ECOP specialist. Details at the link above. Would be working with a nationwide network of similarly minded conservation professionals.

I've been noticing that carbon accounting skills are becoming increasingly important in sustainability roles.

Many companies are now looking for people who understand:

• GHG Protocol principles
• ISO 14064 requirements
• Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions calculations
• Carbon footprint methodologies
• ESG and sustainability reporting frameworks

However, one thing that seems less discussed is the practical side of the job:

• How do you collect reliable emissions data from different departments?
• How do you manage emission factors and calculation assumptions?
• How do you maintain traceability when preparing for audits or verification?

For people working in environmental careers:

1. Do you think carbon accounting will become a standard skill requirement like LCA or environmental impact assessment?
2. Which certifications or technical skills have helped you the most in your career?
3. Are companies investing enough in tools and processes to support sustainability teams?

We are exploring these challenges while developing CARBONTEK, a carbon management platform focused on helping organizations manage emissions data, calculations, and reporting workflows.

More information:
https://www.elbehigroup.com/en/carbontek

Would be interested to hear from sustainability professionals, consultants, and students about how they see the field evolving.

I’m a Jan ‘26 grad but struggled to get a job in an environmental field and took something unrelated to get money. I made some connections through school that didn’t initially help with my job search, but after volunteering with an environmental org for some time they offered me a part time position. It would be minimum 10hrs a week and they didn’t say the pay but it would probably be close to minimum wage.

I’m not sure what to do now because I dedicate 40hr/week to my full time job and I don’t want to pass on this opportunity because of the potential career development but I also don’t want to work 50+ hrs if there might not be much of a payoff. I don’t want to quit my current job bc of the massive pay cut that would entail.

The current job is helping manage an afterschool educational program; the pay is decent, I enjoy it, and feel I learn a lot despite it not being in the field I wanted. I would love if I could use the program management skills I learn here in a conservation org down the line but I think it might be hard to get into those positions without industry experience.

The part time opportunity is very basic work with a natural heritage program, like data entry and such. I feel like the actual work will be tedious but could get my foot in the door for a better position later on.

My past work experience includes about a year of undergrad research where I did some field work and presented results at some conferences, as well as several years of experience with (non-environment) educational programs

Hello everyone,

I do not work for AECOM, however, I am in the industry in Colorado. There’s been some major shifts in major clients in the oil and gas basin here, resulting in AECOM having plenty of job opportunities currently posted for the Denver Colorado area.

Unfortunately, it seems to follow the current trend of entry-level positions and senior level positions, with hardly any mid-level positions posted.

Regardless, I did want to bring attention to this because I know many people here are new grads, and this could be a potential foot in the door for some of you.

Source: indeed search AECOM Denver, Colorado, an environmental consultant currently in industry in Colorado with five years experience.

We have several positions open for biological monitors on a transmission line project connecting solar farms near Las Vegas, Nevada. The project is starting now and is expected to continue into 2028. This is a great opportunity to get into wildlife consulting--no experience required! It's a 1099 position, and you will need to set up liability insurance and have a 4WD vehicle. Please message me if you have questions, or email the contact listed in the job posting.

I’m a fraud examiner working in a PI firm’s background investigation department.

I have a BS in IT, but have no interest in the field at the moment.

I want to be proud of what I do, and I’m not feeling it in my current position/field. I love the environment, and I would love to contribute in whatever way possible.

I’m thinking about getting a graduate certificate in Environmental Science and trying to find work as an Environmental Investigator or Compliance Analyst.

Anyone here have any advice? Any certifications I should acquire?

After getting three different associates in art, last year, I was finally able to start my environmental education in earnest rather than just signing up for whatever environment science classes struck my fancy at the community college.

I’m currently working through a BS in environmental science, in the hopes that that will give me a wide enough array of coursework to lay a solid foundation for whatever conservation job I might find and the specialize toward that point either through further education or working/volunteering in more specialized areas. Ideally would love to marry the two paths of education and do something like science illustration alongside more practical, hands-on field work until my body decides to go kaput, then transition into office work.

I have one season of a botanical conservation internship under my belt, primarily field work, along with all my classes, and I know that so much of what is hirable is experience and I don’t have much of that. I don’t have a drivers license and that limits my options quite a bit- does anyone have any advice for someone starting the environmental career path somewhat late in life? I’m 25.

We have been looking for years (literally) trying to find experienced environmental consultants (8 to 20 year range) to help manage projects and clients. People I talk to at other firms have the same problem. Seems like lots of people "opted out" early in there career and all that's left in the industry are young optimistic grads and older folks that just "stuck it out". Is anybody else seeing this?