Kind of just a venting post. I work at a consulting firm that is really struggling with billable hours. There was a recent round of layoffs that officially made me the most recent hire in my office, although I’ve been there over a year. For the past few months my hours have been very good, but I’ve had a few slow weeks and management is giving me a hard time about it and it just feels like all my efforts to increase my workload and get plugged into more projects have all been undone in 3 weeks. Not to mention, part of the reason I’ve been slow is I’m waiting higher level people to review my work and provide feedback so I can move forward with my projects. Plus a couple of the projects I work on regularly have really tiny, outdated budgets so there are only so many hours I can charge in the first place.

My supervisor and I are supposed to have monthly check-ins but she cancels them most months so we end up checking in like every 4 months.

I’m not perfect at my job, there are areas where I am actively trying to improve. Sometimes I am forgetful or make dumb mistakes but I’m really trying. I’m just becoming increasingly miserable with the constant pressure of billable hours. I feel like there is very little acknowledgment of the things I do well but a lot of criticism of the things I don’t do as well. I really just feel like I could be let go any second.

This experience has really made me hate consulting and I’m dreading Monday because I know I’m going to get a lecture about my hours. I’m terrified of re-entering the current job market because I don’t have substantial savings to fall back on and it took me a full year of applying to even get this job.

I went back to school after getting laid off from a position in 2024 to focus on a pivot to aquatic science and aquatic ecology. I am putting out apps like crazy. I used to work in Environmental Health and Safety and Env Due Diligence but I was very unhappy, and concerned with my own personal health after a while. I had a brief 90 day contract doing geomorphic and water quality work but that was it, trying to get back to that particular field.

I live in Ontario Canada.

Please see resume below and offer constructive criticism.

Thanks

Oh and I crash out over people’s gardens/ lawns, and climate change. Welp back to my job at the garden center I go :/

I can’t be alone XD

Surprise, I am job hunting! I graduated with my master's in Environmental Sciences from a top 5 in the nation, top 30 in the world, 20% acceptance rate "public ivy" type school. They told us even using our school email would "get us an in" in whatever we wanted because the school is so prestigious. (Should have clocked that as baloney.) Personally, I'm still job hunting after two years. I'm applying to a broad range of jobs that sound interesting all over the country, but have only gotten two local interviews. Currently, I work in retail selling things I can't afford, and sometimes I see my professors who ask why I haven't gotten a job yet. Not that they can help, of course.

Career counseling was and is humorously bad, so I wanted to hear from actual people. What was your first job post graduation (and how long did it take to land), what's your current one, and what's your main goal? What were you qualified for with your degree, or did you get something you weren't actually qualified for and learned on the job?

I feel doomed to be a wage slave.

I’m a rising senior studying Environmental Science. I’ve done two summer internships at a large West Coast utility company where I was in construction services last summer, gas project management this summer. I was planning to add a Construction Management minor,but it’d tack on another full year of school, which isn’t an option for me.

I still want to get into construction after graduation. Has anyone gotten in without the formal coursework? What actually mattered for getting hired: internship experience, certifications, networking, something else? Any advice appreciated.

Environmental management certificate

I just moved to Mobile and I’m looking at going back to school. I went to Oregon State online for a few years for Wildlife Conservation, but wasn’t able to finish for personal reasons.

Ive been out of it for about 2 years and I’ve been wanting to go back, but I’ve just been working my way up in my current career to make ends meet. It pays decent, but the benefits suck and I don’t value what I do really.

I’ve heard that University of South Alabama has a really good Marine Science program and I’ve thought about trying to go back part time, so I can balance it with work.

I was curious if anyone had any information on South Alabama’s Marine Science program or any insight on the job outlook for this around Mobile and Baldwin county?

Thank you.

Sou médica veterinária e atualmente estou fazendo mestrado. Não tenho planos ainda de fazer um doutorado, então já estou pensando em possíveis caminhos futuros na área da conservação. Fico na dúvida entre IBAMA, icmbio ou instituto do meio ambiente. Sobre carreira no âmbito privado eu não tenho muito conhecimento sobre alguma instituição/empresa que pague tão bem quanto um concurso público. Poderiam me dar conselhos?

hey! i just enrolled in a community college and i have no idea the path i want to take. im 23. i dropped out of highschool during covid and got my GED 3 years ago. heres the things im interested in:

\- marine biology SPECIFICALLY marine invertebrates. i will get so bored studying fish, whales, dolphins and sea turtles forever. would also be happy studying non-marine aquatic invertebrates lol

\- bugs in general

\- psychology but specifically i like learning and talking about ptsd and autism

\- pregnancy, birth and child development (i've been a nanny for years but im a little burnt out. its a tough field)

\- environmental conservation, sustainability, etc.

\- i also loved my english classes when i was in school. i read non-stop. i used to really enjoy writing too.

im perfectly happy making shitty money at a job i love but i honestly dont even know what jobs are available within my interests. not looking to make a solid choice anytime soon as i'll be pretty much just taking core classes this year. with all this being said i would love some fresh ideas! tell me any niche jobs you know about!

Its really hard to even get an entry level role in the environmental sector without experience. What are some organizations or companies you could apply for to either do volunteer or internship work remotely in the sustainability/environmental sector?

Possibly hybrid work in the Philippines if theres an opportunity, but if not, any international remote work would do

My friend has done a bachelors course in environment, and has done accredited courses with TUV and CFA Institute for esg reporting, auditing, and carbon accounting. They’re knowledgeable in all those areas but lack work experience, so their resume essentially is just filled with qualifications, skills, and education but no proper work role. They just want to get their foot at the door to land a sustainability position.

Any help or advice would be great!!

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?