When I decided to change my life by entering the environmental field, I
didn’t have a clue about what I could do, how to do it, or where to go
to make my way. At the time, though, I didn’t care much about “how,” so
I stumbled my way through.
I haven’t done too badly, I suppose. But, 10 years later, having been
through and worked in the academic world, I know that it’s not magic
and there is a much easier way than the road that I traveled.
So, read on: Whether you’re in high school thinking about college or in
college thinking about graduate school, you can learn from my mistakes
- and, believe me, there were many…
LESSON #1: Getting Started? Take an Inventory
The environmental profession may look very specialized and scientific,
and the majority of positions probably are. But it’s important for you
to know that no matter what your skills are, you can succeed.
To get started, make a list of your environmental interests and include the issues that are most important to you. For example:
Next,
consider your skills and make another list. If you’re working, what
skills have you learned? Accounting, cooking, creative arts,
communications, management, nursing, researching, etc.
If you’re in school, what are your best subjects? Math and science? English or history?
Consider your life experiences, too. Maybe you’ve learned a good bit
about hiking or taking care of plants on your own or through clubs and
organizations.
Compare your list of skills against the requirements of prospective
careers. This will also help you identify areas where you need to
acquire more skills.
Keep these lists. We’ll get back to them in a minute.
LESSON #2: The Internet is Your Friend
There are resources on the web for everything. Need to find a college?
There’s Petersons.com. Need financial aid? There’s FinAid.com. Need to
find or start a new career? There are more job boards than you can
shake a stick at.
But, don’t forget human interaction. There’s only so much feedback you
can get from a computer screen. Use the lists you made in Lesson 1 as
discussion points, and get going….
Go to career centers and counseling centers - Talk to the pros at your
high school or a local college. It’s their job to talk about your
ambitions and how to meet them.
Do some creative brainstorming - Talk with friends and family about
what you want to do in the environmental field, why you want to do it,
and how you can best get to where you want to go.
Talk with environmental professionals - When you find an area of
interest, track down some folks who are already doing it by calling
companies or agencies. Many would love to speak to you, and even give
you a hands-on tour of what they do. (Keep in mind that you may need to
try a few before you can make an appointment.)
LESSON #3: The Calendar in My Mind
I really had no idea how much there was to do, and how so many little
things - which really seemed like they should take only a few hours -
could drag into days… then weeks… then months!
No matter how quickly you think you can get things done, it will almost always take much longer than you think.
Here are a few pointers from my “coulda-woulda-shoulda” list:
Think Ahead - If you start early and plan ahead, you’ll have had twice as many environmental programs to choose from.
Don’t Just “Meet” the Deadlines - If you wait until the last
minute, there’s less chance of standing out. To make a good first
impression and have your name stick out in the minds of
decision-makers, get your material in early!
Pre-requisite classes and exams are important indicators of how
prepared you are. Find out what your top choice of colleges want to
see, and meet those expectations.
Be certain that the people who write your prepare personalized letters
about you. A detailed letter from a teacher who is familiar with you
and your capabilities carries more weight than a generic letter from a
high-ranking official.
The competition to get into environmental programs can be tough. If you
aren’t accepted into the #1 school on your list, don’t let your
optimism be tainted. When I didn’t get accepted into program that I
most wanted, I simply made my list of pros and cons, picked the next
best program, packed my bags, and went on my way.
So many professionals, employers will tell you that it doesn’t matter
what school you come from because school won’t teach you the
enthusiasm, determination and motivation that will get you places.
LESSON #4: Financing College 101
No one - and I mean NO ONE - who is determined to get an environmental
degree should be stopped by a lack of money. There are too many ways to
get it.
The Department of Education says that about half of you won’t need
financial aid. The other half of you will hunt and search everywhere
for student loans, grants, awards and scholarships. For this half, when
it comes to financing your environmental degree, fortunately, you have
a few options:
Student Loans - Chances are, if you have a real financial need,
you’ll qualify for a student loan, and you won’t have to worry too much
about paying for your degree until after you graduate. I believe that
the reward of a fulfilling environmental career far outweighs the
low-interest debt.
Free Money - There are lots of funding opportunities for every
kind of environmental student… Scholarships, assistantships, grants,
awards, etc. But they aren’t easy to get, and if you don’t do your
homework, you’ll surely miss the boat!
The biggest lesson here is that even if you miss the Free Money ride
(and the vast majority of us do), your environmental career is far from
sunken. I looked for environmental grants and scholarships, but I got
started too late. I ended up working a lot and taking out student
loans.
It may sound like a hard road to travel, but you can do it. Don’t believe for even a minute that you can’t.
LESSON #5: Credibility Counts!
Perhaps the most important part of your environmental education is
building your credibility so employers will feel comfortable hiring you.
It’s good to remember that good grades aren’t everything, too! Matter
of fact, there are a lot of employers who don’t really care what your
grades are - all they care about is whether or not you can do the job.
You will find that, in the course of your environmental education, you
will have at least a couple of opportunities to really show what you
can do:
The Internship - Internships are huge, so take them very, very
seriously. You absolutely will not get a better chance to show your
stuff, your commitment, and your ability to work in the environmental
field. Most of the time, it’s not about showing off what you know, but
what can do and what you’re willing to do. If you impress your boss
during your internship, you can bet that you’ll have an inside track if
a full-time position opens up. You can also use the networking
resources of that company to find another similar position in the same
or a related field.
Volunteer! - There are so many organizations, in every sector of
the economy that have more work on their hands than they can handle.
You should take advantage of every opportunity that you can to gain
first-hand experience in your field of interest. Volunteering is a
golden opportunity to show your stuff and make important connection
with people who can help you find your “dream job” in the environmental
field. So look around in your community, and find out what’s going on;
call local groups, agencies and businesses to see what you can do to
help. Make the time to volunteer!
The Thesis or Project - This isn’t applicable for all programs (particularly for most undergraduate studies), but for those for which it does… you get to choose something to investigate a problem to tackle. You get to find the answers, do the research, and document your findings.
It’s a huge endeavor, and it doesn’t have to be just academic.” You
should make it worthwhile, make it say something… and, while you’re
at it, do it with the idea of impressing future employers!
It was in my first year of graduate school that I decided to start a
nonprofit environmental group as part of my Masters project, designed
to help other environmental groups through networking and
communications.
It was in my second year that I landed an internship for a water quality testing agency, which led to a full-time position.
I graduated, but I kept in touch with the environmental faculty.
Through my full-time job, I made many contacts with government agencies
and environmental businesses. Through my volunteer group, I made many
contacts with the environmental sector and community leaders.
These experiences are what has led me to where I am today.
LESSON #6: Everyone is Important
Maybe this is more philosophical than educational, but you should
remember that everyone you meet has a perspective based on his or her
own experiences. Every single one of them is unique. Every single
person you meet has something different to offer.
You can learn from them!
In the environmental field, in particular, the issues are so complex
that they boggle the best of the scientific minds - have you ever
noticed how difficult it is to find a consensus on almost any issue?
When you are making your way in the environmental field, pay attention
to the people you meet - teachers, students, co-workers, business
people, community activists, government regulators, and anyone else who
takes the issues seriously for whatever reason. They all bring
something important to the table.
Everything in the world is so interconnected, there are so many factors
to consider, variables are constantly changing… I mean, this is a
tough field!
But the environmental profession is also extremely important. In fact,
our lives depend on it. With a little planning and a lot of commitment,
you could be on the road to making some significant contributions to
our planet.
Ward Allebach is a partner of Education.org and editor of www.EnviroEducation.com,
a web site designed to help people find colleges, universities and
training opportunities in any environmental field. He is an MS graduate
of the Environmental Studies Program at California State University, Fullerton.
We don’t have a paywall because, as a nonprofit publication, our mission is to inform, educate and inspire action to protect our living world. Which is why we rely on readers like you for support. If you believe in the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end donation to our Green Journalism Fund.
DonateGet four issues of the magazine at the discounted rate of $20.