Anybody have a career based in the sciences?

[Theoctagon]

Majoring in environmental science with a natural sciences emphasis. Was curious if anyone has graduated with a similar degree, what you do, if you enjoy your work, what to expect. Anything in general to be honest

 

[Charles Brown]

Expect to get more degrees, or be unemployed.

 

[Theoctagon]

Expect to get more degrees, or be unemployed.

Any elaboration on that?

 

[Charles Brown]

Any elaboration on that?

You're going to need a PhD to make a living.

 

[Theoctagon]

You're going to need a PhD to make a living.

I'd planned on going to grad school. Figured it's almost necessary for most science majors.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

You're going to need a PhD to make a living.

Really? A company like Genentech, or some company that makes technology wont hire BS guys. Only PHDs?

 

[Brampton_Boy]

I have a "similar" background to the TS.

While my undergrad was in econ and stats, my masters was in environmental economics and my Ph.D in Geography (falling under the banner of resource management).

Though I presently work in academia, consulting is definitely a viable option for those with backgrounds in environmental science. Companies like Golder, Sumerhill, Bios, and divisions of Deloitte and KPMG all specialize in environmental services.

Environmental auditing is huge right now. If you can get your ISO certification, you will have more work than you can handle.

 

[ucunc156]

if your a science major and want to make decent to good money, you need more than your undergrad as stated (still puts you ahead of most other majors who will be having jobs that used to be held by high school degrees in the past).

the only undergrads worth a damn anymore are engineering, finance, and accounting.

 

[casualfan]

I have a BS Applied Physics degree. Skipped masters for financial reasons and because I already had a job by the time I graduated. I would be in a better job, salary-wise, had I pursued graduate studies.

 

[ocean size]

TS I am a biologist, I don't know what you want to do with your degree but if you want good prospects in the environmental science field I would change majors. Env. Science doesn't have enough math and hard science that makes you appealing to an employer. It also is usually not a good enough degree to get into a graduate degree in the sciences. Biology, Statistics, Economics, depending what it is you want to do one of those might be a better choice.

If you want to do policy then it is probably fine..

Poster above is correct, you will need an advanced degree for a good job with the possible exception that you are superb at selling yourself and you know the right people.

So you better get good grades and do a shitload of networking and get any experience or internships in research, policy or whatever it is you want to do before you graduate. You will need all of that for either a job or to get into grad school.

Oh anyway I worked pretty hard in school, also got tons of experience in the field doing research and working for free/peanuts under researchers, which got me into grad school, and now I fucking love my job. Fishing, diving, enough money to live on also (1/2-2/3 of the time is behind a computer using stats, computer programming, etc.)

 

[Theoctagon]

Just bro science, but that's not saying much.

Bro science is underrated.

 

[lakersfan45]

Im currently in grad school for my phd in biochem.

There are lots of biotech companies that need bs students, many of the people i graduated with are doing well, a few even make six figs with just a bs. If you want to be in charge of your own projects and want more opportunities to make good money obviously an advanced degree is the way to go.

Anyway, ts... what kind of research do you want to do after u graduate

 

[Davii]

If I may be blunt, environmental science is a bit like "Communications" that the girls take in business school. Waste of time. They dont get jobs or just end up being personal assistants to someone, probably because they are good looking 22 year old girls more than anything else.

My last friend who graduated from a decent school (UCSB) had a 3.4 in environmental science, and ended up being a programmer because nothing would ever hire him (he taught himself code in undergrad). He was also unemployed for a year before landing said job.

Challenge yourself, find a hard major. Now is the time to make a quality decision. No, environmental science is not a hard major...

 

[SammyPops]

Not hard science but I work in medical research study design

 

[weed]

my cousin & her husband are both professors & scientists. her husband is at the top level working in DC, reknowned to be one of the top scientists in the US, working with "future fuels"

 

[akimbo187]

I'm a mining engineer, and I have taken environmental science courses. I think you should be fine. Environmental science, unlike biology, has applied courses. Courses like groundwater hydrology, geophysics, environmental protection, petrology, are all considered essential when working in fields like mining, environmental consulting, or municipal services. There are people I work with, making a handsome living off of their BS. Go into consulting, get a professional designation, and you wont worry about further education.

 

[Doughbelly]

There are lots of biotech companies that need bs students, many of the people i graduated with are doing well, a few even make six figs with just a bs. If you want to be in charge of your own projects and want more opportunities to make good money obviously an advanced degree is the way to go.

I know a couple guys with only BSs that are making decent money in biofuels. They went to Cornell and MIT, though.

If I may be blunt, environmental science is a bit like "Communications" that the girls take in business school. Waste of time.

Ding ding.

Regardlesss of how rigorous the environmental science program is at your school, it sounds like a fluff major to most people in engineering or the sciences.

 

[therealdope]

Ding ding.

Regardlesss of how rigorous the environmental science program is at your school, it sounds like a fluff major to most people in engineering or the sciences.

When I was in grad school i took an ugrad physical chemistry course from the chem dept. half way through the semester a guy comes in trying to recruit people into the environmental science program. He described the program and it sounded like bullshit.

As someone very wise told me, "any discipline with the word 'science' in it probably isn't one".

 

[Doughbelly]

When I was in grad school i took an ugrad physical chemistry course from the chem dept. half way through the semester a guy comes in trying to recruit people into the environmental science program. He described the program and it sounded like bullshit.

As someone very wise told me, "any discipline with the word 'science' in it probably isn't one".

Fuck you. Are you trying to tell me that my political science degree isn't a real science degree?

 

[ocean size]

So, to summarize, TS, if you want to do environmental science, change majors.