If you love to travel, and you appreciate the environment, a career in environmental science could be the perfect path for you. With the demand for specialists in this field – including environmental consultants and sustainability consultants – experiencing a boom across the globe, there is no better time to make a career shift than today.
A career in environmental science will take you to fantastic destinations and give you the opportunity to work on exciting environmental projects. Making that leap to enter the field of environmental science is also easier than you think. Here are some of the things you need to get started.
A Degree in Biology and Environmental Science
To prepare for a career in this field, one of the best investments you can make is in a biology degree. Whether you are a fulltime mom trying to get back to professional life or someone who is thinking about a career change, it is possible to pursue a biology degree online. Top schools like Excelsior College offer programs that can be completed entirely online; you can even pursue your degree while working a fulltime job or traveling the world if you want to.
The course will help you master the skills you need to become a prominent environmental specialist, and is the perfect way to jumpstart your career in this field. Once you have earned the degree, you can continue by completing certifications such as the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response certification.
Mastering the Soft Skills
Don’t think for a second that you will be working in a lab all of the time as an environmental scientist. As mentioned before, this is one field that lets you travel the world and embark on exciting projects. Before jumping in, however, you also want to sharpen some additional skills.
Communication skills are essential. You will be interacting with researchers, stakeholders, and locals in your work, which means you will need good communication skills to achieve your objectives. At the same time, you also need good problem-solving skills to back you up.
Reading is another must-have skill in this field. Naturally, there are a lot of environmental reports and documents to go through. You have to be meticulous when reviewing those documents, all while maintaining the ability to understand the important points in them.
A Choice of Professions
Being an environmental scientist lets you explore multiple career paths in this field. The most popular one is sustainability consultant. As a consultant, it is your duty to help organizations lower their carbon footprints and increase their sustainability in the long run.
Working as an environmental economist is also very rewarding. Aside from the higher median salary, you also have the opportunity to use math and evaluate the costs and benefits of environmental protection options.
The possibilities are endless. Starting a career as an environmental scientist, an agricultural specialist, or a hydrologist is just as easy, and it all begins with your pursuit for a biology degree online. With the demand for specialists continuing to rise, there is no better time to get started than today.
