I'm double majoring in chemistry and environmental science. Will I be okay in this economy?

Might as well start now: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-SelfSuff/CBON/1251580884676

When you say "summer jobs" do you mean internships? And if so, have you checked whether or not those companies are hiring. Provided you did a good job for them, you're much more likely to be hired again.

ducks in a row wrote:

Might as well start now:

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-SelfSuff/CBON/1251580884676

Will I be OK in this environment?

No I really do not.

Good for you for majoring in a hard science. With your background, and with (unfortunately) the environmental challenges facing the world today, I predict you will do more than fine. Water conservation is one field that will mushroom in importance to all of us.

Please read _Ask The Headhunter_ by Nick Corcodilos. $4 used on Amazon. Single best source of career advice I've found.

Random thought: nowadays it never hurts to get some basic programming skills in a modern language like Python - used everywhere from web design to data analysis. Take a class at your university or free through Coursera or EdX, etc. Working among non-programmers, you will become indispensable.

Good luck!

You'll end up writing environmental impact reports. Pretty secure career (though you won't get rich), but BORING as hell.

mathmba wrote:

Random thought: nowadays it never hurts to get some basic programming skills in a modern language like Python - used everywhere from web design to data analysis. Take a class at your university or free through Coursera or EdX, etc. Working among non-programmers, you will become indispensable.

Good luck!

+1

I used to hate programming, but taught myself to love it. It will save you so much time and let you do cool stuff. And people will respect you.

Might as well go on and get your PhD then you'll be able to find some work in R&D.

engineer douche wrote:

You'll end up writing environmental impact reports. Pretty secure career (though you won't get rich), but BORING as hell.

This is true, but you can work in remediation as well.

Try digging around here:

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/programs/outlook_consulting.html

The economy is in a depression and will remain in one for years to come. There is no degree that even comes close to guaranteeing that you will be OK. Environmental science doesn't get you a job in any economy.

Do a phd. This is the best piece of advice you will get on this thread

non-PC history wrote:

The economy is in a depression and will remain in one for years to come. There is no degree that even comes close to guaranteeing that you will be OK. Environmental science doesn't get you a job in any economy.

Dude, environmental science is a huge and growing field. Between consulting and industry, there are tons of jobs. The chemistry degree will in fact make you more valuable.

I used to work for a company called Antea Group. They have an office in Golden. The starting pay isn't fantastic, but they're good people to work for. They also have a wellness program that will seriously reward you for running regularly. It's consulting, so you'll meet a lot of people and if you don't want to stick with the company, you'll have already networked just by doing your job.

Maybe...

I work in the environmental field as an environmental engineer.

Jobs are competitive and often require a masters degree for work that an undergraduate could do.

Have you looked into going back to school for environmental engineering? EE is not all design and can be pretty cool. You could get accepted to a grad program with your credentials I think.

I guarantee you will have a better salary, job interest and satisfaction as an environmental engineer. You'll do the same work as a environmental scientist but get paid more and get more respect.

I think you could do alright in remediation work, water quality, anything in the environmental field that needs someone with a hard science background. Government and consulting jobs might fit the bill.

Although with only a bachelors in a hard science, your career does tend to stagnate. You have to get a higher degree to get more varied and challenging work experiences.

THIS economy?

I assume you will be working for the next 40-50 years, so you need to be more worried about the average economies over that time than this economy we have now.

I don't work in CO, but we have a lot of job openings for environmental chemistry types each year. We really do get a lot of MS and PhD applicants, though, so that could be your biggest challenge - looking better than them. A very few BS students do get hired, but are typically assigned to lower level "coordinator" type jobs (phone work, organizing meetings, tracking documents), while the MS and PhD types always get the more meaningful work, conducting or evaluating studies and writing reports. Interestingly, the coordinator types generally transition eventually towards management and budget positions, while the R and D types stay put.

Be wary of the environmental consulting field. I went that route for nearly 3 years and was barely scraping by. I'm not sure if it was interplay due to the company' s hierarchy, but the pay was terrible. I switched job fields as soon as I felt I'd put in a solid amount of work. Biggest piece of advice I can give is no matter where you work, make sure that the salary and benefits match your expectations of the position. You'll also want to know why the position you applied for is open in the first place.