ENVIROlocity™

 Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Looking to enter the environmental field, but don’t have an environmental degree? Or maybe you don’t have a degree at all. Even though your path into sustainability might look different, you can still do your part to save the planet!

 There are many valid reasons why someone might want to pursue a career without getting a degree first. They may feel it’s too late in their career to go back to school, they may not be able to afford it, or they simply may not have an affinity for academia. Regardless of your reasoning, in this article, we will cover what you need to know to break into the environmental field.

If you have any degree at all — whether you studied computer science, marketing, or even film — those skills can almost definitely help our planet. A relatively seamless way to transition into the environmental field is to apply for roles that you were already applying to before, but at environmental...

Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Not sure which environmental field is right for you? Have you considered environmental consulting? We’ve researched everything you need to know! Read on to see if it’s right for you.

What is environmental consulting?

Although environmental consultants (ECs) can fill many roles, their general job function is to ensure that their clients abide by all environmental regulations. This includes a broad range of services, such as compliance testing, sampling, technical tasks, report research, and writing. Consultants can work in various industries, focusing on waste management, pollution control, environmental policy, etc. 

What are the benefits of being an environmental consultant?

Environmental consulting is a great way to explore many different sectors within the environmental field, pursue freelance opportunities, and gain a lot of transferable skills. ECs can often have more flexible hours than others, and depending on the type of work...

Whether you are a student thinking about entering the environmental field or a career changer hoping to land their dream job, salary is an important factor when you commence your job search. 

When I went back to school for biology after having a potential high salary management position, I told myself and others I didn’t  care about money. In hindsight, I was afraid to want money (and not get it) let alone say it out loud. Don’t be shamed into thinking having financial goals somehow negates your caring for the environment.

If you’re faring enough to put your financial goals front and center, here are some careers you might want to look into. Note: these aren’t entry-level, you’re going to have to make a plan and stick to it to land in one of these rewarding careers.

1. Environmental Lawyers

Median Annual Salary: $126,930

What They Do: Environmental Lawyers often work for advocacy groups, NGOs, energy...

Sustainability. What is it? Why do you want to do it? How do you get a job doing it?

The majority of people that I talk to for coaching, no matter their background, are looking for a “sustainability” career. The problem they all face is not knowing what that really means for them. It boils down to “I want to do good and I want to fight climate change.”

Sustainability itself is extremely broad. It doesn’t help that the definitions are not universally established as you can see in these different definitions.

“Sustainability has often been defined as how biological systems endure and remain diverse and productive. But, the 21st-century definition of sustainability goes far beyond these narrow parameters. Today, it refers to the need to develop the sustainable models necessary for both the human race and planet Earth to survive.” - Sustainabilitydegrees.com

The most often quoted definition comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and...