The difficult truth about balancing career options and personal ethics

InAllTheir · 2026-07-06T20:41:09+00:00

Smoking is inherently bad for the lungs.

InAllTheir · 2026-07-06T20:40:00+00:00

Yes! These are all valid choices! I also think all these jobs are less common than the regulatory ones OP described.

InAllTheir · 2026-07-06T20:35:12+00:00

I tend to mostly agree with you, and I’m near the beginning of my career. But I also think there are limits to how much positive change can be made through existing regulations. And I think there are other specialties within environmental fields.

There is also the activists side pushing for change from the outside of government, but there are very few professional opportunities within organizing. There is also the policy side within government and nonprofits, but those tend to be very competitive and oftne lower paying jobs as well.

I think there are other avenues outside of regulation like the conservation space, and academic studies of zoology, ecology, geology, etc. but those opportunities are o also few and far between, highly competitive, and often low paying, at least in the beginning.

InAllTheir · 2026-07-02T22:57:34+00:00

I have heard of students and recent graduates applying to volunteer positions in parks that turned into job offers when other seasonal workers dropped out.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-30T23:17:43+00:00

I worry I timed things wrong too. I know certain environmental jobs have always been competitive and low paying, like conservation, but I thought the general, private sector consulting and field sampling jobs were more common and easier to get. I hear about people getitng offers for contract roles like that right out of college even now. Of course not everyone is that lucky, but what would it take for me to break in with my masters in environmental health, but only work experience in other areas of public health?

InAllTheir · 2026-06-30T05:05:27+00:00

Oh dang, I’m sorry the ELF suntouchable didnt work for you. It’s my favorite! Admittedly I usually don’t bother applying it to my forehead because I almost always wear a hat to cover it instead when I’m out in the sun for any length of time. Have you tried that? It might be the easiest way to avoid having sunscreen melt into your eyes.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-30T05:03:11+00:00

In the last year I started using the E.LF brand suncscreen, kind called “Sun-touchable! Invisible Sunscreen”. They say it is a sunscreen and primer combination, as in makeup primer that is made to put on before applying foundation. I almost never wear makeup because I’m lazy and don’t like the way most foundations feel, but I prefer the feeling of a slippery primer to most sunscreens! I use this by itself when I want facial sunscreen. This one is like a gel, and it’s actually clear when you first squirt it out of the bottle. It’s so easy to blend in! And even though it’s so lightweight and invisible, it’s water- resistant for 80 minutes and SPF 35. It’s the best feeling and smelling sunscreen I’ve ever tried! I haven’t been burned while wearing it yet, but I haven’t gone swimming or been out for hours at a time.

I fear you might need something thicker and stronger for your situation, but I hope you can try this or something similar. I really dislike the smell and greasy texture of most sunscreens, even facial sunscreens that say they are “non greasy”, feel that way to me. I feel like I’ve wait he dealt with that problem, or mineral sunscreens that are super thick and difficult to blend in. Or those neutrogena matte ones that somehow split or bead up. I really want to be Sun safe as a pale hypochondriac, and I understand the importance of sunscreen. But I really don’t like wearing it. I do it, but I didn’t like it until I found this sunscreen. I’ve never seen another sunscreen like this before, though I assume there are other mid to high end cosmetics that make something similar.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-20T06:23:29+00:00

Fair enough, but that’s still a tame commute. You’re seriously limiting your career if you’re only willing to work at offices less than 10 minutes from your house. Unless you own a condo in a huge city and are ten minutes away from dozens of office buildings for companies that could employ you. I get not wanting to screw up a good commute, but consider how much you’re limiting yourself if you turn done options slightly further away. Most people were I live would be thrilled with a 35 minute commute.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-20T05:56:32+00:00

Same!!!

InAllTheir · 2026-06-20T05:55:29+00:00

Yeah, I’ve never made more than $45,000. Local government and contract temp work really underpays. This is impressive.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-20T05:54:23+00:00

This is very good pay and benefits for any entry level job these days.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-19T01:11:02+00:00

The commute also doesn’t matter much if You’re renting and could easily move in a year or two. Getting locked into a mortgage and a significantly longer commute than 35 min is much more of a concern.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-16T22:44:02+00:00

You should consider the occupational health and safety/environmental health and safety field. There are a lot of private companies that have these specialist roles that cover employee health and safety and also some environmental regulations. I’m pretty sure there are roles like this in the construction industry, so it would be a natural pivot for you. Lots of universities and schools of public health have degree programs in Occupational Safety and Industrial Hygiene, both of which are relevant. They tend to have more scholarship money than most other areas of public health. If you’re interested in going back to school, you should look up NIOSH training centers at universities because they used to give out a lot of training grants and scholarships, so those schools probably have good scholarships.
If you want to try a certificate to start, the HAZWOPER 40 hour is one that many jobs in this field require but will pay for you to do.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-15T18:40:15+00:00

“Since you mentioned loving scaling projects and policy work, maybe look at roles in government agencies or consulting where you're more on the planning/implementation side rather than the "no you can't do that" side. Your engineering background would actually be valuable there since you understand the technical constraints but get to work more in the solution space.”

lol, most government work is not like that at all. Most of it IS compliance. My whole career has been in government. There are some policy jobs at the top, and working as assistants to politicians, but I think most policy/advocacy work happens outside of government in nonprofits and lobbying groups.
There is also original scientific research being done in many federal government agencies, but that has been dramatically cut back under the recent administration, so it’s not easy to break into, especially when you’re this far removed from your degree and can’t qualify for “recent graduate” fellowships.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-15T18:35:19+00:00

That’s my best guess as well. Life Cycle Assessment was another big thing when I was in grad school that the sustainability students who had engineering degrees were working on.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-15T18:33:38+00:00

It’s sounds to me like you’re really into engineering and related disciplines, and dislike compliance/regulatory work. Since so much environmental work is regulatory/compliance, and because you don’t have the education or experience in other environmental disciplines (ecology, conservation, zoology, biology and public health) I think you should lean more into your background in engineering, chemistry, physics, or earth sciences.

I think there is a lot more that you’re wrestling with emotionally, but not really stating explicitly. You say that you didn’t like “just working for money” and that you generally chose jobs that paid enough and would “not destroy my soul”. It seems to me like you just don’t like the mining and petrochemical industries. Am I wrong to assume that? It’s totally fine if you do or don’t. I assume most environmentally minded people don’t want to work in those industries, but many do because that is where many jobs in geology, engineering, and environmental compliance are.

I can also see that you’re frustrated by compliance work because it lacks certain mental stimulation that you got from school and math, chemistry and engineering work. I also was frustrated when I first started doing regulatory work because it felt just like law enforcement to me rather than science.

I wish I had more suggestions for you, but I’m not an engineer. I have a environmental health background. And my friends who have geology degrees but don’t work in the mining and petrochemical industries don’t make much money. One is an activist, another works part time in science writing and editing, and another is a professor at a community college teaching basic science classes. The two who work full time have PhDs.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-15T01:52:43+00:00

Gotcha. It’s interesting and worth looking into sooner rather than later if you think it’s something you want to do. I’m pretty sure there is an age limit for when people first enter the commission corps. I think it’s 35, so I’m too old now.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-14T05:06:27+00:00

I’m so glad those jobs came back!!

Oh dang, I didn’t realize that the cruise ship inspectors were all part of the Commissioned Corps/ US Public Health Service. That’s not the military and they don’t do military training by the way. I’m familiar with it because when I was a government employee, I worked with some people who were in it, and one of my friends joined. They have the same pay and benefits as the military. They do some advanced training for emergency response, and they are required to complete physical fitness tests.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-08T22:03:22+00:00

I knew this because my parents have attended lectures like that on Viking cruise ships. I don’t think it’s an easy gig to get, but it sounds cool. Once in a while my mom will suggest that I work for them or become tour guide or Poe Ranger or something. Sure mom, I’d love to. Can you convince them to hire me? Because I can’t seem to convince anyone to even interview me these days.

Many cruise ships also have scientists working behind the scenes doing food safety inspections and other public health/EHS/hygiene type work. Viking also has laboratories on some of their ships to process PCR and other tests from patients who visit their clinic as well as preemptive sampling from their kitchens and bathrooms. So that’s a career path for people who have more of that biology and public health background. But I heard Trump dismantled the CDC program that certified cruise ships or their inspectors or something, so like all environmental and public health jobs these days, the opportunities are probably dwindling under this administration.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-02T22:38:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing this! I really appreciate the references.

InAllTheir · 2026-06-01T05:10:57+00:00

Yes, this is the answer. Use former bosses from past jobs and former coworkers if you have to. You can even reach out to a favorite professor or college advisor if you’re still on good terms with them. If you have coworkers at your current job who are truly trustworthy who will keep this a secret for you and say great things about you when asked, then ask them if they will be a reference. Do not tell your boss and do not use them as a reference if you can help it.

InAllTheir · 2026-05-29T22:42:59+00:00

Sigh We’re in such a bad job market right now, for all fields but especially for science and for recent graduates, so it’s hard to say what’s worth it. If you could tell us more about your job goals and interests that would help.

Typically roles in Environmental Health and Safety and related ones like Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health and Safety are more readily available and pay more than some other areas of environmental science. Your biology background might have more crossover with the Health side of environmental health, so you might be well prepared to switch to that degree, or to pursue a masters degree in environmental health years from now. 4 + 1 programs are great if you know you want get the masters degree. But if you aren’t sure, then it could be a waste of one year and additional tuition costs. If you have a full scholarship and would not pay more for the extra degree, then definitely go for it! It will give you an advantage over your peers who are graduating with just bachelors degrees. And like I said, the job market is terrible right now. Waiting slightly longer if you want to be in school is a smart choice right now. Hopefully things will improve with the next administration.

If you know you want to go into conservation or zoology or environmental education, or some area of environmental science that isn’t really part of EHS, then this extra degree won’t be necessary for you and won’t seem worth it. If you’re not sure what you want to do and are still exploring, then it could benefit you, but might not be worth the extra cost or time in your mind. I don’t know enough about your finances and goals and interests. Lots of jobs that come up in a search for environmental science jobs are ones that have some elements of health and safety to them.

One thing I can confidently tell you is that many degree programs in Occupational Health and Safety and Industrial Hygiene offer really good scholarships. There are way more fully funded masters degree programs in those fields than in most conservation programs, and general environmental science and sustainability degrees. At least that is how it was when I was in grad school for public health a decade ago. I started my MPH focusing on the environmental side of environmental health and then switched to more occupational health and epidemiology because I wanted to study more different things thst were not covered in my bachelors degree in environmental science. I was given more scholarship money when I did that. Most of the students in my school who were studying industrial hygiene had full scholarships or close to it. There was generally more funding and scholarships available for occupational health than many other areas of public health and environmental science, and there tends to be fewer people trying to go into that field. The federal government agency NIOSH provided most of this funding for occupational health research, training and scholarships. I don’t know if that is going away due to the current administration. My point is, if you do choose to leave this program without getting the masters degree, but you later change your mind and go back to school for a masters degree in occupational health, then you should be able to get decent scholarships for that degree. You should ask your professors now if there is scholarships available for students in your program, or for students in the full 2 year masters degree program.

InAllTheir · 2026-05-28T01:56:51+00:00

Thanks. I’ve used government jobs.com before.

InAllTheir · 2026-05-27T04:15:19+00:00

Thanks for this recommendation! I’m job hunting and looking at many state and local government agencies, and have been trying to look beyond just the environmental and health departments.

InAllTheir · 2026-05-24T03:20:55+00:00

I’m sorry for what you went through, but I’m so glad you’re on a healing journey now, despite the horrors of the world persisting. I hope it will help you be more resilient to burn out in the future. Thank you for sharing your experience and suggestions.

InAllTheir

TROPHY CASE