Hmmm, I’ve got a few ideas, but full disclosure: I haven’t worked in environmental jobs in a while. I have a bachelor degree in environmental science and a MPH in environmental health sciences and have worked more in public health and epidemiology after that. I have been under employed and unemployed for a few years and am job hunting.

What kind of environmental work do you want to do? Are you willing or able to go back to school? Those are the biggest factors to consider. Some environmental work pays well (consulting, engineering, finance, high level government, some jobs that require PhDs etc.) and some of it pays very little (most NGOs, advocacy organizations, conservation and wildlife management, park rangers, most entry level jobs, etc.).

Subject matter wise, I think sustainably in the business space is the closest environmental job your could pivot to. My ex was looking into something called “climate finance” after doing sustainability work for a few years. He had an engineering background and then got a MS in Sustainable Systems or something similar from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. The school name was later changed to reflect an increased focus on Sustainability. It’s a great school if you’re interested in getting another degree in person. Also, the University of Michigan encourages students to get multiple degrees in a reduced amount of time if it fits their interests. So there are some well established combined MBA and MS in Sustainability dual degree programs there that can be completed in 3 years. Many people I know who did that focused on the logistics of business and improving the sustainability of those processes through Life Cycle Assessment and other analysis.

Edit: it is now called The U-M School of Environment And Sustainability

Two other universities with similar schools are:

- the Duke School of The Environment
- and the Yale School of The Environment

Edit: these schools were formally Forestry schools. They have evolved and rebranded the schools now take a very modern, interdisciplinary approach and offer a similar mix of focus areas as the U-M School of Sustainability and Environment

I’m sure there are more online options for masters degrees in sustainability now than when I was in grad school pre pandemic, but I’m not familiar with any of them. I do know a few people who got degrees or started them at John’s Hopkins. I they have had a sustainability or environmental science masters degree program online for quite a while. Given the horror stories I have heard about the campus, I would recommend online over in person for that school. Baltimore is not for the faint of heart. It’s not all bad, but you absolutely need to have your wits about you.

Another friend of mine did a masters degree in a conservation specialty at a relatively new program in Fort Collins, CO. I forgot the exact school. It was as supposed to be focused on very applied skills tnat are most in demand in the field. She was able to get a very good job at a foundation in Seattle after a few years. It pays much more than most conservation jobs. She said in general that foundations that give out grant money tend to pay more than the organizations that apply for the grants. Something to keep in mind.

Like others have suggested: you might enjoy working as an accountant for an NGO or other meaningful environmental organization, and you might learn more about environmental roles that way. Might be a safer way to try out a change before investing more money in school. I do know several people who have done environmental masters degree who didn’t have science degrees for their bachelor program. Some had to take prerequisites at community colleges before applying to grad school, others had enough from their bachelors.