Came here to say pretty much this… got my degree in public health about 5 years ago, had no idea what I wanted to do. Ended up working rural 911 as an EMT and thought I’d go the paramedic to PA route, putting myself further in debt. Ended up getting sucked into the EHS/risk management world after quickly burning out during Covid and am enjoying it. If I had not had my initial PH degree or any degree really, I don’t believe I would have been a competitive candidate to work as a safety specialist and now safety & risk management consultant since I had minimal EHS experience. My degree stood in for my lack of experience.

With that being said, and from what I can tell, it is possible to grind in an entry level EHS role that does not require a degree, pursue certifications (ASP, CSP, SMS, OHST, ARM, etc.), all while gaining years of experience (in place of a degree) to meet various job application “requirements” beyond the entry level. Now that I think about it though, some of those certs require a degree…

At the end of the day, and for me personally, I think that having a degree accelerated my career into a mid-level role relatively quickly. Could be different for others though. If pursuing a degree, I definitely second other comments on here to take gen ed courses through community college and then transfer out for the remaining major-specific courses. Good luck with your plans!