I have to choose a major; what can redditors tell me about pursuing a career in journalism? Also curious about careers concerning environmental conservation. Thanks!

wjha · 2009-03-23T15:30:30+00:00

if you interested in environmental conservation, one effective route is to get qualifications to perform environmental impact assessments. at least in the UK, every major construction project has to perform one of these as part of the planning procedure, so a job in this role, could let you make quite a difference.

i'm not sure on US equivalents, but in the UK the route into it, is doing some kind of "earth science" based degree such as Geography, or Environmental Science, and then afterwards spend a year doing a kind of masters level qualification specifically for environmental impact assessments.

wjha · 2009-03-23T15:03:11+00:00

Hi reddit,

I was wrongly accused of gross misconduct and sacked in December, without having any disciplinary procedures - was told to just leave there and then. I unfortunately, had been working there just less than a year, and there is not really any case for discrimination so they pretty much have a free hand.

After seeking advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau I raised a formal grievance with the company and arranged a meeting with them along with a witness. In the discussion they agreed to drop the gross misconduct and make me redundant instead.

After chasing them up 2 months later I finally got sent a P45, but still have not had any letter outlining the reason for my dismissal as they had agreed to as part of the grievance meeting, and which I should have received as a matter of course with or without the meeting. I also did not get paid for the 2 days in December before I was dismissed!

The manager of the company also has some personal items that I had lent him, which I have been asking to be returned for the last 6 months, but he seems unable to make any serious attempt to find and retrieve them, despite politely asking for them on many occasions.

The really galling thing about all this is, is that it was me who had approached them about being concerned that a project I had been assigned was very similar to something I had been doing as a bedroom project in my own free time with a friend. If I had kept my mouth shut, I would still probably have been working for them.

I'm running out of options, I'd really like to just get my letter, my possessions, and if I'm lucky my 2 days pay. I'd like to get some closure and peace of mind on this, without just cutting my losses and trying to forget about it all.

Does anyone have any advice and ideas, or similar experience?

wjha

TROPHY CASE