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Education and career question- Environmental Management
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Not sure if this is the proper subreddit for this question but it's my best guess. I did a lot of searching across /r/environmental_science, /r/ecology, /r/conservation and more but couldn't find much related to my situation. So here goes: (TL'DR and questions at the bottom)

About me: I'm currently serving in the US military, and plan to stick around another 10 years to retire from the service. I'm in a technical field (radar technician) and enjoy it well enough but just don't have a passion for it. I'm pursuing my BS in Business Administration right now and will easily be able to complete it and earn a master's degree before the end of my service, nearly 100% paid for by the government. The only real downside is that due to the nature of the job, I have to stick with online classes.

My career aspirations: I don't think I want to continue working with radar systems after I leave the service. Like I said, there's just no passion there for me. I would really like to do something in the general hemisphere of environmental/conservation. I don't want to be a research scientist or necessarily want to be the one in the field collecting data and such. For one, I don't think I could get the right education to prepare me for that kind of work while active duty in the military.

So, I think I'd prefer to go into something more in the project management/ business administration side of things. I've searched a lot on Reddit and looked at lots of job postings and such but can't get a feel for the reality of these jobs. I would ideally continue working for the federal government, and would really like to work for the National Parks Service. Though really, anything that has me supporting the people who are doing the actual science and conservation is what I'm looking for. I plan on getting my hands dirty volunteering when and where I can. I'm also very willing to start lower and work my way up. I have a family but will have my military pension to supplement my income as I'm sure I'll need to take a pay cut.

My educational outlooks: Like I mentioned, I'm currently pursuing my BS in Business Administration. I'm a little under halfway. The vast majority of my schooling will be paid for by the government, but they will only pay for one Bachelor's degree, one Master's degree and one industry certification of some kind. My current school offers an environmental management BS and Master's. I am considering changing to a dual major in Business Admin and Environmental Management with a minor in Biology. Then, I'd pursue a Master's degree either at my current school or another school that would offer a better program to fit my interests at that time.

My questions:
1) Does anyone have any insight into the type of jobs I mentioned? I know that all organizations need management types, but is it likely that I'd be able to secure a job like that without a BS/Masters in a "harder"/more specialized science?

2) Is it feasible to get into this sort of position without decades of working my way up the ladder? To be clear, I'm not expecting to waltz in with zero experience and an old degree and run the entire show. I'd be happy to get some sort of office/administrative position and work my way into leading projects and teams.

3) Any thoughts on if it will pose a challenge that my BS will be around 8 years old and my master's will be around 5 years old by the time I hit the job market? I'll do my best to amass volunteer experience the whole time, but won't have any industry-specific work experience.

4) Will the dual major (Business Admin/ Envi Mgmt) be useful at all? Will that Business side of the degree make me stand out as an applicant or will it just seem like a distraction?

5) Any thoughts on the online school aspect? Any recommendations for online programs that have good reputations in this industry, either for the bachelor's or the masters?

TL;DR: Gonna be about 10 years before I retire from the military and make a career shift. With the right schooling, can I jump into some sort of office/management position?

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1 year ago