I just finished my freshman year of college. I’m currently pursuing an earth science degree (with the possibility of getting a double major in chemistry). I would like to do something in the environmental field. What kind of job marketability will I have?
My child is going to start an earth science degree in the fall with a planned English double major and I have the same question. I hope job prospects will be great!
This is something to talk to your career placement office about. You should be able to find out what companies have recruited earth science manors at your school (for internships as well as after graduation) and get names of recent alumni to hear about what they did after they left school.
In general, the “big bucks” jobs for earth scientists are in oil, mining, etc. Not necessarily the most appealing to someone who cares about the environment. Another chunk of jobs are in engineering geology (determining if a location is a suitable building site, evaluating or remediating geological hazards, etc.)
There is a decent amount of money to be made doing GIS type work for oil/gas/mining companies. But if you want to do “Greenpeace” stuff, it’s basically a vow of poverty.
Earth science is a very broad area. Most jobs will require a masters or Ph.D in a specific area. There are entry level jobs in NOAA, NASA, EPA, private industry. The degree seems geared more for entry level.