Hey CC’ers,
It seems that the college search is made exponentially harder when one doesn’t know the specific career path he or she wants to pursue. You can find more details in my post history (I can repost below if requested), but I am looking to do something related to environmental studies. At the same time, maybe I will make drastic changes to my chosen path in the future–so I would like to attend a school that is conducive to exploring options.
It seems that environmental engineering is a relatively new field. I have read in other forums that the day-to-day work of environmental engineers just involves a lot of paper work. I am not necessarily opposed to a “cubicle job,” but I’d like to know if environmental engineers have more variability in their careers.
That brings me to chemical engineers–I know that they are much more flexible in respects to their day-to-day work and what kinds of careers they can pursue. At the same time, I am feeling uneasy about the lack of growth in this field (I am referencing the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ page on chemical engineers).
Now, I know that the logical answer would be to go into environmental studies and pursue what I want to do, but I do worry about the expense and instability that goes with pursuing scientific research and higher levels of education. To be honest, I would like to avoid having to pursue grad school, but I have not thought that far ahead yet.
So to sum up: What sort of private schools (or state schools in California), would you all suggest for someone like me (money is definitely a limiting factor)? Any advice or insights on my situation are much appreciated.