I am currently deciding between a major in environmental science or wildlife ecology. I would just like some advice and opinions on these degrees. I have a passion for the outdoors and enjoy stuff like that so I ideally would like to be able to do some work outdoors, don’t want to do a 9-5 desk job all the time.
Getting decent salary might be hard with those degrees. As sad that it may be, we are often forced to do those boring office jobs because what we like isn’t what our countries need us to do. But don’t worry, you’re much better off than those literature and anthropology majors and I’ve seen even them get employed.
As for your majors, environmental sciences would open up more possibilities for you, so I’d go with that. But, you should also consider majoring in Biology with an ecology concentration. That would give you even more possibilities and even a backup plan in case you can’t find a job in your preferred area, since a lot can be done with a biology degree. Hope this helps!
Unless you absolutely want to go into the animal science/ecology/wildlife field (Virginia Tech is a great school for that) I would focus on something broader that could get you a job doing anything within the field (environmental, vet, animals, research etc.) Environmental science and biology with an ecology are good examples of majors that give you what you want without pigeonholing.
I’m assuming you’re a high school student. If so, just choose a university that’s good in both and decide what to major in when you’re actually in college and exposed to real course work in those disciplines. Keep in mind that environmental science isn’t really a thing. It’s more an interdisciplinary course of study and because of this, many students choose to concentrate in a particular sub discipline, often biology/ecology. Many other ES students end up minoring in the life sciences, while others pick up a double major. The same is often true for biology majors with respect to ES.
You might also want to consider a gap year, during which time you intern with something like a state conservation corps, USGS (water testing), etc.