<p>I want to travel from country to country to see the ecosystems of the world. I want to see the wildlife and to somehow make an impact on the environment.</p>
<p>Originally my major was Marine Biology and I chose it because I expected to be able to travel to the different oceans around the world and to be able to study the life in the different ecosystems. However, I was told that job opportunities in this major are little and the pay isn't that great so I am now looking for other majors that have better job growth and pay but I don't know what to major in.</p>
<p>I'm thinking Environmental Engineering but they deal mostly with the public and I don't think I'd get to travel to rainforests but rather I'd more likely be stuck near or in a city inspecting the water source which doesn't interest me. There's also International Relations which pays extremely well but I would be dealing with the government and politics which I''m not sure interests me. </p>
<p>What major pays well/has good job growth and is related to my mentioned goals?</p>
<p>Although the type of job you are seeking to find can be found with degrees in Environmental Science, Marine Biology: they are very small in numbers. Only small amounts of people who major in these fields actually get these world-travelling jobs.</p>
<p>Archaeologists travel the world, but they aren’t really paid well (I think it’s between $40-50k) and you need at least a Master’s to get a job with that.</p>
<p>I know most geology/geophysics majors get jobs with oil-drilling companies and some get to travel to locations across the world, but it may be contrary to your desire to make an impact on the environment.</p>
<p>That is true, that marine biologists generally make crappy salaries, even if they get jobs. Unless you plan on getting a PhD in biology-related science careers I’d stray away from those fields.</p>
<p>I don’t know why someone told you International Relations pays extremely well. The few people that do get jobs with the US Government or its agencies are paid well but again, those jobs are very limited. It’s fairly mediocre in terms of salaries.</p>
<p>Your interests seem to vary a lot. Do you like math? science? or studying history and whatnot?</p>
<p>Are you only deciding between those two? Why not do a general bio? With a focus on ecology/conservation/widlife bio? That is what I have done/am doing, and the results are looking good so far. Every internship/ program I’ve looked at has said that these broader, science related majors are more suitable. Also, if you did choose either of those, I feel like it would lead to a very small selection of jobs and careers. What if you want to do something with conservation, and that is not necessarily aquatic? You can always do bio and take marine bio/conservation courses? However, if you are deciding between only these two, I definitely would think Environmental Engineering/Science would be better. It’s a broader topic and can find you more work, and engineering is very in demand currently. Bio requires a general understanding of stats and basic equations that you will learn in classes, otherwise, it doesn’t have to be very calculus math related.</p>
<p>You need to decide what’s more important to you- working for an NGO/government working on environmental issues or travel. </p>
<p>Any decent paying job will allow you to travel anywhere in the world to visit different environments in your vacations. </p>
<p>Many, many jobs are not restricted by major. You could work in local or federal government. K-12 teaching. Retail. Administration. Start your own business. </p>
<p>Deciding that travel is more important, perhaps at least straight out of college, you could join a conservation volunteer organisation. This would be great for future employment in the field. But is costly. </p>
<p>There’s diving. If you train to an intermediate standard, you can get work at dive centres allowing you to experience some wonderful places- imagine Thailand or Mauritius. You can then train to a higher standard at a reduced rate opening up a career in diving where a background in biology, marine biology or ecology would be a real plus. </p>
<p>Dito any outdoor adventure job e.g. guide or activities instructor</p>
<p>TEFL (teaching English abroad) is a good option if you have an interest in communication, learning about other cultures and have a flair for making a fool of yourself. I spent 5 months in eastern China. Amazing. I also found the local insects- dragonflies as big as a bird, hearing real-life cicadas for the first time- the weird humming beetle/cockroaches I’d attack with my glass polish before hoovering them up all quite a change from the barely visible Scottish midgies I was used to…</p>
<p>Something else to consider is that you live in an amazingly diverse country that you can travel and work around freely. Rain forests to desserts. You could be a biology teacher and up sticks every few years. Or find one of these new online jobs where your location doesn’t factor so long as you can provide the services/products you could be on a beach in Taiwan or Antarctica.</p>