bako_frugal, I have a few other questions for you - I think you are the perfect person to ask because you are in management.
Say I have 4 options that would allow me to graduate in 4 years or fewer
1. Get an Environmental Geoscience degree.
2. Get an Environmental Geoscience degree with another degree in Geoscience.
3. Get an Environmental Science degree with a different concentration (Chemistry, Biology, Soil) with another degree in Geoscience.
4. Get a Geoscience degree only
What would be the right move here in terms of employability and going for a grad school program for geoscience? I have environmental experience through my internship right now. I do occupational safety for building materials. There is also a branch of the company that does subsurface environmental work. Will having that extra ES degree help?
Cwadda:
From my experience if you are in the environmental field, I would definitely do option 3 (Environmental with something else, the more math the better). Most of my peers who stayed in the environmental field are in some sort of compliance position (air quality or environmental impact studies). It's your +other degree that usually helps launch your career. Once you are past +5 years of experience it is your work history not your degrees that matter, with the one exception of when changing companies.
If you can handle the math, when I worked for one of the majors, all the senior managers & up were all engineers. Even if it takes an extra year, getting a M.S. with the added word of "engineering" does matter.
As far as "matters" goes, the basic totem pole is this:
1: PhD (usually pure science such as physics, math, chemistry)
2: M.S. Engineering
3. M.S. Other pure science (geology, chemistry, etc).
4. B.S. Engineering
5. B.S. Other pure science
Always aim highest up the chain, also when initially working try to stay as technically focused as possible. Solid technical skills for the first 1-5 years especially if you can be loaned or transferred across functional groups helps.
Many companies will start new hires as technicians to gauge them. They are looking for self-starters. They'll put you to work and ignore you. If you want to move up you have to standup for yourself and push for it. If you are willing to sit back and do the work that is given; you will just get bypassed and labeled as task-oriented. The longer you stay at a lower position early in your career will carry through, and you'll typically top out at a low mid-level.
You meet a lot more people who wish they could go back and smack their 20-something-self stupid then go back and congratulate their 20-something-self.
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I will look into getting both degrees. I think I am more interested in the Geoscience right now.
I have ruled out doing my undergrad in Engineering for a number of reasons.
1. My mind is not geared that way. As an ISFP personality type, any creativity comes through expression of music.
2. I took an aptitude test with Johnson O'Connor. I scored very low in the spacial thinking category. I struggled hard as soon as we got to the part in organic chem where molecule positioning and geometry become relevant. I was doing well with everything else.
3. I would have to redo 2 years of school - starting over.
I know engineering is the best degree option, but I just don't think it's for me. I want to be happy above all else and can't envision myself happy doing that. Maybe I can give it a shot in grad school...
Thanks for the help everyone.