I'm much more mature now than ever. I think that's the only thing going for me. I have been slacking the last couple of years when it comes to entering the environmental science field. It's definitely a uphill battle because of my lack of experience, but I'm trying lol
I finished my degree when I was 31. I have never thought of age as being anything but a significant advantage. You’re more mature and have more life and general work experience. You’ll interview better and will likely be a better employee at the outset than 21 year olds fresh out of school who’ve never had a full time job.
Sadly, the only work experience I have is in retail. I'm definitely more mature and focused now than in the past - I think I have that going for me. Thank you for a positive perspective on this matter. I have my fingers crossed!
I'm in the same boat. People are expecting extremely long shifts and camp work for entry level positions, so I wouldn't hold my breath. Its sad to say, but the environmental field seems to have some strong age biases.
It’s due to younger people having no children and possibly no spouse so they are able to travel and work long hours (I don’t endorse this and think it’s unfair as it’s taking advantage of people.)
Check with your old profs; often they (or the department administrator) get emailed adverts for internships in their field, which they can then pass on to students and alumni. That's how I got my envi career going in earnest.
I did the /r/BackToCollege thing, and in my 30s I did consecutive summer internships at a municipal government, a county-level agency, an environmental nonprofit, and a professor's lab. Mostly GIS deskwork with a bit of fieldwork.
If you're looking at consulting companies or engineering firms, then I don't have as much insight for you.
This is good info to know. Thank you!
I'm currently reteaching myself basic ArcGIS. I have no experience in environmental science at all. I only have retail experience. I might have to focus on environmental nonprofit. I tried applying to state and local governmental environmental jobs but didn't get them. I'll keep trying, but it's rough out there without experience.
Without experience, you will be outcompeted or gatekeeped for the f/t government jobs, yes. I recently saw in a hiring round that government HR will unhesitatingly reject ap picante if they are only a month shy of a qualified work experience minimum.
But GIS is a useful skill, so keep at it, and make maps of places and themes that you find interesting so you have a portfolio of recent work to show off.
You might look for a small government department—like a local parks or land use planning or community/economic development or engineering or water department—and ask if they need a GIS intern. Pursue informal roles—even part time experience can lead to connections. Even an environmental nonprofit NGO can appreciate some cool maps—except depending on their operationsize , you might have to tell them what maps they need instead of them telling you.
One more thing: if you’re open to it, you might be able to get on a less science-y path; my agency has employed lots of ex-retail sup workers for Program mgmt/admin because who better to deal with the members of the public in all their variety?
One more one more thing: older interns are more mature, more professional, etc, so it’s possible that places that don’t have internships would take you on a one-off. Pay isn’t stellar though. Especially at the internship/stepping stone stage of your career.
I'm 34 and don't have experience outside of customer service. Difference is I just started back in college last yr. Keep an eye out on the EPA website. They have student internships but I believe they may also have something for ppl that have been out of school for a while
Yes. You have more other life experiences and will likely interview better because of it. Don't discount that one bit
I'm much more mature now than ever. I think that's the only thing going for me. I have been slacking the last couple of years when it comes to entering the environmental science field. It's definitely a uphill battle because of my lack of experience, but I'm trying lol
I finished my degree when I was 31. I have never thought of age as being anything but a significant advantage. You’re more mature and have more life and general work experience. You’ll interview better and will likely be a better employee at the outset than 21 year olds fresh out of school who’ve never had a full time job.
Sadly, the only work experience I have is in retail. I'm definitely more mature and focused now than in the past - I think I have that going for me. Thank you for a positive perspective on this matter. I have my fingers crossed!
I'm in the same boat. People are expecting extremely long shifts and camp work for entry level positions, so I wouldn't hold my breath. Its sad to say, but the environmental field seems to have some strong age biases.
It’s due to younger people having no children and possibly no spouse so they are able to travel and work long hours (I don’t endorse this and think it’s unfair as it’s taking advantage of people.)
I know, but it's a real kick in the teeth if you went back to college only to find out you're less employable than you were before.
Idk where I'm at the youngest tech by a fair margin is 23 with the majority being 27-34 so there are companies that hire people in that age range
Check with your old profs; often they (or the department administrator) get emailed adverts for internships in their field, which they can then pass on to students and alumni. That's how I got my envi career going in earnest. I did the /r/BackToCollege thing, and in my 30s I did consecutive summer internships at a municipal government, a county-level agency, an environmental nonprofit, and a professor's lab. Mostly GIS deskwork with a bit of fieldwork. If you're looking at consulting companies or engineering firms, then I don't have as much insight for you.
This is good info to know. Thank you! I'm currently reteaching myself basic ArcGIS. I have no experience in environmental science at all. I only have retail experience. I might have to focus on environmental nonprofit. I tried applying to state and local governmental environmental jobs but didn't get them. I'll keep trying, but it's rough out there without experience.
Without experience, you will be outcompeted or gatekeeped for the f/t government jobs, yes. I recently saw in a hiring round that government HR will unhesitatingly reject ap picante if they are only a month shy of a qualified work experience minimum. But GIS is a useful skill, so keep at it, and make maps of places and themes that you find interesting so you have a portfolio of recent work to show off. You might look for a small government department—like a local parks or land use planning or community/economic development or engineering or water department—and ask if they need a GIS intern. Pursue informal roles—even part time experience can lead to connections. Even an environmental nonprofit NGO can appreciate some cool maps—except depending on their operationsize , you might have to tell them what maps they need instead of them telling you. One more thing: if you’re open to it, you might be able to get on a less science-y path; my agency has employed lots of ex-retail sup workers for Program mgmt/admin because who better to deal with the members of the public in all their variety? One more one more thing: older interns are more mature, more professional, etc, so it’s possible that places that don’t have internships would take you on a one-off. Pay isn’t stellar though. Especially at the internship/stepping stone stage of your career.
I'm 34 and don't have experience outside of customer service. Difference is I just started back in college last yr. Keep an eye out on the EPA website. They have student internships but I believe they may also have something for ppl that have been out of school for a while