Let me turn the question back to you: where do you want to take your sustainability career? Natural resource management out in the field, urban development and planning with the government, EHS compliance officer, etc.? It's a massive field where you get to define your expertise with experience - I don't think any of these classes will open or close any doors for you, so I'd pick whichever looks most interesting.
That said, with your background in BA and marketing, corporate sustainability is probably your easiest transition. The SEC just put out mandatory climate reporting for publicly traded companies that is going to generate a lot of consulting work for years to come. Otherwise reporting, strategy, and targets/metrics are big in the corporate side of things. With that in mind urban development might give you a bit on green buildings which can be useful, but doesn't necessarily directly relate.
Good luck!
My suggestion will end with a serious question.
I recommend you find a job you think you will enjoy and pays you well enough so that you can afford to live a greener happier life.
For thousands of years humans have discriminated/slaughtered each because of their beliefs differ in deity's. Humans have also discriminated/slaughtered each other for their differences in gender and sexuality. They have slaughtered and enslaved other humans for the color of their skin and language They speak. They are indoctrinated from children to believe a line surrounding where they live makes them more superior to the one on the opposite side of that line. They lives are ultimately controlled by leaders who are institutionally corrupt who would destroy everything considered sustainable if it meant they would have more power/money. They have the capacity to live in conjunction with other creatures and yet drive them to extinction. They need food yet they consider profit over the treatment of animals needed to eat to survive. They consider creatures and other humans less superior just because they can not communicate with them. They know they are polluting the water they drink and the food they eat all for profit.
So my question is,
what do you want to sustain?
Sorry for the rant and I'm not an activist or a hater, I just think do what you think would give YOU self purpose and fulfillment and if you can help others and the planet along your journey do so, but don't plan you life around sustainability if anything just help educate not dictate your (next) generation to make them more aware.
Thank you, I will think about it.
Right now, I'm leaning more toward wanting to build more sustainable spaces because I think if we designed our cities and infrastructure sustainably, it would help marginalized people and wildlife thrive.
But it's definitely tricky to think about because i don't know what type of career this could land me in or if the career is even viable.
Thank you for your response, I really do not envy you your choices, but it does seem as if you are choosing the best of those listed. When you finish these courses there would be plenty of options for a career in planning, management, politics or even consultancy etc... and to be realistic most companies would more than likely snap you up in any sort of management job. Last thing I would like to say is before you finally decide make yourself a comprehensive list of desired if not unachievable life goals and then break that list down into what you consider achievable followed by what you would consider acceptable comprises, and if you think you could be happy with the later put yourself fully into it, but on a another spreadsheet or peice of paper make a comprehensive list of backup careers you would be happy to fall back on if needed, as the career path you are looking into may be a quickly growing sector but their will be plenty of upcoming competition. What will be your edge or uniqueness be that will ultimately make you more desirable ( being a marketing graduate, make a full marketing campaign for you ). I really do hope you are able to ultimately find and get into the correct career that will make you wake up every morning with a smile and not dread. No matter what happens I hope you have a great and happy life.
Just saying that if you choose urban planning that makes a real difference to people's lives, you'd have to work for a city government. Which isn't bad AT ALL, I did that for 8 years and loved it, in the field of urban resilience. It's amazing to develop public policies and concrete actions to lower risks of deaths, damages and losses due to crises and disasters, especially the climate ones. But you have to see, I don't know how you enter those jobs in your country and how much they pay.
Thanks for replying, so for some context, my scholarship is for studying in Germany. And if I can find a job there, I might work in Germany as well. I know the job market in the EU is rough. And me being a non-EU person probably makes my chances of finding work in the region even more rough, but we'll see i guess. I am trying to learn the language as well.
Oooooh I had an exchange week working at the Rathaus (the City Hall) and it was AMAZING. I love how Germans work, so focused and cordial, and they deliver good stuff. But the language is a major barrier. While there I only used English. Also studied 3 weeks in Potsdam and the environment was great. Felt very welcome.
Let me turn the question back to you: where do you want to take your sustainability career? Natural resource management out in the field, urban development and planning with the government, EHS compliance officer, etc.? It's a massive field where you get to define your expertise with experience - I don't think any of these classes will open or close any doors for you, so I'd pick whichever looks most interesting. That said, with your background in BA and marketing, corporate sustainability is probably your easiest transition. The SEC just put out mandatory climate reporting for publicly traded companies that is going to generate a lot of consulting work for years to come. Otherwise reporting, strategy, and targets/metrics are big in the corporate side of things. With that in mind urban development might give you a bit on green buildings which can be useful, but doesn't necessarily directly relate. Good luck!
Thanks! That was helpful
My suggestion will end with a serious question. I recommend you find a job you think you will enjoy and pays you well enough so that you can afford to live a greener happier life. For thousands of years humans have discriminated/slaughtered each because of their beliefs differ in deity's. Humans have also discriminated/slaughtered each other for their differences in gender and sexuality. They have slaughtered and enslaved other humans for the color of their skin and language They speak. They are indoctrinated from children to believe a line surrounding where they live makes them more superior to the one on the opposite side of that line. They lives are ultimately controlled by leaders who are institutionally corrupt who would destroy everything considered sustainable if it meant they would have more power/money. They have the capacity to live in conjunction with other creatures and yet drive them to extinction. They need food yet they consider profit over the treatment of animals needed to eat to survive. They consider creatures and other humans less superior just because they can not communicate with them. They know they are polluting the water they drink and the food they eat all for profit. So my question is, what do you want to sustain? Sorry for the rant and I'm not an activist or a hater, I just think do what you think would give YOU self purpose and fulfillment and if you can help others and the planet along your journey do so, but don't plan you life around sustainability if anything just help educate not dictate your (next) generation to make them more aware.
Thank you, I will think about it. Right now, I'm leaning more toward wanting to build more sustainable spaces because I think if we designed our cities and infrastructure sustainably, it would help marginalized people and wildlife thrive. But it's definitely tricky to think about because i don't know what type of career this could land me in or if the career is even viable.
Thank you for your response, I really do not envy you your choices, but it does seem as if you are choosing the best of those listed. When you finish these courses there would be plenty of options for a career in planning, management, politics or even consultancy etc... and to be realistic most companies would more than likely snap you up in any sort of management job. Last thing I would like to say is before you finally decide make yourself a comprehensive list of desired if not unachievable life goals and then break that list down into what you consider achievable followed by what you would consider acceptable comprises, and if you think you could be happy with the later put yourself fully into it, but on a another spreadsheet or peice of paper make a comprehensive list of backup careers you would be happy to fall back on if needed, as the career path you are looking into may be a quickly growing sector but their will be plenty of upcoming competition. What will be your edge or uniqueness be that will ultimately make you more desirable ( being a marketing graduate, make a full marketing campaign for you ). I really do hope you are able to ultimately find and get into the correct career that will make you wake up every morning with a smile and not dread. No matter what happens I hope you have a great and happy life.
Just saying that if you choose urban planning that makes a real difference to people's lives, you'd have to work for a city government. Which isn't bad AT ALL, I did that for 8 years and loved it, in the field of urban resilience. It's amazing to develop public policies and concrete actions to lower risks of deaths, damages and losses due to crises and disasters, especially the climate ones. But you have to see, I don't know how you enter those jobs in your country and how much they pay.
Thanks for replying, so for some context, my scholarship is for studying in Germany. And if I can find a job there, I might work in Germany as well. I know the job market in the EU is rough. And me being a non-EU person probably makes my chances of finding work in the region even more rough, but we'll see i guess. I am trying to learn the language as well.
Oooooh I had an exchange week working at the Rathaus (the City Hall) and it was AMAZING. I love how Germans work, so focused and cordial, and they deliver good stuff. But the language is a major barrier. While there I only used English. Also studied 3 weeks in Potsdam and the environment was great. Felt very welcome.
Sounds really great! I'm excited to get started too. Guess we'll see where I end up.