Outdoor science jobs?

Hi, I'm currently reapplying to chem and biomed at different unis for next year, and having done some lab-work experience, I've realised that I like science but I hate working indoors/with no natural light all day. I much prefer my hospitality job which involves me being in airy/outdoor spaces with lots of natural light. It seems silly, but it makes a huge difference to my mental state.

What jobs in science can I get where I'm not stuck inside, in artificially-lit rooms all day? Should I pivot to a general bio degree to open up enviro sciences jobs/wildlife jobs to me? Are there chemistry/biomed jobs that involve being outside?

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Might want to look into anything in the earth sciences regime - geology, oceanography, etc. Likewise related areas like environmental science, marine biology, so on and so forth. Biology degrees with more conservation related options might have more opportunity for fieldwork as well. Those do all involve labwork but also involve varying amounts of fieldwork!

You might also want to consider more professional aligned courses in e.g. forestry, agriculture and so on :smile:

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by basilpl4nt

Hi, I'm currently reapplying to chem and biomed at different unis for next year, and having done some lab-work experience, I've realised that I like science but I hate working indoors/with no natural light all day. I much prefer my hospitality job which involves me being in airy/outdoor spaces with lots of natural light. It seems silly, but it makes a huge difference to my mental state.

What jobs in science can I get where I'm not stuck inside, in artificially-lit rooms all day? Should I pivot to a general bio degree to open up enviro sciences jobs/wildlife jobs to me? Are there chemistry/biomed jobs that involve being outside?

Hi,

I'm currently a third-year natural sciences student at Lancaster University studying physics and environmental science.

As far as I've seen, there are a lot more outdoor science jobs in ecology and environmental science than in chemistry/biomed. However, that's not to say there aren't any; land remediation and pollution chemistry might be possible fields to look into? Biogeochemistry is definitely an expanding field and there are a lot of jobs in both consultancy and industry research in this area. From a quick search, some of these jobs are happy to accept a chemistry degree or only require some sort of STEM degree.

In terms of undergraduate degrees, at least at Lancaster, I haven't heard of any chemistry or biomed field trips. I know the biology department at Lancaster does run them and in addition, has quite a lot of ecology/conservation themed modules that you would have the opportunity to choose. However, the degree does also include a significant amount of lab work. I would imagine that this varies quite a lot by university so I would advise checking the module listings for different courses to see which have fieldwork-based modules.

If you are struggling to choose between chemistry/biomed and more fieldwork-based subjects, natural sciences is an option to consider. Courses vary widely by university but at Lancaster you could study, for example, both environmental chemistry and biology. You could also study a combination of biology and chemistry pathways. After first year, most modules are optional for natural scientists so you could choose to avoid lab modules if you wanted. I've added a link here in case you're interested. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/natural-sciences/

Hope this helps,
Becky (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by basilpl4nt

Hi, I'm currently reapplying to chem and biomed at different unis for next year, and having done some lab-work experience, I've realised that I like science but I hate working indoors/with no natural light all day. I much prefer my hospitality job which involves me being in airy/outdoor spaces with lots of natural light. It seems silly, but it makes a huge difference to my mental state.

What jobs in science can I get where I'm not stuck inside, in artificially-lit rooms all day? Should I pivot to a general bio degree to open up enviro sciences jobs/wildlife jobs to me? Are there chemistry/biomed jobs that involve being outside?

Hey,

That's not silly at all, labs can be tiring! I'm an ecology and conservation student at Lancaster and I'm looking into jobs such as being a ranger for a national park, a warden for a nature reserve or an ecological consultant, which all involve a lot of outdoor/ field work. I know some biology students who share the same modules as me, so there's definitely a lot of overlap and similar career prospects too.

That being said, I haven't looked into any chemistry or biomed jobs so I don't know whether there are any outdoor elements or not! My advice would be that if you want to work outdoors, I'd recommend doing a degree with an element of fieldwork so you can decide if that's definitely what you want to do and get the experience that employers are looking for as well.

Hope that's helpful!
Chloe
(Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Outdoor science jobs?

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