MSc Environmental Management, Sheffield Hallam University
In Singapore, where I am from, there was a lot of societal pressure to get a good degree and well-paying job during my teenage years. However, I struggled with purpose, and after staging a protest against applying for tertiary education since I did not know what I wanted to do (spoiler alert: my extreme rebellion was not tolerated), I ended up at art school, which by Singaporean standards was not the best place to get that ‘good’ degree. It was there that I ultimately learned a very important thing: how to be myself. Over the years, I worked in event and music management and eventually, community engagement at a public garden called Gardens by the Bay. It was there that I was introduced to the human-environment connection and what sustainable practices could look like.
The Covid-19 pandemic, in its own ironic way, gave me the opportunity to really confront and rethink purpose and fulfilment. So, after reassessing my values, goals and bank account at that stage of my life, I decided to leave everything behind for a big little adventure: to learn more about the environment with the intent to change my career path, while experiencing life on a different continent.
The Environmental Management Masters course at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) allowed me to study the environment and sustainability without a science background. I really struggled at first—with the unfamiliar social culture, temperate climate, having no friends, my frighteningly poor academic skills and a general anxiety from having no income for the first time in 14 years. But over time, I made a few close friends, volunteered at The National Trust where I picked up on local culture, history and social skills, learned to appreciate the weather (as a child of the tropics, stepping outside without feeling like you are drenched in sweat is a divine gift), and found paid work and a wealth of academic skills resources within SHU.
Apart from the satisfaction of successfully applying critical thinking across a broad scope of earth science topics, I felt sure of the importance of this field of study when hearing about extreme weather events and environmental issues my coursemates from all over the world have experienced in real life.
I recently completed the course with a distinction and started a new role in community networking at an educational charity/ environmental organisation.
While expanding your knowledge about the environment in which we live is always a good idea, a mid-career change might seem more daunting than ever! But consider the bittersweet reality: green jobs are in high demand as the world moves to achieve urgent goals to combat climate change. The majority of our waking hours are spent doing the jobs we have, so if you are not getting enough fulfilment from it, a change is worth considering. It is not without its challenges, but I would like to think that with great (calculated) risk, often comes greater reward. So if you were looking for a sign to get into environmental science, this is it.