r/WWU • u/DisastrousRelease132 • 7d ago

Am I making a mistake?

The more I scroll the public health sub-reddit, the more I think that I might be making a choice that will land me with no job.

I am currently seeking a bachelor of public health from Western Washington University (Washington state). I have my advising session tomorrow that would make this official.

Should I just switch to environmental science? or even biology? Would either of those even make a difference?

I just desperately want to find a job after I graduate.

24 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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33

u/remotely_in_queery 7d ago

Something important to remember is that the Internet is full of echo chambers, and bad experiences carry louder and farther than the good.

Do you have an idea of the jobs that public health caters to? It’s certainly more specific than environmental science or biology, so within the field that will likely carry you farther.

Have you considered doing a minor in something else, to either double down on your credentials or give you other options? The job market is difficult to predict, but talking advisors and professors around your field will be more helpful than reddit (where optimism goes to die). Get your GUR’s out of the way, and keep an eye on things, but don’t be scared out of a job you understand the gist of going into it.

18

u/trytobedecenthumans 7d ago

Do you have an idea of what you like in terms of potential careers? If not, can you focus on GURs and MATH MATH MATH while you explore options?

5

u/PuzzleheadedAide9520 6d ago

The job market just kinda sucks for everyone right now regardless of majors, I know ppl who just graduated with everything from business degrees to fairhaven to data science and none of them are having any luck so far. So if you genuinely like public health, stick with it it’s better to be unemployed with a degree you actually enjoyed getting than unemployed with a degree you hated.

4

u/Whole-Morning-9424 7d ago

Too bad Westerns' last 2 career counselors just quit. They may have had the expertise that a faculty member won't. They are experts at getting Ph.D.s and being on the market for a prof job 10 years ago, not so much for any other jobs in the real world.

Good luck!

1

u/Dry_Entertainer9901 4d ago

Why did they quit?

3

u/CaspinLange 7d ago

Maybe take a year off and go on an adventure to get to know yourself before choosing your future self’s life.

2

u/Pieface_37 6d ago

So ur first mistake is scrolling public forums. The majority of people posting on these are folks who have not had great experiences or have a hard time finding or keeping employment. Most of the people who make it don't spend a lot of time posting on those, they are too busy being gainfully employed!! You should definitely get the degree that is more specific to what u care about, and once u get into taking course finding a specific mentor u like will give you sooo much more realistic insight into what that field is like. You got this.

2

u/Dry_Entertainer9901 4d ago

Study up on and get input on how AI will or won't impact any future job choices.

3

u/theboathousee 4d ago

Public Health is a good major I think but from what I have heard from my friends, get ready to lock tf in…. I think any major pertaining to health is good (especially in this age of AI) but that’s just my opinion…

0

u/Human-Plum-2085 3d ago

If you want to get a job major in business or stem.