u/MammothBridge5477

Warning in advance, this might be kinda long. I'm a senior about to graduate highschool. I love theatre more than anything, and it's one of the only things I can see myself doing (and truly loving) as a career. I'd be content working in theatre in any capacity. I don't need to be the lead in some huge production to consider myself successful, I just want a place on stage or behind the scenes (I love performing, working tech crew, writing for the stage, there's not a part of the process I don't love). I've definitely thought about majoring in theatre, but I'm not delusional. I know it would be insanely difficult to make a career out of, and that I'd basically be signing up for unstable work and bad pay for most, if not all, of my career. Sometimes I feel like I'm up for the challenge, sometimes I feel like it would be better to give up/only do community theatre as a hobby.

The only other thing that's really stuck as a potential major/career path outside of the creative world is environmental science. I wouldn't say I'm as passionate about it as I am about theatre, but I definitely have a solid interest in it and I can see myself enjoying working in that field long term. Unfortunately, while science work is arguably more stable, this career faces its own uncertainty. Budget cuts, pay, stability, all of these factors effect environmental science too.

I guess what I'm stuck on is deciding if I should pursue my dream, or the more logical interest if I'm gonna face similar challenges regardless, should I just go after what I truly want to pursue? Or is that too unrealistic, and should I try and find my footing in my plan B?

As the title states, I'm basically just looking for advice or perspectives from current environmental science students & professionals. I'm a rising college freshman, and I'm considering studying Biology and Environment, Sustainability, & Policy. I know environmental science is an incredibly broad field, and I don't know what specifically I'd like to do in it (if the industry is right for me at all). Here are some things I'm looking for in a career (I'm aware this is idealistic and probably unrealistic list, so some of these I can compromise on):

- decent pay. I don't need to make tons of money or be particularly rich, but ofc I'd like to be able to live comfortably

- at least some flexibility. I have a lot of hobbies I don't want to give up, as well as the desire to travel, so work life balance is quite important to me.

- limited screen time. I'm aware this is hard to find, and I honestly don't mind doing work on computers or other devices for part of my job, I just don't want to sit at a desk staring at a computer screen for hours on end each day.

- something that'll keep me active and interacting with other people/the world around me. As mentioned above, the last thing I want is a 9-5 desk job cubicle situation.

- something that'll make me feel like I'm contributing something positive to society/helping people, basically the "make the world a better place" thing (as cringy as that sounds)

If anyone has experience with environmental careers that fit all or most of these criteria or have some advice to offer in terms of careers to look into, that would be much appreciated!