I chose environmental management because I have always had a fascination with nature since I was young. I was fortunate to grow up frequently visiting the Gower AONB and my positive association to nature made me want to pursue a full-time career in connecting people to the natural environment. The University of Manchester has helped me achieve this by providing a warm, welcoming department which has nurtured my interests and the staff within SEED are incredibly attentive and take care in keeping their lecture materials current, relevant, and engaging. Environmental management is a great course because it teaches key principles across ecology, sustainability, and policy, but it also allows you to form your own opinions and shape your assignments so that you can tailor your work to align with your interests. It also taught me key transferable skills in GIS software, data analysis and teamwork which are skills I use daily in my job. Thanks to doing a degree in Environmental Management, I now work in the water industry, helping to deliver multi-million-pound green infrastructure projects across the northwest.

If I could offer any advice to applicants, it would be to follow a subject you really feel passionate about, because it makes your academic journey more enjoyable and rewarding. Also, do everything! Join that society, go volunteering, do that pub quiz night. My only regret from university was not starting things sooner. Don’t be afraid to be wrong and take that risk- you never know where it will lead you.

Written by Zoe Lizrees

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