What are the best ways to overcome a lack of support in your environmental health career development?

Clearly identifying your aspirations and requirements forms the foundation for tackling insufficient assistance in advancing your environmental health profession. Take time to reflect upon your passions, acknowledging core interests driving your commitment towards sustainability. Next, examine existing expertise and recognize areas needing enhancement. Finally, acknowledge arising chances and hurdles crucial to engage with or surmount along your journey. With defined objectives and necessities, channel energy efficiently towards meaningful attempts shaping career pathway.

Overcome a lack of support in your environmental health career development by seeking mentorship or guidance from industry professionals, joining relevant professional associations, attending networking events, and participating in online forums or communities. Take initiative in pursuing additional training or certifications independently. Utilize online resources and courses to stay updated on industry trends. Build a strong professional network to create opportunities and seek advice from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges in their environmental health careers.

To overcome a lack of support in your environmental health career development, focus on these strategies: Self-Motivation: Cultivate intrinsic motivation by setting clear career goals. Break them into smaller, achievable tasks, celebrating successes along the way. This internal drive will keep you resilient despite external challenges. Networking: Build a professional network within the environmental health community. Attend industry events, join online forums, and connect with professionals. Networking can provide guidance, mentorship, and potential job opportunities. Skill Enhancement: Invest in continuous learning and skill development. Attend workshops, pursue certifications, and stay updated on industry trends.

Self-Assessment: Reflect on your career goals, skills, and areas of improvement. Identify the specific areas in environmental health you want to develop and set clear, realistic objectives for yourself. Advocate for Yourself: Clearly communicate your career aspirations and development needs to your supervisor, HR, or relevant stakeholders. Make them aware of your goals and express your commitment to contributing to the organization's success through your professional growth. Build a Network: Connect with colleagues, mentors, and professionals in the environmental health field. Attend industry conferences, workshops, and networking events to expand your network and gain insights from experienced professionals.

Social Media Presence: Establish a professional presence on platforms like LinkedIn to connect with peers and industry leaders. Freelance Projects: Take on freelance or consulting work in environmental health to build your portfolio and gain practical experience. Peer Collaborations: Collaborate on projects or research with peers to gain experience and build your professional reputation. Public Speaking: Share your knowledge through public speaking engagements or local community educational events. Publish Your Work: Write articles or research papers in your field to establish credibility and share your expertise. Stay Informed: Regularly follow industry news, trends, and regulatory changes to stay updated and relevant.

You can find a mentor through colleagues, friends or even family. You can get a mentor in your field or outside the industry that's complimentary. They may not have industry experience but they'll be able to give you a perspective. In your first meeting, discuss what you both want out of this relationship and the time commitment needed. As the mentee make sure to stay accountable by setting up follow up meetings and respecting their time. Ask questions and stay engaged. You're not bound to this mentor, if you're not connecting. However, seek guidance from others in your network if you're not sure how to connect with them. It's ok to find a different mentor. No matter what, make the best out of the opportunity. And thank them!

You need to be more around people who understand the importance of environment health and its impacts on the society. Leaning on your community tends to stimulate mental growth in the chosen area of work while you explore learning avenues. Find out about your peers and where they at in their path to career development. See what's their growth strategy and improvise. Make sure to access only those info mediums that align with your long-term goals.

Finding a mentor can be a longer process, so a quicker option would be to hire a professional coach to support you through your next stage in your career development. They can help you create a tailored plan for your career development and fill in the gaps of support that you need. Mentors and peer are wonderful resources, but considering a coach could be the right fit for the support needed.

Mentors can be such a helpful accelerator. Someone who has “been there, done that” can help share “what you didn’t know you needed to know”. It’s often easy to find answers if you know the problems. Mentors can help you find the problems that you will likely encounter and might not know you will until you are in the thick of it. Consider multiple mentor so that you can compare and contrast experiences. Just because it worked for one person doesn’t mean it’ll work for you.

You have to be willing to take a look internally to set goals and create pathways to achieve them. Your employer may not always want to support (financially) your goals for additional learning opportunities or certifications. Work to create that space for yourself... save some money here and there to be the facilitator of your dreams.

Be aware of online resources. While it’s good to take a quick look and see what’s out there. The Internet is rampant with misinformation or information that lacks context. Take a bit of critical thinking and step back whether or not that particular advice applies to you. Also understand who is providing the advice. if they are not in a position that you want to be, be wary of the guidance that they might have just “heard from someone else“. That being said, online resources can be super helpful to get you started. Though make sure you do your due diligence!

Be self reliant. Work place may not always offer you personal support. Having satisfying personal relationships, seeking professional mental health support if required can help.

Be self reliant. Work place may not always offer you personal support. Having satisfying personal relationships, seeking professional mental health support if required can help.

While it might be helpful to put yourself out there, not everyone is comfortable doing so. If you’re not a public person, consider just sharing amongst your circles. Share what you’ve been up to in your experiences. And while it might not get 1000 years, the two people you’re telling it to might be much more influential than those online. Although, if you can get to the point where you are able to share your experiences, confidently and publicly, then that will go along way to having others seek you out for your skills and value.

When you advocate for your field, then you are seem to be there for the long-haul. You typically wouldn’t invest the time to advocate for something that you were not interested in long-term. When folks see that you’re around and proud of what you’re doing, plus you’re making the investment in the profession, more more folks will likely make the investment in you.

It's human nature, start by self giving to others. First give-give-give, that is how naturally others would support you more. As a question to yourself, what can you do for others. How can you give them what they are looking for. And as a social bond, they would give back to you. And you would get all the support you are looking for ??

In a mentor / mentee relationship, communication is a two way street. When I was managing the mentoring for a leadership development program, we matched people based on their career interests. One of the participants wanted a different mentor because their current mentor didn't have the connections they wanted. During the 1:1 with the leadership program participant, I advised them to explore the mentor's second level connections. You have to ask the right questions. Who do you know > Who do they know? And they did continue to work together.

Amidst a lack of support in environmental health career development, embrace the unconventional strategy of forming a "Professional Mentorship Collective." Envision creating a network where individuals facing similar challenges collaborate, sharing insights, resources, and encouragement. This collective synergy becomes a powerful force, compensating for the absence of traditional support structures. It not only fosters camaraderie but generates a grassroots movement, propelling each member forward in their environmental health journey.

To overcome a lack of support in your environmental health career development, consider networking within your industry, seeking mentorship from experienced professionals, and actively participating in relevant conferences or workshops to expand your connections and knowledge. Additionally, explore online forums and communities where you can engage with like-minded individuals and gain insights to navigate challenges in your career.