Featured Programs:
Sponsored School(s)
More people than ever before are starting their careers in this field due to its growth and the benefits.
The public health field is one that is growing quickly. More people than ever before are starting their careers in this field due to its growth and the benefits that it offers to them. There are plenty of different reasons that make pursuing a public health career something that is well worth doing, ranging from the simple to the profound.
YouTube Special Feature on Why Public Health?
Some quick takes from our students in honor of National Public Health Week.
If you’re thinking about entering this field but are still on the fence about whether or not it is for you, here are fifty great reasons to pursue a public health career.
- Job Growth – The growth in this field over the coming years is well above the national average, and demand for workers in the field will grow. That means that you’ll be able to find employment no matter what. FACT: More than 50% of the US’s fastest-growing jobs are in the general field of public health with a MPH Degree!
- Job Security – It’s closely related to number one but worth mentioning on its own, as well. The stability of your career is something that means less stress and more enjoyment of your life, so it’s absolutely vital to select a career that lets you enjoy job security. Public health does this perfectly.
- Variety – They say that variety is the spice of life and when you enter the public health field you’ll be able to work in numerous roles in numerous areas of study, all around the nation. You can diversify your career or choose to focus on specific areas during it.
- Mastery – Of course, you can also master a specific area of study and focus all of your efforts on it. This will help enhance your overall abilities and your career as a whole. It’s well worth considering if you want to specialize in a field.
- Improving your Community – The overall health of your community will be impacted by your efforts, which is a key reason that so many choose this career.
- Improving the Nation – The nation’s population’s health is important as well and entering the public health field lets you have an impact on it as well.
- Improving Global Health – The health of the global population is another area that you can impact, and you’ll be able to improve the health of third world countries or the entire world.
- Travel – Improving global health also means that you’ll have the opportunity to travel around the world in some cases and get to work with the citizens of different countries
- Culture – In your travels you’ll be able to experience different cultures and have a tremendous impact on your own understanding of the way the world works and how civilization has been impacted over the years.
- Money – One obvious reason for entering the health field in general is the money, and by pursuing a public health career you’ll be able to earn salaries that are well above the national average.
- Personal Satisfaction – Simply put, knowing that you’ve had an impact on the health of others is something that fills most people with pride and a sense of personal satisfaction.
- Leadership Opportunities – In many cases a public health career will lead to a position as a leader in a particular field or a particular organization. The leadership opportunities are rewarding and abundant.
- Excitement – From traveling abroad to working in the lab, there’s lots of excitement to enjoy when you’re in the public health field.
- Cutting Edge – You’ll be on the cutting edge of medicine in many cases and will be able to use the latest tools, data, and resources in your everyday life.
- Interesting – The amount of research and data involved in lab work alone is enough to keep you waking up each morning and going to work. You’ll be able to process a huge amount of information and work towards improving the health of the world.
- Pedigree – Some of the world’s biggest breakthroughs like vaccinations have sprung from the public health field. You’ll be joining a branch of medicine that is highly respected.
- Helping Youth – From teen pregnancy to drug use, public health frequently focuses on improving the lives of the world’s young people.
- Improving the Workplace – Those focusing on occupational health have helped to reduce national workplace fatalities by forty percent over the last few decades.
- Improving Food Safety – The food our nation eats has been improved safety wise by the efforts of public health workers. You may be able to help take part in that as well.
- Public Job Opportunities – There are numerous government positions in various branches of the government that one can choose to take on as a public health worker. These can lead you to some amazing places.
- Educational Opportunities – Many public health workers assume roles in universities and colleges as well, providing themselves the opportunity to learn and work towards a better environment.
- Private Opportunities – The number of jobs in the private sector has exploded as well, and you’ll be able to choose where you want to work.
- Professional Benefits – Most jobs in the public health field don’t only pay above the national average, but provide insurance, PTO, and other career benefits that most people want and need. You’ll get to enjoy the best benefit packages as a result of your career.
- Dynamic – The field of public health is one of the most dynamic in the entire health care industry. If you’re looking for a career that is constantly evolving, you can’t do much better.
- Immediate Employment – In nearly all cases graduates from a public health program find work almost immediately after graduation. Most colleges post a ninety percent rate of employment for their grads. That’s way beyond the national average in other fields.
- Evolution – You can also help your career evolve. While earning a degree in public health is an important step in the process, you can always further your education and take your career to entirely new heights.
- Accessibility – Those currently working in the health care field often choose to go back to school. There are numerous Executive MPH programs offered by schools that allow working professionals to fit their education into their schedules.
- Flexibility – Once enrolled, students can choose from full or part time options and in some cases take a number of their courses online. That flexibility helps make the education easier to achieve.
- New Skills – Just by the nature of the job you’ll be able to constantly learn new skills. From language and communication to basic computer skills and beyond, there’s almost always something to learn.
- Challenging – Some people simply need to keep their minds stimulated, and the challenges inherent in the public health field ensure that those working in it are constantly able to find motivation and keep working towards their goals. The challenge drives many in the field, and is a benefit of working within it.
- Dual Degree Options – Students can also elect to enroll in dual degree programs and further their current or future skillsets even further. It’s an option well worth considering.
- Broad Applications – Fields like medicine, veterinary, dental, and even social work all have a need for public health skills. That means that no matter what area you want to go into, your skills will be valued.
- Fight Disease – Depending on the position you take after graduation there’s a good chance you could be on the front lines in the battle against things like AIDS or cancer. You’ll make a difference where it matters, in other words.
- Help With Prevention – A big part of public health lies in preventative care. That means that you’ll be able to work on projects that will actually prevent the illnesses that impact so many people’s health.
- Help Children – The sense of pride one gains from helping children with their overall health and well-being is unmatched, and in the public health field you’ll be doing a huge amount of work towards helping youth.
- Become a Global Leader – There is a strong possibility that you will lead global change in health for the better. Simply put, no other field in medicine affords you the chance to become a global leader in health.
- Change the Health Industry – Similarly, there is a chance that you’ll make contributions that will change the face of medicine in general. Things like immunizations are a perfect example of what could be possible in this field. You may make a lasting impression on humanity that will last forever.
- Numerous Duties – Whether you want to work in policy planning or help drive research forward in a lab, public health offers something for everyone. Whatever type of work you want to focus on you’ll be able to do it.
- Broad Reaching Impact – While a physician impacts the health of their patients on a daily basis, you’ll be able to take pride knowing that your efforts are impacting all of those patients and the population as a whole. No other area of medicine impacts so many different people and things at once.
- Multi-Disciplined – Public health draws from more disciplines than any other branch of medicine. Social work, political policy, management, medicine, science, biostatistics, and more are all areas that you’ll work in.
- Interesting Education – Not only is the job itself rewarding, but the education process is also incredibly interesting and exciting. It’s easy to stay interested during school when pursuing a public health degree.
- Diverse Coursework – Similarly, the courses you’ll take during your education are among the most diverse that you’ll find in a college program. You’ll constantly learn new skills and take new classes.
- Diverse Degrees – Taking that theme one step further, there are numerous degrees that one can choose from. PhDs and Master’s degrees are the most common and have different areas of specialty as well.
- Program Availability – Unlike some areas of medicine which are only offered by a few schools, it’s easy to find a public health program in almost any state. Numerous schools around the nation offer these programs. This way you don’t have to relocate in order to earn your degree, something that is a big deal for those with responsibilities in a certain area.
- Employment Availability – It’s worth a separate entry just to note that you’ll be able to find employment in the public health field almost anywhere that you go. There are jobs in this field virtually everywhere in the country and around the world, making it easy to find work without having to relocate.
- Boosting Environmental Health – One area that public health graduates often work in is environmental health. By identifying different health risks posed by the environment one can often help work to bring about change on multiple levels including medical and environmental. No other branch of the medical field can match this.
- Helping Families – From designing programs to help families afford health or dental care to helping with family planning, few careers offer the chance to help families as a whole quite like public health can.
- Constantly Changing – The public health spectrum changes constantly as new problems arise, old ones are reigned in, and the world at large changes. It’s a shifting career field and one that will never run the risk of being “the same old same old”.
- Longevity – As your career continues through time you’ll be able to continue making changes to the world and the general population. And you may choose to shift your focus multiple times over your career or focus only on one area. The choice is yours, but the career itself has longevity that other options can’t match.
- Enjoyable – Simply put, public health workers report high levels of satisfaction with their careers. Whether it’s a few minutes of fun with kids in the community, the challenges faced and overcome, or something else, this is an enjoyable career that is loved by those working in it.
Simply put, public health offers something for everyone to love. It’s a career well worth pursuing if you want to stay challenged, help others, and enjoy great pay and career benefits.
