-: In our department we are very diverse.
We have people that started working
in the restaurant industry and decided
I want to get out but that looks like a really fun job.
We have people that have a geology background
and they focus more on septic and water
'cause we also deal with beaches, public beaches.
We have people that straight up went to school for this
and people that are like me that have a Masters degree.
So it's a wide array.
I would just say that having a science background
to be a health inspector, registered sanitarian,
you have to have about, I think it's 30 to 45 hours
of a science classes.
So that can be chemistry, biology, geology,
anything in public health, even biostat.
So I would suggest
that people look at the NEHA requirements,
the National Environmental Health Association
requirements for how to take the registered sanitarian exam.
But basically, like science.
I actually started out as an intern at Hennepin County.
Requirement in your Masters degree
is to have field experience
and I had a lease, I wanted to stay in the area,
I was applying and I'm like,
this sounds like a great idea.
I was out all summer looking at beaches,
wells, water safety, looking at pools,
it was a great time to be outside in Minnesota.
So I actually started out as an intern,
liked it, finished my second year of grad school,
then worked in the industry for awhile
but was like, you know I really liked what I was doing there
and a position opened up and so I came back.
And so I would suggest that if it's something
that you're thinking about doing,
get a three month internship or job shadow.
We do job shadows all the time.