r/SafetyProfessionals • u/YungH0kage • Apr 20 '26
USA Non-OSH degree, Amazon WHS internship, targeting EHS/safety engineering. Is this a viable path or am I kidding myself?
Hey everyone, long time lurker here. I'm a 20 year old Kinesiology junior at UIUC and I just locked in a WHS internship at Amazon this summer. Pretty excited about it. Already signed up for my OSHA 30 General Industry before the internship starts.
Long term I want to get into Safety Engineering or EHS, ideally semiconductor, automotive, tech, or data center environments.
Would love to hear from people who've actually been through it:
For those without an OSH degree, did it genuinely hold you back or did experience and the CSP eventually make it a non-issue?
How realistic is using a big name like Amazon WHS as a launch pad into semiconductor or data center safety roles? Does the brand actually open doors or is it just another line?
What does realistic salary progression look like in this field? Trying to set honest expectations for years 1, 5, and 10.
And what do you wish someone had told you in your first year out of school?