Jobs in the field of Environmental Science

Environmental Science is a diverse field that offers those who study it multiple paths to challenging and rewarding careers in the future.

Whether it's an environmental scientist or specialist who works in a lab or a natural resource manager who looks after the distribution of the Earth's precious materials, a career in environmental science is for the environmentally-minded individual who wants to make a difference on our planet.

Being such a broad and generalized field, environmental science provides a plethora of interesting professional opportunities. Since education and concentrations possess such a strong influence over the type of job that you will be eligible for post-graduation, it's important to do research and select a career to work toward. It shouldn't be hard finding a career that combines your interests and passion for the environment and provides you with not just a secure job, but also personal fulfillment and enrichment.

Environmental Scientist

An environmental scientist's job duties may vary, but it isn't uncommon for them to conduct experiments with dyes in bodies of water to test how chemicals might disperse during a toxic spill and come up with ways to minimize damage, create maps and/or graphs that illustrates the effects of air pollution over time that helps other officials make better informed decisions about environmental laws, evaluate the affect humans and wildlife have on one another, monitor water qualities at beaches, lakes and ponds to ensure it is containment free and keep people and wildlife safe from exposure to harmful toxins and more.

The objective of an environmental scientist's career is to investigate, identify, prevent and solve environmental problems in order to ensure that the planet and all its living creatures are kept safe.

Education

Entry-level positions as an environmental scientist usually require a bachelor's degree in environmental science or a related scientific field such as biology, physics, chemistry,

Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary from an environmental scientist was $63, 570.

Demand

The employment rate of environmental scientist is thriving, with projected growth rate to rise $15 from 2012 to 2022. The increase in threats to our environment as more resources are consumed and more and more spaces are commercialized necessitate the recruitment of individuals who possess a strong knowledge of the sciences and the eco system who can use that to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions.

How to Become an Environmental Scientist

The entry-level requirements for this job are a Bachelor of Environmental Science or another natural science, preferably with ether a double major or minor in environmental science.

Environmental Engineer

A career in environmental engineering combines the basic principles of engineering with the fields of biology and chemistry to come up with solutions to today's most pressing environmental issues. Their duties involve coming up with ways to reduce waste, improve recycling, enhance the preventative measures taken to ensure public health and manage air pollution.

Preparing, reviewing and updating environmental investigative reports, designing projects that lead to the preservation of the environment and also help people such as water reclamation facilities, analyzing scientific data and providing technical support on environmental mediation projects and advising corporate and government agencies about cleanup protocol for contaminated areas. There are more tasks performed by environmental engineers, and the specifications of each individual's job will be predominately influenced by his or her experience, education and geographic region.

Environmental engineers need at least a bachelor's in either environmental engineering or another branch of the same field such as general, chemical or civil engineering. Practical experience is also highly favored among employers, so getting a license and taking part of cooperative engineering programs that offer college credit for job experience are strongly recommended.

The median annual income for an environmental engineer was $80, 890 in May 2012. Federal government employees earned higher, earning $98, 890 each year. Local and state government employees, excluding hospital sand education, earned less at $75, 350 and $69, 570 respectively.