Environmental Engineer

Answer 1

The Career

Environmental engineers are trained to protect and sustain the environment from pollution and the daily processes of industrial life. While some environmental engineers work to develop new, sustainable technologies for a greener future, many work more in environmental remediation. Environmental engineers clean and sanitize wastewater, oil spills, toxic chemical disasters, and other pollution sites. They monitor air quality and assess compliance with federal pollution regulations. They may also design and implement new solutions for sustainable energy, as well as consult with federal, state and local environmental protection organizations. Some environmental engineers choose to earn their JD and head into law, to work on developing better environmental policies.

Environmental engineering tends to be an office position, but some job openings require the employee to work outside at pollution sites, factories, landfills, and other environmentally degraded areas.

Education Requirements

Most environmental engineering positions require a bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering. It is possible to obtain admission to a master’s degree program in civil or environmental engineering with a basic, non-specialized engineering degree, or in rare cases, an environmental sciences, Biology, or geology degree. You will take many math and science courses, and will be expected to have a firm grounding in calculus, chemistry, biology, and physics.

Salary

The starting salary for an environmental engineer is very good - new graduates can expect to earn between $40,000 and $50,000 dollars, with experienced environmental engineers earning above $70,000. Although you will earn more with experience, rewards tend to bottom out. Your income potential does not become higher after around a decade in the field. Environmental engineering managers, however, can earn up to and above $100,000 a year.

Job Outlook

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a whopping 31% increase in the need for environmental engineers by 2018, and job prospects will be extremely favorable. There are fewer environmental engineers graduating every year than there are job openings, so qualified graduates entering the workforce can expect to find work quickly.