Career or Job Opportunities as Environmental Engineer

Focos de atención

Títulos similares

Air Pollution Control Engineer, Engineer, Engineering Consultant, Environmental Remediation Specialist, Hazardous Substances Engineer, Sanitary Engineer, Field Engineer, Environmental Specialist, Environmentalist

Descripción del trabajo

Environmental engineers research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards (water, soil and air) using various engineering disciplines. Their work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.

Aspectos gratificantes de la carrera

Job satisfaction: Making a difference in the world and in the community.
Pay: Making a good solid salary.
Intellectually challenging: You are constantly challenging your brain and thinking of ways to solve problems.
Job Stability: There will always be a need for environmental engineers.

Salario medio

$84,890

La primicia

Un día en la vida

Schedule is predictable majority of the time: Either go into an office or go off site but it is scheduled and planned.
Occasional “Fire drills“ diagnostic and trouble shooting skills: There are occasional phone calls from the technician in the field who discovers that something is broken/needs to be replaced. Have to brainstorm what it could be and fix the problem over the phone.
Regular meetings with team: other engineers, geologists, program managers to touch base with updates on a project.
Regularly talking on phone with field technicians who are the hands-on people doing the work in the field.
Lots of report writing: getting data from technician, analyzing the data and writing several reports that communicate to the agency the status of the projects.
Types of reports: Findings of a study, ongoing report of water quality, proposal to do a different type of study.
Go on site for remediation every so often.

Habilidades necesarias en el trabajo

Habilidades para resolver problemas
Orientado al detalle
Team-player: Will work with different people in different disciplines.
Innovative: Should be looking for the next best practice.

Expectativas/Sacrificios necesarios

Won’t become a quick millionaire: Pay is competitive but you won’t make a huge sum of money all at once.
My brain hurts!: You are always using your brain for your work so you have to be ON all the time.
Potential physical risks: Risk to exposure of things you are trying to clean up. However, there is rigorous safety training to work safe.

Tipos de organización

PRIVATE: consulting engineering working for companies (oil, gas, energy).
PUBLIC: government agencies that enforce and regulate policies, compliance.

Tendencias actuales del sector

Less work in oil and gas.
More work in erosion, air pollution, storm water, and hazardous waste sites.
Wastewater treatment is becoming a larger concern in areas of the country where new methods of drilling for shale gas require the use and disposal of massive volumes of water.

¿Qué tipo de cosas disfrutaba la gente de esta carrera cuando era joven...

Liked taking things apart and understanding it, then putting it back together.
Liked shows on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and Science Network.
Cared about the environment.
Liked being outdoors and interacting with the environment.

Título

Empleo proyectado

2016 Empleo

53,800

2026 Empleo proyectado

58,300

Educación necesaria

Environmental Engineers usually need a bachelor’s in engineering (usually civil or chemical engineering) from an ABET-accredited engineering program, as well as related work experience from cooperative experiences or internships
Per O*Net, 64% of workers in this field have a bachelor’s, 27% a master’s, and 9% a post-baccalaureate certificate
No es necesario un máster, pero puede ayudar a calificar para puestos avanzados y salarios más altos.
Los trabajadores de nivel inicial no necesitan una licencia, pero muchos optan por completar un programa de licencia de Ingeniería Profesional (PE) para poder convertirse en Ingenieros Profesionales con licencia capaces de "supervisar el trabajo de otros ingenieros, firmar proyectos y proporcionar servicios directamente al público"
Cada estado tiene diferentes requisitos para obtener la licencia. Los candidatos pueden tener que hacer primero un examen de Fundamentos de Ingeniería (FE), convertirse en un Ingeniero en Formación o Ingeniero en Prácticas, y más tarde hacer su examen de Principios y Práctica de la Ingeniería (PE)
Las certificaciones adicionales pueden reforzar sus credenciales. Entre ellas se encuentran:
- Academia de Profesionales Medioambientales Certificados -
  - Profesional del medio ambiente certificado en formación
  - Certified Environmental Professional
  - Board Certified Environmental Engineer - Hazardous Waste Management
  - Board Certified Environmental Engineer - Radiation Protection
  - Board Certified Environmental Engineer - Solid Waste Management
- Academia Americana de Gestión de Proyectos - Ingeniero de Planificación Certificado
- Sociedad Americana de Ingenieros de Calefacción, Refrigeración y Aire Acondicionado -
  - Diseño de edificios de alto rendimiento
  - Municipal Waste Facility Operator
- Asociación de Ingenieros de la Energía -
  - Certified Energy Auditor
  - Superior Energy Performance
  - Certified Sustainable Development Professional
  - Certified Energy Manager
  - Profesional certificado en contratación de energía
- Board for Global EHS Credentialing - Qualified Environmental Professional
- Green Business Certification Inc. -
  - LEED AP Neighborhood Development
  - Hogares LEED AP
  - LEED AP Building Design + Construction
- Institute of Hazardous Materials Management - Certified Dangerous Goods Professional
- International Board for Certification of Safety Managers - Certified Hazard Control Manager
- Registro Nacional de Profesionales del Medio Ambiente -
  - Certified Waste Management Professional
  - Registered Environmental Professional
  - Registered Environmental Property Assessor
- Asociación de Residuos Sólidos de Norteamérica -
  - Managing Integrated Solid Waste Management Systems
  - Managing Construction & Demolition Materials
  - Managing Recycling Systems
- World Safety Organization -
  - Certified Governmental Safety Specialist
  - Certified Governmental Safety Technician
  - Certified Governmental Environmental Officer

Benefits of Certain Education and Certification

Paid more if you get a PE license .
Paid more if you go to 4 year university.
Highly recommend a 4 year university, and then you only need to work for 2 years to be licensed (PE).
If you don’t go to a 4-year college, you can still get licensed but you must work as an environmental engineer for 7 years before getting your PE license.

Cosas que hay que buscar en una universidad

Good engineering program
Accredited school, ranked.
The school values the engineering programs: Do they do good research? Who are their alumni? Good professors?
What is the faculty doing? Are they involved with projects, challenging work in the field? Are you interested in their work? Are there professionals that give guest lectures?

Cosas que hacer en el instituto y la universidad

Stock up on courses in algebra, calculus, differential equations, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, English, and geology
Gain practical work experience through Environmental Engineer internships
Ser voluntario en actividades escolares en las que puedas poner en práctica tus habilidades de colaboración y trabajo en equipo
Learn how to use software like DHI Water and Environment
Other applicable software programs to become familiar with include:
- Software de cumplimiento
- Diseño asistido por ordenador
- Database user interface and query
- Desktop communications
- Entorno de desarrollo
- Sistemas de información geográfica
- Industrial control programs
- Map creation tools
- Programming skills in Python and R
Read articles and watch tutorials about Environmental Engineering to learn from insiders
Try to schedule an Environmental Engineer informational interview to ask questions
Decide what type of job you want within this field! There are different career options, such as water treatment plant operators, compliance specialists, college professors, land surveyors, transportation planners, environmental scientists, natural resource specialists, consultants, geotechnical engineers, civil designers, and more!
Únase a organizaciones profesionales para aprender, crecer y crear redes (consulte nuestra sección Recursos recomendados > Sitios web para ver una lista de opciones)

Estadísticas de educación

3.5% with HS Diploma
4 % con el título de asociado
49.2% with Bachelor's
34.4% with Master's
4.7% with Doctoral

Hoja de ruta típica

Cómo conseguir tu primer trabajo

Get a college summer internship.
Pass the EIT (Engineering in Training) exam and get the certification.
Research different companies and find what interests you and know what kind of company you want to work for.
Staffing agencies can also help you find a job.
¡Red!
BLS projects job opportunities will be fairly consistent as “tate and local governments’ concerns about water are leading to efforts to increase the efficiency of water use” and the federal government works to clean contaminated sites
Environmental Engineer internships and cooperative engineering programs are both great ways to get started
Regístrate para recibir alertas en portales de empleo como Indeed, Simply Hired, Glassdoor y Zippia.
También hay varias bolsas de trabajo específicas para ingenieros, como National Society of Professional Engineers, EngineeringJobs.net, IEEE Job Site, Society of Women Engineers, ASCE Career Connections, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, American Council of Engineering Companies, C&ENjobs, ASHRAE Jobs y Tau Beta Pi The Engineering Honor Society
Relocate to where the work is! The states with the highest employment level for Environmental Engineers are California, New York, Texas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. States with the highest concentration of jobs are Alaska, West Virginia, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming
Talk with your school career center for help with resumes, mock interviews, and job fair info
Pide referencias personales a profesores, supervisores y compañeros de trabajo.
Review Environmental Engineer resume templates to get ideas for wording and formats
Study Environmental Engineer interview questions to prep for interviews

Cómo seguir siendo competitivo y permanecer en el juego

Join associations: American Society of Civil Engineers
Join the local chapter: helps you network, monthly industry talks, seminars, field trips.
Volunteer: Engineers without Borders allows engineers to work on projects they wouldn't necessarily work on (better portfolio of work, diverse experience).
Knowledge is power: Attend seminars, webinars, and workshop to make sure you are up to date with what’s going on with the latest technologies and developments in the industry.
Be inquisitive: Who is leading the technology currently in the industry? What emerging technologies are there in the industry?

Cualidades de los que suben la escalera y la disfrutan

Hard-working: do more than what is expected, more than 40 hours.
Leadership: Come with a purpose and plan.
People skills: Network and get to know the people in your industry, attend events.
Good at working in groups with difficult and different people.
Cares about the environment.
Loves calculations.
Loves the intricacies and science of things.
Loves challenging things, and solving a problem.

Herramientas/recursos recomendados

Páginas web

Libros

Plan B

Alternate careers: environmental law, public policy, regulatory work.

Infografía

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Editado por Michelle Cho

Ingeniero de Medio Ambiente

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