Environmental Engineering Technician Career
As an environmental engineering technician, your main task is to implement and carry out the plans and designs created by environmental engineers in order to prevent, control and clean-up pollution and other environmental problems. In this sense, the career can be quite rewarding for environmentalists and anyone with a desire to help protect the planet.
Environmental engineering technicians generally split their time between working outdoors and inside in a lab. Much of the time is spent in the lab testing samples, but many technicians also spend time collecting samples. Although most work 40 hours a week, you may sometimes be forced to work overtime or irregular hours in the event of an environmental disaster or major problem. Environmental engineering technicians can work in a variety of different settings, including government, private and research/ educational institutions.
Environmental Engineering Technician Career Snapshot
Further details on a career as an environmental engineering technicians are listed below (statistics from the May 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the average yearly pay for environmental engineering technicians.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a Bachelor’s degree while 11% have a High school diploma or equivalent.
Environmental Engineering Tech Education
If you’re interested in a career as an environmental engineering technician, the first thing you’ll need to do is obtain at least an associate’s degree in environmental engineering technology or a related field. Although around two-thirds of current workers in this field only possess a high school diploma, the majority of careers now require an associate’s degree due to the rapidly changing and highly technical nature of the work.
Environmental Engineering Tech Job Duties
Environmental engineering technicians generally spend much of their time collecting, testing and analyzing samples using a variety of laboratory and other equipment. Much of the work also involves collecting and analyzing data, keeping detailed records and logs of all work performed and producing a range of environmental assessment reports and other documentation needed to assist the environmental engineer in their work.
Environmental Engineering Tech Salaries
The overall salary range for environmental engineering technicians is quite wide, as those in the bottom 10 percent make around $29,000 a year compared to over $80,000 a year for those in the top 10 percent. In 2015 (BLS.gov statistics), the median average yearly salary was just over $49,000. However, the average salary is expected to rise as more and more educated workers enter the field and the job becomes more technically advanced.
Environmental Engineering Tech Job Outlook
Those considering a career as an environmental engineering technician are in luck, as the field is expected to grow quite rapidly over the next 10 years due to advances in technology and also the growing problems caused by pollution and other environmental issues. Careers in this field are expected to increase by 10 percent by 2024, which is double the average rate of growth for other careers.
Environmental Engineering Technician Skills & Traits
| Environmental Engineering Tech Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Environmental Engineering Tech: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Active Listening • Critical Thinking • Reading Comprehension • Active Learning | • Deductive Reasoning • Inductive Reasoning • Written Comprehension • Information Ordering | • Air samplers or collectors • Laboratory balances • Reactors or fermenters or digesters • Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters | • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates • Getting Information • Documenting & Recording Information • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards |
