Details on a Career in Environmental Engineering

The broad term of “environmental engineering” has many jobs underneath it. Of course all the jobs have something to do with environmental engineering.

And any career in environmental engineering is a great career to pursue because it pays well and is a job that is in demand. Let’s take a look at some of the facts regarding a career in environmental science.

To enter a career in environmental engineering a person needs to have at least a bachelor’s degree in the field of environmental engineering. To attain higher positions a master’s degree and sometimes a PH.D is needed. During schooling the most important classes are obviously the math, science, and environmental classes.

Usually the main goal of a career in environmental engineering is to protect the environment. Within environmental engineering there are many sub-categories that do just that – protect the environment.

Environmental Engineering Careers

The subcategories are: land management, wastewater management, storm water management, hazardous waste management, toxic materials control, water supply protection, air pollution control, industrial hygiene, radiation protection, solid waste disposal, and public health. Within these subcategories there are even more categories and jobs that exist within each one.

So there are very specific jobs that are performed in environmental engineering. And many of these jobs are in need of employees. That’s actually one of the main reasons why a career in environmental engineering is a good idea. It’s not uncommon for there to be open jobs that simply aren’t filled because there isn’t a qualified person to fill the position.

Another great reason is the starting salary of environmental engineers. A person taking an entry level position as an environmental engineer can expect to make about $40,000 or more in most states. Of course that number may vary slightly from state to state and from job to job. But the starting salary for an environmental engineer is very competitive.

Job security is another perk for a career in environmental engineering. Again, there are more jobs open then there are for people to fill them. Therefore, you can be almost certain that you won’t lose your job as an environmental engineer. You’re job won’t be phases out – there aren’t too many environmental engineers, there aren’t enough.

The final great reason to be an environmental engineer is the fulfillment it brings. You are helping people, which is great. Also, you will get the satisfaction of seeing something you conceived in your mind actually come to life. You will see something be erected or built that you thought up. And that something will help solve a problem, which will also make you feel fulfilled and good about yourself.

A career in environmental engineering is a great way to go. You will need a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree to become an environmental engineer but once you become one you won’t have any problem finding a job. And you’ll be able to pick from a variety of jobs that are part of the large field of environmental engineering.

Go Green with an Environmental Engineering Degree Online!

If your goal in life is to safeguard the earth’s resources then getting an environmental engineering degree online is a great choice. This is a “green” discipline in that careers are devoted to matters such as managing environmental regulations and cleaning up hazardous materials. Using a blend of chemistry and knowledge of biology, the environmental engineer works to improve the environment by finding ways to prevent or correct ecological damage and to minimize environmental threats to human health.

Excellent Opportunities Everywhere You Look

Environmental engineering is an excellent choice of careers. Right now the number of positions is expected to grow by 31 percent during the ten year period ending 2018. But job growth could very well be stronger as the focus on environmental issues continues to grow. Federal and state governments are committed to developing and enforcing environmental laws, and that means you can expect new jobs at the government and private industry levels to emerge.

In addition, population growth is placing demands on the environment that are leading to increasing public health concerns. Job duties include the following as an example:

Develop methods for controlling pollution
Manage waste disposal
Address public health concerns
Prevent environmental problems or disasters
Research and design hazardous-waste management procedures
Research and design industrial wastewater treatment systems
Work on environmental clean-up procedures at accident sites

As you can see, this is a truly exciting career field offering a wide range of career paths. When working on theenvironmental engineering degree, you can expect to take plenty of math and science courses. Thanks to online learning that can be done from a distance master of environmental engineering degrees can also be pursued. Technology has made it possible to earn degrees in your field of choice no matter where you live, and that’s great news for you and the environment!

Let’s Talk Money

It’s always nice when you can earn good money while also pursuing a chosen career. If you have a passion for protecting the environment then you will be happy to know that you can also make an excellent salary. This is true even if you have little experience.

Online environmental engineering degrees are valuable as you can see from the average annual pay rates for people already working in the field as published by PayScale.

Under 1 year of experience | $42,000 to $56,000
Experience over 1 year but less than 5 years | $47,000 to $59,000
Experience of at least 5 years but less than 10 | $56,500 to $70,000
Experience of at least 10 years but less than 20 | $68,700 to $90,000
Experience of at least 20 years or more | $75,800 to $108,000

You can not only start your career at an excellent salary right out of college but you can also expect greater earnings as you get experience.

Who do environmental engineers typically work for? They work for:

Federal, state and local governments
Universities as researchers or in-house engineers

Private businesses concerned with limiting environmental impact of outputs (especially manufacturers)

Non-profits dedicated to environmental protection
Consultant

When you earn an environmental engineering bachelors degree online, you not only have career opportunities in the U.S. Issues like global warming and population growth has created a worldwide concern about environmental protection. If you desire to work overseas one day, this is an ideal degree to possess.

The annual salary for an environmental engineer varies from city to city and state to state. For example, you will likely earn more working in Los Angeles than in Chicago. According to PayScale, the pay range for employed environmental engineers in Los Angeles is $58,000 to $104,000. The pay range in Chicago is $48,000 to $67,000.

When looking at the average salary by state the ranges are fairly close. You can begin working at an average salary of $53,000 in California as opposed to $51,000 in New York on the other side of the country. In Texas starting average salaries are $57,000 compared to Florida’s $49,000.

What this information tells you is that the city of employment impacts pay much more than the state you work in.

Excellent Prospects

A degree in environmental engineering is an excellent choice if you have an interest in dealing with environmental topics of all kinds. You can choose to work on issues like:

Water pollution
Air pollution
Public health protection
Wildlife protection
Recycling
Water supplies
Industrial facility designs (to protect the environmental)
Hazardous waste transport and disposal
Acid rain

In other words, you can specialize if you want and that could lead to even higher earnings. With advances in technology there are going to be new types of careers in environmental engineering developing all the time. This is a cutting-edge field of study and one that will pay you quite well.