Environmental Careers

The "Environment" is a growing field with half a dozen publications and web pages listing as many as 5000 job openings each year. It is an extremely varied field, with jobs to fit a student with almost any kind of degree.

There are six steps to making a well-informed decision about your career path in the environmental field. This is as much work as the average 3-page paper, but it will really pay off in the choices you make about how to spend your time and your money.

6 Steps to the Right Environmental Career

1. Get an overall view of the five kinds of environmental careers.

2. Determine your own interests, values and skills and keep these in mind as you go through the following steps.

3. Determine your three top work styles using the "Career Interests Game".

4. Check out a list of environmentally related careers (and possible majors) that go with your top work style, if nothing appeals, try your second and then third work style.

5. Once you find a type of career that fits your work style, confirm that it fits your interests, values and skills. Then visit the job listings and read about specific jobs, what they pay and the opportunities for advancement. (Pay is not a trivial issue - even though you may be happy with a simple lifestyle - you will need insurance and you will probably want to send your kids to college and be able to retire some day). Make a note of the majors and/or skills required for the jobs that appeal to you.

6. Once you have a list of possible majors or degrees, visit the degrees page and see which majors are a good fit. Decide if the major by itself will provide all the skills you need, or if you should take additional classes in another field, get a minor, or get involved in volunteer actitivities that will help you develop needed skills.

1. Environmental Careers Overview

Advocacy, Outreach and Communication
From 13 to 18 % (depending on season) of environmental jobs fall into the category of Advocacy, Outreach and Communication. These jobs are generally with non-profit organizations, but also with state and local agencies and even industry. They involve educating the public about an environmental issue like biodiversity, sprawl, energy conservation or recycling. Employers want people with strong organization and communication skills (oral and written) and experience with computers (text, spreadsheet and html programs). A B.A. or B.S. is required, but the degree can be almost anything, though environmental studies is preferred. Additional experience in marketing, fund raising, business and environmental issues is a plus.

Policy and Regulation
From 7 to 13 % of environmental jobs are in the area of Policy and Regulation. These jobs can be with non-profits, government or industry. In this case, employers look for people who can write, analyze, interpret or administer environmental regulations. In some cases, the job involves lobbying government to pass laws, to alter their interpretation or to implement them. It helps to have strong research skills, some kind of technical background and familiarity with environmental laws. There is no particular degree required in the field though individual listings request everything from law to chemical engineering.

Conservation and Natural Resources
From 18 to 28% of jobs fall in the Conservation and Natural Resources category. Here the educational requirements are more specific and employers (government and industry) want someone with a B.S. or M.S. in wildlife biology, forestry or soils. Oral and written communication skills are important, though not as important as for advocacy jobs. The ability to use text, spreadsheet, GIS, Arcview and html software is highly desirable. Additional qualities include people skills, office skills and the ability to meet deadlines, being in good physical shape, and in some parts of the country, the ability to speak Spanish.

Environmental Engineering and Scientific Services
Environmental Engineering and Scientific Services has the most job listings - 32%, mainly with industry and to a lesser extent with the government. These jobs invariably require a technical degree in engineering, biology, geology, chemistry, math or industrial hygiene. Employers also rank written and oral communication skills very highly, along with the ability to do data analysis and familiarity with federal and state environmental laws.

Outdoor and Environmental Education
From 14 to 26% of jobs fall in the Outdoor and Environmental Education category. Employers are either private educational enterprises, programs affiliated with schools and colleges, or with local, state and federal parks. They are looking for a degree in education and/or conservation and natural resources. Oral skills are important, especially the ability to speak in public and tell stories. One to two years of teaching experience is desirable, along with experience working with kids, outdoor skills, safety training and some knowledge of practical maintenance (carpentry, plumbing, etc.).

2. Your Values, Interests, Skills

You should write these out - it will make them more concrete in your own mind and help guide your thinking. Otherwise your essential nature may remain fuzzy to you, which will definitely mess you up as you try to make important life decisions.

Values

• Who are the people that you admire, and why do you admire them?
• What kinds of news stories do you typically pay attention to? (if you aren't checking out the news on at least a weekly basis - start now. Read a newspaper or news magazine or tune in to in-depth news shows on National Public Radio or PBS)
• What do you think is the proper relationship between humans and nature?
• What do you think is the proper relationship between human beings?
• What standard of living is acceptable for you - now? 20 years from now? (keep in mind you may want to send your kids to college some day)
• What lessons did you learn from the adults in your life that you value?
• What lessons would you like to pass on to the next generation?

  Interests

• How do you like to spend your spare time?
• What hobbies do you have, or have you thought about trying?
• What organizations do you belong to, or would belong to if you had time?

  Skills

• What academic subjects do you do well at with little or no effort?
• What other activities (sports, hobbies, daily chores, organizations) do you do well at with little or no effort?
• What academic subjects did you find difficult? Why?
• What other activities do you find difficult? Why?

3. Determining Career Interests

Now that you have given some serious thought to your values, interests and skills, you can investigate your career interests using the Career Interests Game at the MU Career Center. This game is based on Dr. John Holland's theory that there are (loosely) six types of work environments and personalities that fit them. The types are:

Realistic: working with objects, machines, tools, plants, animals or outdoors
Investigative: observing, learning, investigating, analyzing, evaluating or solving problems
Artistic:working in unstructured environments and using intuition, imagination and creativity
Social: working with people to educate, inform, help, train or cure them
Enterprising:working with people to persuade, influence, lead or manage them
Conventional: working with data, records and details, keeping track of things

Based on Holland's model, people are combinations of two or more of these work personality types and the particular combinations indicate the kind of work environment, and therefore career, a given personality would be most comfortable in.

4. Finding the Environmental Career for You

After using the Career Interests Game you can match your work personality type to the environmental career likely to be the best fit and see which majors prepare you for such a career. However, it is important to keep in mind that the work personality types are not hard and fast categories. It is possible to enhance or develop skills so that a person can pursue a career that better fits her or his values and interests. Plus, most majors will only provide some of the skills you need, so consider what additional courses, minors, certificates or volunteer experiences would also help.

"Realistic Work Style" Careers	Majors
Air Quality Inspector - monitor on-site compliance with environmental regulations	Chemistry, Chemical Engineering
Arborist - work for city or public agency managing and protecting trees	Forestry, Horticulture
Cartographer - create maps, assist with land use planning	Geography
Civil Engineer - plan, build and maintain infrastructure to handle traffic, water and solid waste in an environmentally sensitive way	Civil & Environmental Engineering
Environmental Site Assessor - analyze documents and site characteristics for environmental issues	Environmental Science
Field Geologist - map critical resources, including ground water	Geology
Field Station Manager - maintain and manage field stations, research sites, demonstration farms	Forestry, Fisheries & Wildlife
Fisheries and Wildlife Manager - assess wildlife populations, prepare and implement management plans	Fisheries & Wildlife
Fisheries Monitor - documents fisheries practices on-board fishing vessels	Biology, Fisheries & Wildlife
Forester - assess forest resources, prepare and implement management plans	Forestry
Lab Technician - collect and test soil, air, water samples for contaminants	Environmental Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering
Landscape Architect - plan, prepare and plant gardens, outdoor classrooms, manage campus grounds	Horticulture
Watershed Manager - delineate watersheds using physical and biological criteria	Soil Science, Environmental Science, Geology

"Investigative Work Style" Careers	Majors
Agronomist - investigate and test alternative crops and their production	Agronomy
Anthropologist - research cultures and their attitudes towards resources	Anthropology
Biochemist - investigate impacts of pollutants on living systems	Biochemistry
Chemist/Chemical Engineer - develop less polluting industrial processes, and methods for cleaning up toxic waste	Chemistry, Chemical Engineering
Ecologist - monitor animal and plant populations, write species recovery plans, assess human impacts on natural ecosystems	Biology, Fisheries & Wildlife, Forestry
Environmental Specialist - develop on-site regulations, specifications	Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science
Fisheries Stock Assessor - track and measure commercially harvested fish populations	Fisheries & Wildlife
Geologist - map and assess ground water quality, assist with siting hazardous material storage to minimize failure	Geology
Horticulturalist - develop and test alternative plant varieties, maintain endangered plant species, historic plant collections or outdoor classrooms	Horticulture, Biology
Research Analyst - identify and quantify cause and effect relationships in cases of environmental damage	Biology, Fisheries & Wildlife, Forestry

"Artistic Work Style" Careers	Majors
Blogger - compile evidence supported essays about the environment and post them	Journalism, English
Curator - design educational displays, maintain collections	Art History
Documentarian - write, produce, direct, edit and market environmental stories	Journalism, Theatre, English
Journalist - investigate and report on environmental issues	Journ, English, Communications
Landscape Architect - plan, prepare and plant gardens, outdoor classrooms, manage campus grounds	Horticulture
Photographer - record and distribute images of nature, or human impacts on nature	Journalism, Fine Arts
Web Designer - create and maintain websites for environmental organizations	Art, Journalism
Writer - write to foster people's understanding of and attachment to nature	Journalism, English

"Social Work Style" Careers	Majors
Community Organizer - organize local communities to clean up pollution or protect resources	Environmental Studies, Rural Sociology, Marketing, Communications
Environmental Educator - work with government agencies or NGOs to increase environmental awareness and practice	Environmental Studies, PRT, Education, Ag Educ
Extension Agent - provide information on environmentally sustainable strategies for farming, gardening, home management	Agriculture Education, Agriculture Journalism
Naturalist - provide hands-on experiences in nature for all ages to foster understanding of and attachment to nature	Environmental Studies, Biology, Fisheries & Wildlife, Forestry
Outdoor Recreation Specialist - teach natural history, outdoor skills	Environmental Studies, Parks Recreation & Tourism, Fisheries & Wildlife
School Teacher (K-12) - incorporate environmental education into writing, science, social studies and art, to foster understanding of and attachment to nature	Education, Agriculture Education
Youth Service Worker - provide hands-on experiences in the community to build understanding of the connections between people and resources	Social Work, Human Development

"Enterprising Work Style" Careers	Majors
Business Manager - transform corporate culture so that environmental impacts of products are accounted for	Business Administration, Engineering
Entrepreneur - start an environmental business in recycling, energy conservation, alternative energy sources, organic foods, sustainably harvested lumber	Environmental Studies, Business Administration, Marketing, Communication
Fundraiser - help nature and environmental groups raise funds for research, land purchases, education programs, lobbying	Environmental Studies, Business Administration, Marketing, Communication
Lawyer - draft environmental laws, sue polluters, protect natural resources and communities from pollution using the courts	Environmental Studies, Political Science, History
Lobbyist - lobby for more effective environmental laws	Environmental Studies, Political Science, History, Communications
Policy Analyst - develop position statements for environmental groups	Environmental Studies, Political Science, Economics
Politician - pass more effective environmental laws, remove laws that subsidize and/or encourage environmental degradation	Political Science, History
Publicist - prepare and distribute communications for environmental organizations	Business Administration, Marketing, Communications
Tech Support/Sales - sell and provide support for environmentally friendly products	Engineering

"Conventional Work Style" Careers	Majors
Accountant - collect and track data on savings when businesses and communities engage in environmentally friendly practices	Accounting, Business Administration
Business Manager - collect data needed to transform corporate culture so that environmental impacts of products are accounted for	Business Administration, Accounting, Engineering
Program Manager - manage grants, programs, staff for umbrella environmental organizations	Business Administration, Accounting, Communications
Safety Inspector - monitor businesses and communities for accidental releases of toxic materials	Chemistry, Chemical Engineering
School Teacher (K-6) - incorporate environmental education into writing, science, social studies and art, to foster understanding of and attachment to nature	Education

5. Jobs and Internships

There are a number of sites on the web that list jobs and internships along with giving advice on how to prepare for an environmental career. For more information, check out:

Environmental Jobs and Careers

Environmental Careers Organization

Environmental Career Opportunities

Environmental Career.Com

6. Check out the Degrees