Environmental Scientists Career Opportunities

Environmental Scientists use their knowledge to protect the natural resources. The environment consists of water, air and sunlight which are necessary elements for living things. However, today with the increase in industrialization and urbanization the balance of natural resources is disturbed. So, the study of environmental science came into existence. Environmental scientists mainly carry out research to study and stop the pollutants that affect the environment and the living things on the earth.

Environmental scientists specialize in one aspect of environment such as land conservation, groundwater contamination, acid rain, or wildlife preservation.

Tasks:- In the career as environmental scientist they perform the following tasks:-

• The main job of environmental scientist is to keep the environment clean and protect it from harmful pollutants.
• In the career of environmental scientists they have to research and study air, water ands soil and find solutions to stop the hazardous pollutants that affect the environment.
• Collect, study, analyze, manage and report environmental data, such as pollution rate, atmospheric monitoring measurements, and soil or water samples.
• Process and review environmental permits and related materials.

Qualification:-
To get into a career as environmental scientist a person should be at least having Bachelor's degree of Science in Earth Science or Environment Science. A bachelor's degree in life science, biology, physics, geophysics, atmospheric science, chemistry or geology is also considered for entry-level positions. The study of mathematics and statistics in their graduation is necessary so that they can understand measurements and data. For applied research work, most of the employers prefer a Master's degree in Environmental science. However, in a University a Ph.D. is required for the research and teaching work.

Other necessary skills:-
The other necessary skills that are essential to have career as environmental scientist are given below:-

• In the career as environmental scientists the knowledge of computer is always beneficial.
• They must have good interpersonal skills because most of the times they work as a team with other scientists, engineers and technicians.
• They must also have strong oral and written communication skills as they need to communicate scientific and technical information to the public, organizations or the other team members.
• Environmental scientist jobs require a lot of field work, so they must have physical stamina. They also travel abroad and so knowledge of a second language would be added advantage.

Place of work:-
In the career as environmental scientist they mostly work in laboratories and offices. Environmental scientists sometimes may have to work for long hours as they also do field work. They also travel extensively for research work. With years of experience, they mostly spend time in offices supervising work of the research assistants. Some of them also work in consulting firms as a consultant.

Job Opportunities:-
The career options for a fresh environmental science graduate are as follows:-

• Environmental scientist
• Environmental biologists
• Environmental journalist
• Environmental consultants
• Environmental health specialist and so on.

The career as environmental scientist includes work for science and engineering companies, oil and gas companies, or even may be consultants. Some of them also work for local and state government.

Related occupations:
The other jobs that are similar to environmental scientist jobs are as follows:-

• Atmospheric scientists
• Chemists
• Biological scientists
• Conservation scientists
• Foresters
• Science technicians and engineering technicians

Remuneration:-
In the career as environmental scientists the salary depends on the work place, the type of work and the employer. With years of experience in research the salary is expected to grow. The Average annual salaries of environmental scientist are 18 % higher than the salaries for other jobs nationwide. The median annual salary of environmental scientists working in federal and local government s is much higher. The other services that pay good are management, scientific, and technical consulting services and also engineering services.

Job Progress:-
The environmental scientists who are fresh passed out graduate students of Environmental science work as research assistants or technicians in laboratories or office. The entry-level jobs of environmental scientist mostly include field work. After gaining experience of years, the environmental scientists carry out difficult assignments. Some of them may become project managers or project leaders while others with managerial skills may become research managers.

Employment forecast:-
Employment for environmental scientists is expected to grow faster than the average of all occupations. Thus the demand for environmental scientist jobs is excellent in coming years.

As the population increases the need to keep the environment clean will increase. Also people are becoming aware of environmental problems and want to find the solution over it. Thus, commercial and government jobs will be available in large numbers. Consulting firms may also employ these scientists to solve problems related to land, water and the entire environment. More number of environmental scientist jobs will be available in federal and state governments.