3 answers
Camdyn
Student
Lee's Summit, Missouri
1
Question
Asked
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What kind of jobs are there for environmental engineers outside of working for the government?
Looking for potential careers after I earn an environmental engineering degree.
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3 answers
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1092
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Camdyn,
A degree in environmental engineering can be a launch pad for a variety of different careers. You could work for a consulting firm or start your own. You could work as an environmental officer or a health and safety office for larger companies. You could work in construction or transportation or in water and soil remediation. I left a couple of links to more opportunities below.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/environmental-engineering-careers
https://engineeringonline.ucr.edu/blog/environmental-engineering-careers/
https://ep.jhu.edu/news/7-different-types-of-environmental-engineering-jobs/
A degree in environmental engineering can be a launch pad for a variety of different careers. You could work for a consulting firm or start your own. You could work as an environmental officer or a health and safety office for larger companies. You could work in construction or transportation or in water and soil remediation. I left a couple of links to more opportunities below.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
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Thank you, Karin!
Jordyn Anglim
3
Answers
Updated
Jordyn’s Answer
An Environmental Engineering can take you to many different paths. As an environmental engineer I worked at a mining company doing environmental permitting work where I did audits, reports, and assisted in any litigation. My fellow environmental engineering students went on to teach sustainability in foreign countries, project managers at engineering firms, consultants, engineers at large corporations. All of these mentions are non-government work. It's pretty vast.
There are a lot of private companies out there that need environmental permitting work done (air/water/waste/etc.) Many companies combine this responsibility with safety and health so you might encounter a lot of that. Larger companies or companies with higher environmental risk will often post environmental stand alone positions - meaning your work is focused solely on environmental. Consulting is another option you could pursue, this would give you exposure to environmental work in an array of industries. It's also good to have some industry experience too.
Some areas that are not often talked about for careers in environmental engineering that are worth exploring:
Mining Companies
Construction Firms
Manufacturers (of any material)
Wastewater or Drinking water operations
Waste transporter/Land fill companies
Hope this helps, best of luck. You have chosen a good field in my opinion.
There are a lot of private companies out there that need environmental permitting work done (air/water/waste/etc.) Many companies combine this responsibility with safety and health so you might encounter a lot of that. Larger companies or companies with higher environmental risk will often post environmental stand alone positions - meaning your work is focused solely on environmental. Consulting is another option you could pursue, this would give you exposure to environmental work in an array of industries. It's also good to have some industry experience too.
Some areas that are not often talked about for careers in environmental engineering that are worth exploring:
Mining Companies
Construction Firms
Manufacturers (of any material)
Wastewater or Drinking water operations
Waste transporter/Land fill companies
Hope this helps, best of luck. You have chosen a good field in my opinion.
Yi Zheng
Graduate Landscape Architect
5
Answers
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Yi’s Answer
Hi Camdyn,
If you are looking for opportunities in publicly listed companies outside the government departments, there are many international design engineering firms, like AECOM, Arup, Jacobs, WSP, etc. I'm currently working for one of them in the UK. We have a environmental team who deal with all the environmental issues. I believe your environmental engineering degree would be desireable for such a team.
Hope this helps. Best of luck with your studies and job applications!
Janae
If you are looking for opportunities in publicly listed companies outside the government departments, there are many international design engineering firms, like AECOM, Arup, Jacobs, WSP, etc. I'm currently working for one of them in the UK. We have a environmental team who deal with all the environmental issues. I believe your environmental engineering degree would be desireable for such a team.
Hope this helps. Best of luck with your studies and job applications!
Janae