Environmental Engineer

A career in environmental engineering requires people who are equally well-versed with the natural sciences and the humanities, since their job, simplistically put, involves using scientific methods to solve human problems.

Environmental engineers are generally people who are concerned about the state of the environment. They are generally motivated people with scientific interest who are willing to make a difference.

They must have the expertise and determination to be able to solve complex problems. A career in environmental engineering is for people who enjoy working with people on issues related to people. They must be able to communicate with people from various other disciplines to get their ideas across.

Environmental engineering entails designing new methods of production and new methods of pollution control in order to protect the environment from human development. The techniques that environmental engineers use on their job include waste reduction, hazardous waste management, land management, solid waste disposal and storm water management etc.

Most environmental engineers tend to have sufficient knowledge in all the above disciplines, but they tend to specialize in one or two specialties. They excel even more in subcategories within the discipline they specialize in.

Environmental engineers generally perform a wide variety of tasks on a typical day at work. Their job involves researching, designing, testing, planning and even operating pollution controlling mechanisms that a fellow environmental engineer may have designed.

A lot of institutions require environmental engineers in their setup. As a result, an environmental engineer has to choose who he or she wishes to work for. Both government-operated and private consulting firms for engineering, universities, research facilities, testing firms, and major private ventures hire environmental engineers.

It is essential for budding electrical engineers to have a degree in engineering. Although people with degrees in environmental engineering are generally preferred, those who have studied mechanical engineering, chemical engineering or electrical engineering may also apply.

Master’s degrees and PhDs are not required at entry level but if you want to get promoted past a certain point within the field, you will need to have these higher levels of qualification.

The amount of money environmental engineers earn annually may vary depending on a large number of factors. Since there are a large number of career paths an environmental engineer can take within the larger discipline itself, the salary depends on who the professional works for and what tasks he or she performs on the job.

Statistically, in the United States, a qualified engineer can expect to earn, on average, US$ 55,000 per annum. The job has seen stark increases in salary in the past few years.

Starting salaries at NGOs could be about Rs. 20,000 per month. Salaries for middle and senior level people or researchers could start from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh per annum. An eco - entrepreneur or consultant could earn good money, provided their ventures are successful

Life as an environmental engineer, like a lot of engineering jobs, involves a lot of time in an office environment in front of a computer doing significant research. However, this job also requires individuals to go into various plants to monitor production processes and install new mechanisms to achieve the primary goals of environmental engineers.

Environmental engineers work standard office hours. Overtime is not a common characteristic of this profession. With increasing global cooperation in the fight to protect the environment, environmental engineers often have to travel to various conferences all over the world to share their ideas and innovate.

There are a number of perks associated with a career in environmental engineering. First of all, there is a high level of job security in this field. The number of environmental engineers is still quite low, and their demand continues to rise as the world fights global warming.

Environmental engineers are usually people who are living their dream of making the world a better and safer place every day at work. Besides that, they have the added satisfaction of knowing they did everything they could to save the world for their children to have a better upbringing.

This job has more traveling opportunities than any other field within engineering. Traveling is normally fully funded by government or non-government agencies, and travel allowances are also given. Environmental engineers are a major part of any environmental protection conferences held anywhere in the world.

Despite all the upsides to a career as an environmental engineer, there are certain limitations. While the field is expected to grow, applicants must go through rigorous hiring processes to get good jobs to gain access to many of the perks associated with this career. The level of new jobs in the industry depends on external factors such as government funding and policy.

Moreover, the job itself can be very painstaking. Environmental engineers constantly have to deal with changing environmental protection legislation. A large part of their job hours are spent in office environments in front of a computer doing extensive secondary research, and so it can get quite monotonous.

At the start of the previous decade, nobody expected the demand for environmental engineers to rise so rapidly. However, now, government legislation in a lot of countries requires them to be a part of almost every production process. As a result, there was a large boom in the number of jobs in the field available.

The boom in demand has eased a little, but the competition in this career is not quite as fierce as other kinds of engineering. Provided the right qualifications, getting a job is not that difficult. The best jobs, of course, go to those with the highest level of experience, technical knowhow and educational background.

The best place to be an environmental engineer is in the European Union. The strict environmental protection laws there have created a large number of openings for trained professionals. Japan, Singapore, South Korea, United States of America, Canada and most recently Australia also have good opportunities for environmental engineers.

In India, this field still remains quite underdeveloped. However, recently the government has reacted to international environmental conferences and shown intent to introduce environmental protection legislation. This will give rise to jobs in all of India’s industrial centers.

You can study any discipline to become an environmentalist. Taking subjects like biology, physics, chemistry and maths at Class 12 is not necessary. A degree in environmental studies can help. Many NGOs offer training capsules. You can join them as a volunteer to gain experience