Self Improvement Guide

So what the heck is environmental science, anyway? What do people that work environmental engineering jobs do all day? It sure does seem like a very broad term, so lets start our discussion of jobs with a definition. Environmental science is at its most basic level, the interaction of the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of the world around us.

Practitioners of environmental science fill many roles, ranging from monitoring the quality of the environment, to tracking humanities impact on the environment, and where necessary, develop plans to repair and restore damaged local ecosystems. They also apply their knowledge to building planning, transportation infrastructure and water utilities. Tangential fields to environmental science include economics, law, and the social sciences.

Environmental science is used to address a multitude of issues such as waste management, use and distribution of natural resources, water quality, climate change, and conservation. Of course, people have been studying the environment for a very long time, but environmental science didnt really “come into its own” as a field of study until the 1960s, mostly in response to new environmental laws and a growing awareness among the public of the need to address environmental issues. See? Lots of opportunity for environmental jobs!
The outlook for jobs in the environmental sciences is good- as problems seem to grow exponentially; there will be an ever-increasing need for individuals trained in environmental sciences. Most of these individuals will work for the government, but there is expected continued growth for environmental science professionals in the private sector, too. Total growth in the field is projected at 25% between 2006 and 2016- this is way ahead of the curve for all other occupations.

Some sub-disciplines within environmental sciences include:

Ecology- analyzes the dynamics between interrelated populations or between a specific population and its environment- addresses issues such as endangered species, over predation or proliferation of a species, environmental contaminants, or an analysis of the projected impact of a building project on a local species.

Environmental Chemistry studies the impact of chemical alterations to the natural environment, specifically, soil and water pollution.

Environmental Biology – focuses specifically on the effects of the environment on biological organisms. This branch includes aspects of geochemistry and ecology, and focuses mainly on individual organisms.

Environmental Pollution- the study of well, pollution! Air, water, noise and soil pollution, their sources, impacts on organisms and management are the main areas of study.

Its important not to confuse Environmental Science with Ecology, even though there is a lot of overlap, as both fields are multidisciplinary. Ecology is ONLY the study of the interrelationship between living organisms, or that between an organism and its environment. Environmental Science, however, includes such diverse concepts as geology, meteorology, water and soil chemistry, modeling- in short; its a much broader field.

Good luck in your search for environmental technology jobs- its a challenging but rewarding field!