Environmental Engineering: All You Need To Know About Joining A Field That Aims To Save The Planet

As an entry-level executive in environmental engineering, your starting job title will depend on the organisation and role that you are in.

You can start as an environmental engineer directly and start working on projects that are directly related to your discipline.

You can also work in an advisory role as a consultant that deals with a variety of companies from energy to government to help guide them through the best practices and recommendations for their environmental projects.

Alternatively, you can also be part of the quality assurance department in manufacturing companies as a production engineer who is tasked with improving processes to ensure they meet environmental regulations.

As an environmental engineer, you will be tasked with envisioning and executing projects for companies and even countries to solve the biggest environmental challenges.

This will include conducting environmental and risk analysis on projects to ensure projects are feasible as well as checking on the selection of materials to ensure green materials are used while staying within budget.

Your day-to-day task will also include going on-site to development works, such as solar panel installations, to analyse the data and ensure it is working up to specifications.

This means preparing technical reports, analysing trends for insights, and giving recommendations to your team and management on the feasibility of environmental projects.

As an environmental engineer, your career options are limitless.

You could start as an engineer in an electronics firm in charge of sustainable manufacturing before heading to an energy or oil and gas company where you will be in charge of ensuring cleaner emissions with a move towards being carbon-neutral.

As an environmental engineer, your career progression will lead you down either the specialist path or the management path.

If you are a specialist, you can expect to climb up the ranks to become a senior engineer before heading your team as a lead engineer or plant director.

If you choose the managerial path, you can progress up to becoming the manager and eventually, the director of your department, where you not only handle other engineers but other individuals across different disciplines.

As an environmental engineer, you can expect to make between $70,000 on the lower end to over $120,000 as you begin to acquire more experience and move up the corporate ladder.

If you enter the management route, as an environmental planning manager, you can expect to bring home around $85,000 on average.

To launch your career as an environmental engineer, you will want to pursue a degree directly in environmental engineering.

While other degrees like chemical engineering also offer a possible route, you will be learning a unique core set of skills together with a mindset and approach that will set you up for success in this field.

You will be schooled in essential coursework that includes environmental chemistry, hydrology, fluid mechanics, geoengineering, and water supply engineering amongst others.

In addition, many institutions will allow you to embark on internships with various companies, allowing you to gain hands-on experience and shadow actual environmental engineers to learn what goes on in the field.

This will allow you to eventually move to a full-time position or leverage your industrial experience to clinch a job in a company that you desire or to work in a field that interests you the most.

Keen on taking the next step and pursuing a career as an environmental engineer?

Our experienced team of education counsellors is here to answer all your questions and assist you!

Besides that, they will be able to give you advice when it comes to selecting the right university that will suit your needs and career aspirations.

At IDP, we ensure that you get the best quality education possible by navigating different universities and guiding you through the course application process.

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