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What is an environmental engineer and how to become one
An environmental engineer uses principles of engineering, biology, and chemistry to address environmental issues. They work to design and implement systems that protect the environment and human health. Environmental engineers may work on projects related to water and air quality management, waste disposal, renewable resource development, and pollution prevention. They also conduct research to identify new solutions for environmental problems. An environmental engineer may work for government agencies, consulting firms, or private companies to ensure compliance and promote sustainability.
What general advice would you give to an environmental engineer?
Andrea Welker Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University
Avg. Salary $75,718
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%
Asian 12.92%
Black or African American 3.54%
Hispanic or Latino 10.24%
Unknown 3.83%
White 69.03%
Genderfemale 29.47%
male 70.53%
Age - 42American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 42Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being an environmental engineer?
Pros
High job demand and job security
Competitive salary and benefits
Opportunities for advancement and career growth
Potential for international travel and work
Flexibility in choosing a specialization or focus area
Cons
Potentially high stress and long hours
High levels of competition in the field
Limited public understanding of the field and its importance
Limited advancement opportunities in some organizations or agencies
Risk of burnout due to the emotional toll of working on environmental issues
Environmental engineer career paths
Key steps to become an environmental engineer
Explore environmental engineer education requirements
Start to develop specific environmental engineer skills
Skills Percentages Environmental Compliance 6.08% Project Management 5.55% OSHA 5.18% Autocad 4.65% HAZWOPER 4.54% Complete relevant environmental engineer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New environmental engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an environmental engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real environmental engineer resumes.Research environmental engineer duties and responsibilities
- Manage and conduct various environmental engineering projects at DOD facilities.
- Create the 3D environment assets in Maya, texture in Photoshop.
- Prepare water quality reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing data according to EPA regulations.
- Develop and implement a configuration management program for company documents require by both OSHA and EPA risk assessment regulations.
Get environmental engineer experience
Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become an environmental engineer. The most common roles before becoming an environmental engineer include research assistant, internship team lead and project engineer.Prepare your environmental engineer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your environmental engineer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an environmental engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable environmental engineer resume templates
Build a professional environmental engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your environmental engineer resume.
Apply for environmental engineer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an environmental engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first environmental engineer job
Are you an environmental engineer?
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Average environmental engineer salary
The average environmental engineer salary in the United States is $75,718 per year or $36 per hour. Environmental engineer salaries range between $58,000 and $98,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do environmental engineers rate their job?
Environmental engineer reviews
Firstly, the most important is to protect our planet for us and the future generations. Secondly our planet is not going to support the pressure and negative impacts because of the big Increased human population . Finally our planet needs more and more environmental specialists to regulate and control all human activities, especially the ilegal ones.
I don’t like when big companies they know what’s wrong and what’s right, but still the destroy, like cutting trees in Brazil and the other side big companies even knowing those trees are ilegal, but still they continuing to porches. There for I can’t understand and I don’t like.
Both indoor and outdoor work environment. Great job satisfaction meeting regulatory requirements.
Can be stressful at times
pay, responsibly,
Environmental engineer FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
