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Environmental Engineers

Also called: Chief, Pesticides and Toxic Substances Branch, Environmental Engineer, Global Director Air and Climate Change, Sanitary Engineer

What they do:
Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.
On the job, you would:
  • Design or supervise the design of systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
  • Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
  • Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology
  • product and service development
  • design
Math and Science
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
  • chemistry
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Safety and Government
  • law and government

Skills

Basic Skills
  • reading work related information
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it

Abilities

Verbal
  • read and understand what is written
  • listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • use rules to solve problems
Math
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Visual Understanding
  • see hidden patterns

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Integrity
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Cooperation

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Analytical or scientific software
  • DHI Water and Environment MIKE SHE
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
Compliance software
  • Continuous emission management software
  • Hazardous materials management software
Computer aided design CAD software
  • Autodesk AutoCAD software
  • Bentley Microstation

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

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Job Outlook

Average Outlook
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
Salary
$79,050
per year, on average
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Green
This work is part of the green economy.

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See more details at O*NET OnLine about environmental engineers.