Environmental Careers Air & Waste Management Association August 19, 2010
A&WMA Overview The core Purpose of A&WMA is to improve environmental knowledge and decision making by providing a neutral forum for exchanging information Accomplished primarily through environmental education Student Chapters are a logical first step in promoting this mission
Environmental Career Paths Research Government Agency Technical Sales Industry Consulting
Research ? Universities Non-regulatory government agencies Can be cyclical (grant-driven)
Regulatory Agencies Can be Federal, State or Local Typically have departments grouped by media (air, water, waste, emergency response) Common jobs include: Permit writing Enforcement Inspections Monitoring
Regulatory Agencies (cont’d.) Pros: Lower stress (9-5 workday) Can provide long term job security Good benefits Cons: Lower pay Bureaucracy Advancement can be slow
Technical Sales Examples include: Pollution control equipment Water treatment chemicals Pros: High pay potential Meet many people Travel Cons: Must be a “salesperson” to be successful Travel Performance driven
Industry Work for a manufacturing company Can be plant or corporate level Deal with day to day environmental issues Pros: Typically deal with multi-media issues Can become an “expert” in that industry Opportunity for advancement into management Pay typically medium to high depending on size of company
Industry (cont’d.) Cons: Pay can be lower at small companies Job can be at risk if business is down (not a “profit center” for company) Lack of diversity (deal with same issues day after day) Plants can be in remote locations
Consulting Provide environmental services to industry 2 general areas: Regulatory Compliance Environmental due diligence (site assessments & remediation) Typically provide services on an hourly rate basis
Consulting (cont’d.) Pros: Get to see a wide variety of processes and issues Higher pay with more experience Solve people’s problems Cons: Pressure to be “billable” Can involve long hours/travel