Darwin18

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@Mogwai

I'm an environmental scientist for ARCADIS in North Carolina but also worked in New York for a few years. My work is primarily managing sites with soil and groundwater remediation from petroleum and solvent releases.

There is really no nice way to say this, but a degree in environmental science (whether it's a masters or an undergraduate) isn't going to get you very fair in private industry. To really advance in this industry you need a means to obtain a Professional Geologist (PG) or Professional Engineer (PE) license. Many states are either at or moving towards making this license a requirement for sealing reports to state and federal environmental agencies for review.

BoomerHarley

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I disagree. I'm a fisheries biologist for URS. While having a PG or PE will definitely help, depending on his focus and background, it's not necessary. I think the best thing he can do is find a company to intern at. Work experience is always very valuable, more so than any registration.

Mogwai

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Thank you all for the great suggestions and replies. Luckily I have a few more months to decide on a research topic, but I'll start looking soon to see what is out there.

I think I'll drop alternative energy and instead focus on either remediation or sustainability issues.

Darwin18

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A degree in environmental science (I have my undergrad in biology) will qualify him for certain (entry to mid-level) positions in the industry, but it will not particularly help him with one of his fields of interest (remediation). Yes, internships and work experience are helpful, but a PE or a PG stamp will open a whole bunch of doors for him in the future. There is only so far you can go without the engineering or geology background, at least with remediation.

Also, having been through a layoff at my last company, the company chose to keep their PE's and PG's and no issues getting rid of all the entry to mid-level staff. Those who had EITs or GITs were kept on or offered relocation opportunities. I was told off the record that management in the company knew that they could always hire more environmental science/biology grads when their business rebounded.

My recommendation Mogwai is to find out what the requirements to sit for either exam are in the state you want to work in (if they even require it) and take a few engineering or geology classes to meet their requirements. Working full-time and taking engineering classes is no fun, believe me that's my life right now.

julioardz

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Collected rain water would be going back into the ground, if it is used to water lawns and gardens, which would be my intended purpose. The local environment would benefit from having less runoff ending up downstream and less use of our drinking water supply for lawns, gardens, or whatever else that collected water is used for.