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Writer's pictureAdhvika Kannan

STEM Series Pt. 3: Environmental Specialist

Do you ever wonder what we can do to keep the environment safe? It’s hard for a normal person to have extensive knowledge about the environment due to its complexity, but what if you could study it and improve its conditions for a living? That is exactly what Environmental Specialists do! Let’s take a deeper look into their job, requirements, and much more!


An environmental specialist is an expert in natural science. They mainly focus on protecting the environment while also helping it to thrive. They monitor the effects of pollution on the environment as well as how the human population affects it. Environmental specialists conduct research largely in industrial areas and create reports on their findings, to advise those needed on how to create a balance between industrial activities and sustainable living conditions. They usually work in chemical plants or power plants.


Environmental Specialists’ day-to-day activities may vary from collecting and analyzing samples such as water and soil, working on cleaning up polluted areas, evaluating environmental health issues, overseeing field examinations and reporting hazardous locations, and so on. Their time is split behind a desk to type out reports, in a lab to analyze samples, and out in the field for various reasons. Becoming an environmental specialist offers you an experience of a lifetime as you get to explore many aspects of the job by not being tied to a desk or having to be in the field all the time. It gives a great balance between working indoors and outdoors.


To become an environmental specialist, you will need a college degree. It is most common to earn a bachelor’s degree in natural science or a similar field such as earth and marine sciences degrees and environmental sciences degrees. Some organizations or programs may require you to have field experience along with coursework to ensure you have enough experience and preparation before entering the workforce. The average salary for an environmental specialist is approximately $51,812 per year. In the U.S., the career is predicted to grow 8% between 2018-2028 and produce thousands of job opportunities.


There are a few general skills environmental specialists should have or would benefit from. One of them is having good organizational abilities. Having to gather great amounts of data and samples and often having to work on multiple projects at once, being organized will aid them in being able to manage data and information properly. Being able to work both indoors and outdoors will also help environmental specialists as they devote their time to both. Having strong communication skills is also essential, these specialists may have to present their reports and findings or give a speech on changes that should occur, or simply explain something to a colleague.


Environmental specialists are essential to today’s world, especially as the topic of climate change becomes more pressing by the day. They have an extremely interesting and important job to contribute to society, and get to spend time exploring nature!


Sources:

“Environmental Specialist Job Description.” Betterteam, www.betterteam.com/environmental-specialist-job-description


“Environmental Specialist.” Careers in Public Healthnet Jobs Careers Degrees, www.careersinpublichealth.net/careers/environmental-specialist/


“How to Become an Environmental Specialist .” Zippia, www.zippia.com/environmental-specialist-jobs/

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