| Career
Opportunities
What can I do with a
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies?
The USIU Environmental Studies major helps prepare students for
managerial and policy positions in private companies; environmental
consulting firms; non-governmental organizations; universities and
associated research institutes; and government programs. Other possible
career areas include environmental education, environmental credit
brokering, environmental mediation and negotiation, eco-tourism, urban and
regional planning, business development, and park systems.
The Environmental Challenge
Every day the papers, TV news, and news on the web provide further
evidence of the importance of environmental studies, ecotechnology, and
the many opportunities for people to work to protect and restore the
environment. We have to learn to do things more efficiently, more
economically, more cleanly, and in a sustainable manner.
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Jobs
and Employers
Most environmental jobs were once for the government, but this is changing
as we begin to realize the government can't do everything, and as
corporations realize that wastes are undiscovered resources. Improved
enforcement of environmental laws has also made the cost of failing to
comply with environmental regulations more clear, although costs still are
far below the real costs in almost every arena.
Companies increasingly need workers capable of dealing with a wide range
of environmental issues and making the links that are needed for
profitable implementation of the new science of industrial ecology.
Investment in environmental protection, management and restoration is a
multibillion dollar effort in the United States.
The growing appreciation of the benefits of environmental restoration has
also created a growing movement for environmental repair work. This
requires a range of skills and experience and many tens of thousands of
skilled field workers and team leaders. It is among the most satisfying
work in the world and is needed everywhere we look. Only about 2 percent
of the stream miles in the U.S. and less than 10 percent of the range and
forests are in good condition. Improving these degraded lands and
waterways and recreating wetlands and native grasslands can improve the
nation's economic balance sheet and provide work for thousands of people.
Many jobs will be for private groups like the Nature Conservancy which is
managing and restoring natural areas across California and the United
States.
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Experience
Counts
Internships and volunteer work are important ways to create contacts for
finding work in environmental fields and can also help you make sure you
are doing what you like to do. Programs like Earthwatch, the School for
Field Studies, and other international programs can provide hands-on
experience while making a difference on critical global environmental
problems.
Join at least one organization that represents the type of environmental
work you hope to do — the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Nature
Conservancy, The Environmental Defense Fund, Association of Environmental
Professionals, International Society for Environmental Economics, and many
others are good candidates — and attend their annual conferences.
Networking is the key to finding a good position.
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What
Employers Are Seeking
- Employers seek graduates with the ability to communicate clearly
verbally and in writing, with experience in math and sufficient
statistics to determine if research findings are plausible. The
ability to speak to groups and work with people in meetings is also
essential.
- Computer literacy and worldwide web skills are increasingly
important, and you should be very good at using the Internet, library,
databases and guides to find information by the time you graduate.
- Interest and commitment to the environment and to your career.
- Hands-on experience and willingness to work — from collecting
samples, to working in the lab, to planting plants and installing
equipment. The more you know about tools and equipment the better.
- Willingness to accept responsibility and ability to work
unsupervised.
- Technical grounding and training
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