By Callaghan TysonMayer
I am still an undecided engineer, but I am leaning towards environmental, so I decided to use this week to explain what exactly an environmental engineer does. A common confusion is that "environmentalist" and "environmental engineer" are the same thing. This is not true; an environmentalist's main concern is controlling human pollution, an environmental engineer is more focused on regulations and requirements for reducing hazards to the environment. Environmental engineers are important because their work focuses on waste disposal, erosion, water and air pollution.
Before researching anything about environmental engineering, I thought that this would be the lowest paying type of engineering. However, this seems to be pretty inaccurate. US.News says the median salary for environmental engineers is $84,560. The top 75% makes %106,610 and the bottom 25% makes $64,610. The unemployment rate for this type of engineering is only .8%.
These statistics do not put environmental engineers at the bottom of the field, opposed to my immediate thoughts. This is a very promising field because environment-conciousness is a growing trend and people are starting to be more supportive of the work it takes to protect our environment.
I would be interested in this field because it is extremely beneficial and I would feel like the work I do has a real purpose. Not only would I be getting paid to do this, but I would see the positive effects and know that I am doing something that is actually helpful.
Source:"Environmental Engineer." US.News. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/environmental-engineer
As someone who is interested in the importance of the environment, I am glad to see that there is a field of engineering that focuses on protecting it and keeping it safe.
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