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Environmental Scientists

Employment Prospects

Employers

About 84,600 environmental scientists and specialists are employed in the United States. Approximately 42 percent work for state and local governments, and about 19 percent work for management, scientific, and technical consulting firms. Others work for the federal government (mainly for the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of the Interior); for private companies that provide architectural, engineering, and related services; or as teachers and instructors at colleges and universities. Some environmental scientists run their own businesses and are self-employed, although this number is small.

Starting Out

Many environmental scientists get started in their careers as research assistants, field analysts, or science technicians in laboratories or offices. While in high school, an internship, volunteer work, or a part-time job with an environmental consulting firm, environmental protection agencies, state departments of conservation, or other related state agencies can give you better insight into the field and help you determine which areas of environmental science interest you most. You can explore job, volunteer, and internship listings by visiting organizations' Web sites directly, such as the Careers section of the Environmental Protection Agency's site (http://www.epa.gov/careers), as well as by checking out environmental employment sites such as Environmental Career Opportunities (http://ecojobs.com).

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