<p>I've read up on environmental engineering and it seems interesting. IN addition, the school I'm planning on attending (UF) is highly ranked in the field, which means that there will probably be many opportunities to get involved with research and coursework. however, I'm a bit concerned with how the discipline is perceived by other engineers. No doubt, I'm not going to let a few opinions dictate what I choose to study, but I am concerned as to how "easy" the major is perceived to be. </p>
<p>Also, are there good job prospects for the field, in terms of diverse work environments and salaries?</p>
<p>Would Env. engineering be good prep for professional schools such as law or medicine?</p>
<p>Environmental Engineering is like the “clean up crew” for the messes made by the chemical and civil engineers. Lots of remediation work, lots of dealing with soil, groundwater and surface water pollution. Lots of core sampling, and water sampling. And air sampling. Many projects are driven by state and federal reporting requirements for hazardous waste, chemical emissions, and human exposure levels. </p>
<p>One of my complaints in working in this field is that the environmental reporting laws are written by lawyers and political activists rather than environmental engineers. Some of the requirements that I have seen in newly proposed legislation have been absurd. For example, wastewater treatment requirements that demand that wastewater leaving a plant be cleaner than the tapwater that enters the plant. Or ppb maximum allowable levels of pollutants that can’t even be accurately measured to that level. Many of the people working at the environmental regulatory agencies have no real world experience working either in industry or as environmental consultants, so they don’t understand the feasibility of the regulations they are asking the environmental engineers to meet.</p>
<p>One good thing about environmental engineering is the job security. Every time the EPA issues a new regulation, the environmental engineers get more work. Greenhouse gas regulations are sure to generate lots of work, here in California they are already regulating greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>that’s very encouraging! So does this mean that an apt training in environmental engineering could help me establish myself in, say, law if I ever chose to go down that path?</p>
<p>Yes. In fact, one of my former managers held a law degree in addition to a PhD in environmental engineering. That manager is quickly moving up my company’s corporate ladder, and is now the Enviro Director for several divisions of the Fortune 500 company where I work. </p>
<p>Much remediation work is generated by lawsuits. Having a legal background is invaluable in such instances. Also, property transfers often entail environmental work, generated by such factors as past industrial usage, proximity of schools, and other issues. All of this generates plenty of legal issues that need to be sorted out.</p>
<p>If enviro engineers work at a site that also hires other types of engineers, such as aerospace or chemical, then they are put onto the same pay scale as the other engineers. So a lot depends on where you work.</p>
<p>If you like reading multipage/multivolume documents concerning laws, environmental engineering may be up your alley. Usually you look at Application For Certifications (AFC) or Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) and do a lot with them. I feel like an environmental lawyer at times when I’m in the office.</p>