Careers > Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$76.48K Median Salary 9.4K Job Openings (Annual Projection) 8.4% Job Growth

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About This Career

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

Reported Job Titles

Environmental Analyst, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS Specialist), Environmental Health Specialist, Environmental Programs Specialist, Environmental Protection Specialist, Environmental Scientist, Environmental Specialist, Hazardous Substances Scientist, Natural Resources Specialist, Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS)

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Skills You'll Need

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Abilities

Deductive Reasoning

Oral Comprehension

Problem Sensitivity

Written Comprehension

Inductive Reasoning

Oral Expression

Written Expression

Category Flexibility

Information Ordering

Speech Clarity

Speech Recognition

Flexibility of Closure

Near Vision

Far Vision

Fluency of Ideas

Mathematical Reasoning

Originality

Number Facility

Knowledge

English Language

Biology

Customer and Personal Service

Law and Government

Computers and Electronics

Public Safety and Security

Chemistry

Administrative

Education and Training

Mathematics

Administration and Management

Skills

Active Listening

Complex Problem Solving

Reading Comprehension

Science

Speaking

Writing

Critical Thinking

Active Learning

Coordination

Monitoring

Judgment and Decision Making

Learning Strategies

Mathematics

Time Management

Instructing

Management of Personnel Resources

Social Perceptiveness

Negotiation

Persuasion

Service Orientation

Systems Analysis

Systems Evaluation

Technology Skills

Analytical or scientific software

Presentation software

Data base user interface and query software

Geographic information system

Graphics or photo imaging software

Map creation software

Compliance software

Document management software

Computer aided design CAD software

Object or component oriented development software

Spreadsheet software

Electronic mail software

Development environment software

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

Office suite software

Word processing software

Internet browser software

Project management software

Tools

Air samplers or collectors

Water samplers

Radiation detectors

Soil core sampling apparatus

Water analyzers

Single gas monitors

Soil testing kits

Logging instruments for water wells

Spectrometers

Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter

Ion analyzers

Temperature transmitters

Multi gas monitors

Liquid scintillation counters

Open stream current meters

Flowmeters

Combustible or hazardous gas detectors for power generators

Ozone analyzers

Photometer

Flow sensors

Recreational motorboats

Viscosimeters

Precipitation or evaporation recorders

Gas chromatographs

Sample preparation bombs

Oil content monitors analyzers

Electromagnetic field meters

Laboratory bailers

All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled

Radon detectors

Portable data input terminals

Coliwasas

Toxicology test kits or supplies

Personal computers

Global positioning system GPS receiver

Leak testing equipment

Anemometers

Manometers

Psychrometers

Dosimeters

Mainframe computers

Notebook computers

pH meters

Explosimeters

Moisture meters

Mass spectrometers

Digital cameras

Ionization chambers

Spectrophotometers

Turbidimeters

Nephelometers

Desktop computers

Heat stress monitors

Colorimeters

Abilities

Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

Knowledge

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Biology: Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Law and Government: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Chemistry: Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Technology Skills

Analytical or scientific software: Statistical analysis software; TapRooT
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Geographic information system: ESRI ArcView; Geographic information system GIS systems
Graphics or photo imaging software: SmugMug Flickr
Map creation software: ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS; OpenDroneMap
Compliance software: ESS Compliance Suite; Mannus Compliance: EHS; Primatech AUDITWorks
Document management software: Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat; Filing system software; Records management software; Transcription system software
Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD; Autodesk Revit
Object or component oriented development software: Oracle Java
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Development environment software: Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite
Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Oracle PeopleSoft; Oracle PeopleSoft Financials; SAP software
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Internet browser software: Web browser software
Project management software: Mavenlink; Microsoft Project

Tools

Air samplers or collectors: Aerosol meters; Air quality dataloggers; Microbial samplers; Thermal desorption tubes
Water samplers: Mechanical sampling buckets; Sample jars
Radiation detectors:
Soil core sampling apparatus: Grab samplers
Water analyzers: Water test kits
Single gas monitors: Carbon monoxide sensors; Mercury vapor analyzers
Soil testing kits:
Logging instruments for water wells: Water logging tools
Spectrometers: Spectroscopes
Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter: Octave band analyzers; Sound level meters
Ion analyzers: Photoionization detectors PID
Temperature transmitters: Electronic temperature sensors
Multi gas monitors: Electrochemical gas monitors
Liquid scintillation counters:
Open stream current meters: Water velocity flow meters
Flowmeters: Electronic bubble meters; Electronic pump calibrators; Mass flow meters
Combustible or hazardous gas detectors for power generators: Combustible gas monitors
Ozone analyzers: Ozone meters
Photometer: Aerosol photometers
Flow sensors: Airflow indicators
Recreational motorboats: Small power boats
Viscosimeters: Viscometers
Precipitation or evaporation recorders: Evaporation gauge sensors
Gas chromatographs: Gas chromatographs GC
Sample preparation bombs: Bomb samplers
Oil content monitors analyzers: Oil water interface meters
Electromagnetic field meters: Gauss meters
Laboratory bailers: Water sampling bailers
All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled: All terrain vehicles ATV
Radon detectors: Radon monitors
Portable data input terminals: Data acquisition equipment; Data loggers
Coliwasas: Liquid samplers
Toxicology test kits or supplies: Mold sampling equipment
Personal computers:
Global positioning system GPS receiver: Global positioning system GPS receivers
Leak testing equipment: Smoke generating tubes
Anemometers: Thermoanemometers
Manometers:
Psychrometers:
Dosimeters: Passive dosimeters
Mainframe computers:
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
pH meters: pH monitors
Explosimeters:
Moisture meters:
Mass spectrometers: Dual energy x ray absorptiometers
Digital cameras:
Ionization chambers:
Spectrophotometers:
Turbidimeters: Turbidity monitors
Nephelometers:
Desktop computers:
Heat stress monitors:
Colorimeters: