Environmental analysts assess the impact of building projects on surrounding areas, requiring skills in chemistry, computer science, and map reading. A bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, engineering, landscape architecture, or statistics is recommended, and a postgraduate degree is helpful for advancement. Good communication and soft skills are necessary for working with various groups.
Environmental analysts do assessments to find out the extent of impact a building project can have on surrounding areas. For example, the work might involve determining whether the construction will damage the environment, whether the construction will have an impact on local animal species, or whether the construction project will ultimately result in nearby residents finding new places to live. If you want to become an environmental analyst, you will usually need a college degree.
Earning a bachelor’s degree specializing in environmental studies can be helpful if you want to become an environmental analyst. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in a field such as engineering, landscape architecture, or statistics can also be helpful. Also, building your skills in understanding chemistry, understanding computer science, computer-aided design, and improving your skills in map reading are useful skills to cultivate during college. These are the kinds of skills you’ll use during your day job when you eventually land a job doing environmental analysis.
Typically, you apply for your first job during the final semester of your senior year in college. Hopefully, you’ll have done a university internship in environmental analysis, because internships not only complement classroom learning, but also allow you to network professionally. During the job search process, working with your college’s career services department as well as doing your own online search can be helpful in allowing you to find a job.
If you are interested in being promoted to higher level positions, obtaining a postgraduate degree can be helpful. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in engineering or environmental studies is generally recommended for those looking to be promoted to higher level positions in environmental analysis. Having a doctorate can also be useful if you are looking for a career as a university professor or also as an independent environmental analyst.
When doing environmental analyses, it can be helpful to have good communication skills so that you can write excellent reports and verbally communicate the results of your analyses. Also, if you want to become an environmental analyst, being detail oriented can be helpful because being a good analyst requires you to be good at data collection, reading graphs, math and statistical analysis of information from soil samples or toxic air samples. Being able to understand environmental equipment and repair it are useful skills in becoming an environmental analyst.
In your environmental analysis work, you will be working with a variety of individuals and groups, so having good soft skills can be a career asset. For example, if you want to become an environmental analyst, you must work with environmental groups, state or federal authorities, and geographic information systems technicians (GIS technicians). You may also be involved in teaching the public about laws regarding the environment.
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