SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JOB MARKET : THE NEW JOBS : ENVIRONMENTAL SLOTS ABOUND : CLEAN-UP WORK SHOWS NO SIGN OF FADING SOON
Toxic waste. Oil spills. Landfills. Dirty air. Contaminated soil and water.
They’re not pretty sights . . . unless you’re looking for fast-growing job opportunities.
Environmental work has become one of the nation’s fastest-growing fields, thanks in part to growing regulations and concerns stemming from the Exxon Valdez oil spill and other catastrophes. Demand for environmental engineers, solid-waste managers, regulatory-compliance experts and other environmental professionals is growing as fast as 25% a year, experts say.
Many employers say they are unable to find enough skilled people, and the recession hasn’t diminished demand. With the high costs of environmental catastrophes made tragically clear by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, few companies involved with potential environmental hazards can afford to risk going without a full complement of experts--whatever the state of the economy.
“Regulatory compliance is always going to be needed. It’s not a boom-and-bust type of thing,” says Jim McNally, manager of the Los Angeles geosciences division at Dames & Moore, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm with a large environmental practice.
“We have more jobs than people to fill them,” says Sharyn D. Nappi, a vice president at Deen Ross & Associates, a Chatsworth-based headhunting firm specializing in environmental placements.
Environmental jobs can be lucrative. Salaries start from the mid-$30,000 range for entry-level professionals to as high as $100,000 for senior managers. And money isn’t the only benefit.
“It’s rewarding knowing you’re getting paid trying to make Southern California a better place to live,” McNally says.
Demand for specific types of environmental jobs fluctuates, depending on the regulatory emphasis at the time, experts say. The more common environmental jobs include:
* Engineers. Many types of engineers--civil, environmental, chemical, mechanical and solid waste--are needed. In solid-waste management, they are needed to ensure that landfills are properly designed and managed, Nappi says.
Also needed are process engineers capable of designing systems to deal with waste water and contaminated ground water, McNally says. Process engineers also design systems that can minimize the generation of hazardous waste. Mechanical and chemical engineers are needed to design systems for air pollution control and treatment of waste water and polluted soil and ground water.
* Geologists. Geologists and engineering geologists are needed for such things as assessing the possibility of soil and ground water contamination at industrial sites, McNally says. Hydrogeologists are needed to assess ground water conditions.
* Regulatory-compliance managers. Professionals are needed to help companies comply with the morass of regulations stemming from such legislation as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act and from such agencies as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal and state Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Also in demand are solid-waste managers, chemists, laboratory technicians, computer specialists, enforcement managers, health and safety managers, industrial hygienists and recycling specialists.
Lawyers, accountants, personnel managers and other professionals can find opportunities specializing in environmental concerns. For example, environmental lawyers expert in dealing with government agencies and regulations are in demand.
To be sure, not all environmental jobs require professional or technical backgrounds. Forklift operators and truck drivers, for example, are needed at landfills. Salespeople are needed to help market pollution-control systems and other products and services. Jobs in regulatory compliance often are filled by those with political science, public administration or other non-technical backgrounds--as long as they have extensive experience working for regulatory agencies.
But the strongest demand clearly is for technically skilled people, experts say.
“It’s a very attractive industry, but companies are very selective about who they want to hire,” says Rocco Catena, vice president of Purcell Group Inc., a Los Angeles-based executive recruiter.
Advanced degrees usually are required for technical jobs. Useful degrees include those in civil or environmental engineering, environmental sciences, environmental and occupational health, geology, chemistry and biochemistry. Most major colleges and universities have advanced-degree programs in these fields. And schools such as UCLA and UC Irvine offer extension courses in such topics as hazardous-materials management.
Where should you look for jobs?
Generally, there are three main groups of employers seeking environmental specialists:
* Government agencies. These include the EPA, federal and state OSHA, the state Public Utilities Commission, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, to name a few.
* Utilities and industrial companies. These include utilities such as Southern California Gas Co. and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, oil companies such as Unocal and Atlantic Richfield, engineering firms such as Jacobs Engineering and Bechtel, and waste-management firms.
* Consulting firms. These range from large companies, such as Dames & Moore, which employs 3,000 people worldwide, to small boutique firms employing fewer than 10.
How best to look for jobs?
Students looking at prospective careers might consider summer internships at oil, utility and consulting firms. “It’s a good way to get a first-hand look at what the job opportunities are,” McNally says.
Job fairs and trade shows also can be helpful. These are usually listed in newspaper classified advertising sections.
Among the largest trade shows in the Southland is the Hazardous Materials Management Conference West, also known as HazMat West. It’s held every November at the Long Beach Convention Center.
BEGINNINGS
Jim McNally is a senior environmental scientist and manager of the Los Angeles geosciences division at Dames & Moore.
“Ever since I was in high school and even before, I’ve been interested in the environment and knew I wanted to be in the field.
...I started at the California Regional Water Quality Board, where I did water quality surveys and reviewed a lot of environmental impact reports.”
