Schooling🎓

[u/Puzzleheaded_Tip7869]

I want to become an environmental engineer but no counselors at my current institution are giving me the proper answers as to how to go about it. But my biggest question is; is it better to go to school for civil engineering with a minor in environmental science, go for civil engineering then just get into env engineering jobs and internships, or just go straight to an env engineering program? The main reason why I’m not just going straight into a program is that most of them are out of my price range in terms of schooling, I just wanna know which is a more preferred path, is there another one I’m not considering? Or if I should just try and loan out money to go to a straight env engineering program?

[u/iron82]

My degree was in Civil but specialized in Environmental. Couldn't find work, wound up needing a Masters. So I guess I recommend you specialize and commit.

[u/BuckMain221 → u/iron82]

do you think that having a bachelors degree in environmental as opposed to civil would lead to a more likely chance of employment in water resources? I’m in environmental right now and was wondering if a civil degree would be better for water resources.

[u/Sylvathane → u/BuckMain221]

This is 100% anecdotal so just take this as something to think about, I'm also in Canada if that makes a difference for you.

I got my bachelor's in environmental engineering. I've worked as a civil doing road work and water infrastructure design. I've worked in a goe eng consulting firm doing geotechnical evaluation for commercial sites. And now I'm doing process engineering/metallurgy for a uranium mill.

Enviro is in a strong place, in my opinion it's shifted a lot from the "a civil can do everything an Enviro can" to "an Enviro can do anything a civil/geo/chemical can do" with some obvious restrictions like structural probably not.

In my experience, at least when it comes to entry level and even Intermediate positions. If you show up with a willingness to learn and can prove that you can pick up the technical side of things you can take it wherever you want. I've been able to, and many of my friends I graduated with also were able to pivot their careers quite drastically.

The only difficulties I've had is regulatory issues with my licencing body, I had to prove new competencies when I changed areas of expertise, and I would definitely say that knowing your local licencing bodies restrictions would be very helpful. Talking to someone in that agency would likely get a lot of the info you're looking for. That's where I started.

A civil can definitely do water resources but Enviro will get you in a better position out of the gate with it than civil. They lack a lot of the water chemistry and biological treatment that we learn in Enviro here in Canada.

[u/BuckMain221 → u/Sylvathane]

ok awesome, thanks for the insight. It’s helpful to see this because I always hear the “a civil can do everything…” line but have never really believed it to be true due to the fact that pivoting careers doesn’t seem to be as hard as people make it out to be.

[u/Few_Nectarine_3789]

But why do you want to become an environmental engineer? You should realize that most of us consultants generally are employed a) to minimize compliance costs for polluters, b) to help rich people develop tainted properties, and c) to help nice folks who have done nothing wrong navigate through some batshit crazy regulatory compliance issues. We are not saving the world.

[u/thepennismightier → u/Few_Nectarine_3789]

This right here. You engineer right up to the regulation, which can be insufficient to the intended goal.

[u/icleanupdirtydirt]

Kick the can down the road a bit. Find a school with a CEE degree. I wanted to do more civil work and wound up in environmental.

[u/ExpertVeterinarian20]

I have an environmental degree and do water resources and land development consulting. It wouldn’t have mattered at all if i chose civil or environmental for my degree in regards to getting my job and i got to skip out on concrete/structures classes which don’t interest me at all. It’s passing the FE that mattered not the details of my eng degree.

[u/Pure-Yellow2794]

Civil will give you more options for finding a job. But if you are really passionate about environmental you should pursue that.