Job & Career Links and Resources
The following job and career links and resources are provided below:
- Background: Career Pathways/Jobs in ERM&P2
- Background: Major Sources of Environmental Jobs
- "Handshake"
- General Job Websites
- Environmentally-Focused Job Websites
- Government (Federal/State/Local) Job Boards
- Utilities (Water/Energy), Waste Mgmt/Recycling Firms, & Mass Transit Agency Job Boards
- Professional Environmental Service Firm Listings (Consulting/Design Firms, Construction/Remediation Firms, etc.)
- Environmental Non-Profit Organization Listings
- Environmental Education Job Boards
Background: Career Pathways/Jobs in ERM&P2
Handout: Career Pathways in ERM&P2
Many students ask the question, "What can I do with a degree in ERM&P2?". The answer is, "Quite a lot!".
Here's just a sampling of potential career pathways/jobs in ERM&P2 (please note that this listing is aimed more at those having an associate’s degree; more opportunities (including higher-level jobs) open up for those who transfer and subsequently earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, environmental science, or a related field).
- Environmental Compliance Coordinator / Environmental Compliance Inspector: Ensure that businesses & industry comply with applicable environmental laws & regulations. Coordinators work for the business, while Inspectors work for the government (federal/state/local).
- Green Business Certifier: Help businesses reduce their environmental impact & earn green certifications. Note: DeAnza College is certified as a “Green Business” thanks to ERM&P2 students!
- Sustainability Coordinator: Coordinate an organization’s efforts to reduce their environmental impact and operate
in a more sustainable manner.
- Environmental Impact Assessor: Assess the environmental impacts of proposed development projects (such as a new manufacturing plant) & investigate ways to reduce or eliminate such impacts.
- Environmental Site Assessor: Assess commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential properties for potential environmental contamination.
- Environmental Remediation & Restoration Technician: Aid in development & implementation of plans to clean-up and restore land, buildings & properties having environmental contamination.
- Pollution Prevention Specialist: Look to reduce/minimize/eliminate pollution & waste from residential, commercial and industrial sources using the “3 R’s” (Reduce/Reuse/Recycle).
- Environmental Health Officer: Seek to reduce impacts of environmental hazards (such as pollution & waste, noise & radiation, food & waterborne diseases, vectors, & pesticides) on human health.
- Industrial Ecologist: Use the lessons & examples offered by nature to make products & services, manufacturing, and industrial & commercial facilities & operations more efficient & sustainable.
- Climate Change Specialist: Monitor sources of greenhouse gas emissions and the associated impacts of climate change and analyze ways to reduce emissions and minimize and adapt to impacts.
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Specialist: Identify, assess, and implement measures to address IAQ concerns, such as asbestos, mold, radon, dust, chemical cleaners, & pesticides.
- Environmental Sampling & Lab Technicians: Sampling technicians collect air, water, soil, and waste samples which lab technicians then analyze to check for potential contamination levels.
And when it comes to pay, these and similar jobs represent good, well-paying jobs with solid growth potential. In that regard, here’s what the California Employment Development Department reports overall based on figures obtained from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Environmental Technician (associates degree): $58,739 median salary in California for 2019 with a 12.8% projected growth in jobs in California expected between 2016-2026.
- Environmental Protection Specialist (bachelors degree): $88,596 median salary in California for 2019 with a 11.8% projected growth in jobs in California expected between 2016-2026.
The "bottom line": There is tremendous diversity in the jobs & careers available in ERM&P2 – and they are good, well-paying jobs, especially if one continues on to earn a Bachelor’s degree! So come & do good for the planet (& all of us on it) while getting paid well to do so!
Background: Major Sources of Environmental Jobs
Environmental job opportunities range far and wide, both in the nature of the work as well as who offers those opportunities. In terms of the latter, the main sources of environmental jobs are as follows:
- Government (Federal/State/Local): Including regulatory agencies (USEPA, BAAQMD, etc.), natural resource management agencies (US Fish & Wildlife Service, California State Parks, etc.), and city/county entities (Env. Services Depts, Health Depts, Public Works Depts, Parks Depts, etc.)
- Utilities (Water/Energy), Waste Mgmt/Recycling Firms, & Mass Transit Agencies: Both public (gov’t owned/operated) and private entities, such as San Jose Water Company, PG&E, Recology, and BART.
- Professional Service Firms (Consulting/Design, Construction/Remediation): From very small, one-office, locally-focused firms (like a local construction company) to huge, 500+ office operations working internationally with 50,000+ employees (like AECOM & Bechtel).
- Non-Profits (International/National/State/Local-Focused): From small, narrowly-focused entities (like Guadalupe River Park Conservancy & Friends of the Sea Otter) to large, broadly-focused national/international entities (line Sierra Club & Conservation International).
- Green Product or Service Businesses/Manufacturers: From environmentally-friendly dry cleaners to solar panel manufacturers, opportunities exist in virtually every business/industry sector now.
- Educational Institutions/Entities: Encompassing both formal education (K-12, college, vocational training) and informal (outdoor education, parks, zoos, aquariums & nature centers, non-profit educational programs, nature expeditions, etc.).
Provided below are both general and specific resources for finding “green” jobs from
the above sources of such jobs.
Best of luck in your job hunt!!
"Handshake"
De Anza College has partnered with Handshake as a job and internship platform for students and employers. Students can log in to search and apply for jobs and internships, get career tips and more.
Students can log in using the "Handshake" app under MyPortal.
General Job Websites
- CalJobs (run by the Cal Employment Development Dept): https://www.caljobs.ca.gov
- CareerBuilder: https://www.careerbuilder.com
- Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com (also provides anonymous company reviews)
- Indeed: https://www.indeed.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com
- Monster.com: https://www.monster.com
- Idealist.org: https://www.idealist.org/
(Note: Their stated mission is to "connect idealists with opportunities for action") - CoolWorks.com: https://www.coolworks.com
(Note: Focuses on "jobs in cool places" - national parks, ski resorts, retreat centers, etc.)
Environmentally-Focused Job Websites
- Environmental Career Opportunities (ECO): https://www.ecojobs.com
(Note: A subscription service, but the subscription is relatively cheap) - EnvironmentalJobs.com: https://www.environmentaljobs.com
(Note: They have a relationship with the ECO website) - Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals Job Board: https://jobs.ahmpnet.org/
(Note: Lists a variety of Environmental, Health & Safety positions) - California Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education (Cal AEOE) Job Board:
https://aeoe.org/jobs
(Note: Lists environmental and outdoor education jobs located in California.) - Society for Conservation Biology Job Board: https://careers.conbio.org
(Note: Lists a variety of jobs in conservation biology; can browse available jobs by discipline.)
Government (Federal/State/Local) Job Boards
- USAJobs (Federal Government Job Board): https://www.usajobs.gov
- California State Government Job Board: https://jobs.ca.gov
- GovtJobs: https://www.govtjobs.com
(Note: National job board focused on positions with both local and state gov't) - GovernmentJobs: https://www.governmentjobs.com
(Note: National job board focused on positions with local gov't) - City of San Jose Job Board: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments/human-resources
- City of San Francisco Job Board: https://jobapscloud.com/sf/
- City of Oakland Job Board: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/oaklandca
- City of Cupertino: https://www.calopps.org/city-of-cupertino
- San Mateo County Job Board: https://jobs.smcgov.org/
- Santa Clara County Job Board: https://employeeservices.sccgov.org/home
- Association of Bay Area Gov'ts (ABAG) Employment Links: https://abag.ca.gov/about-abag/careers/local-government-job-lists
(Note: Contains links to Local Gov't Job Boards within the Bay Area) - Bay Area Air Quality Mgmt District (BAAQMD) Job Board: https://www.baaqmd.gov/about-the-air-district/job-opportunities
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Job Board: https://www.openspace.org/about-us/jobs
- Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Job Board: https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/careers.html
Utilities (Water/Energy), Waste Mgmt/Recycling Firms, & Mass Transit Agency Job Boards
- Santa Clara Valley Water District Job Board: https://www.valleywater.org/careers-and-job-openings
- San Jose Water Company (water utility) Job Board: https://www.sjwater.com/work-with-us/careers
- California Water Company (water utility): https://www.calwater.com
- East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) Job Board: https://www.ebmud.com/jobs/
- BayWork Job Board: https://baywork.org/jobs/
(Note: BayWork is a consortium of Bay Area water & wastewater utilities promoting careers in water & wastewater) - Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Job Board: https://careers.pge.com
- Recology (recycling/waste management): https://www.recology.com/about-us/work-at-recology
- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA): https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/vtasantaclara
- BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Job Board: https://www.bart.gov/about/jobs
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Job Board: https://mtc.ca.gov/about-mtc/careers/jobs-board
Professional Environmental Service Firm Listings
(Consulting/Design Firms, Construction/Remediation Firms, etc.)
Click here to access the following listings with links provided to the firms websites:
- Notable Professional Environmental Service Firms With Offices In The Bay Area
- Top 200 Professional Environmental Service Firms Nationwide/Internationally
Environmental Non-Profit Organization Listings
Click here to access the following listings with links provided to the orgs websites:
- Notable Local and State Environmental Non-Profit Organizations
- Notable National Environmental Non-Profit Organizations