r/EnvironmentalEngineer

I am an Environmental Engineering student in Canada with about two years left in my degree, and I have been having a bit of a career crisis lately. I would really appreciate hearing from people who have actually worked in the industry, especially anyone whose career has taken them somewhere less conventional.

I think part of my problem is that I know much more about the kind of life and work I want than the exact job title I want.

I want a career that feels big, for lack of a better word. I would love to live in different places throughout my 20s, work internationally at some point, travel for projects, spend time in the field, and work on problems that have a tangible impact on people or the environment. I do not want to spend my entire career sitting at the same desk doing similar calculations or reports every day. I don't even know if it is meaningful for me to stay in Canada and get my Peng after I graduate or maybe go work abroad.

At the same time, I genuinely like engineering and want something intellectually challenging. I want to become technically good at something and feel like I am solving difficult problems, not just doing vaguely “environmental” work.

Some areas that have caught my attention are:

• Water and wastewater, especially infrastructure in developing or underserved communities
• Humanitarian engineering and disaster response
• Environmental emergency response
• International development/infrastructure
• Sustainability work that is tied to actual projects and operations rather than primarily reporting

But again I feel like there is more out there that maybe I just don't know about. Also a big problem with these is that I feel like meaningful work never ends up paying well and I am graduating with student loans.

My experience so far has mostly been in consulting. I have worked in mechanical/building systems and sustainability, including HVAC/plumbing design, LEED, life-cycle assessment, carbon-related work, drawings, calculations, and technical documentation. I am grateful for that experience, but it has also made me realize that it is not for me at all being in a desk all day staring at a screen and I never felt that passionate about any of it.

I keep looking at all these different paths and have no idea which one actually leads to the type of career I am imagining, or whether I am romanticizing careers that do not really exist.

I would especially love to hear from anyone who travels for work, works internationally or remotely, spends significant time in the field, works on disaster/humanitarian/environmental response, or has moved between countries throughout their career.

I am also curious about how you actually get into these areas as a new graduate. Should I focus on developing a strong technical specialty first (water, remediation, mining, etc.) and then try to move internationally? Are there particular internships, certifications, graduate programs, companies, government agencies, NGOs, or early-career positions that would put me on the right trajectory?

And if you were in my position with two years left in an Environmental Engineering degree, what would you do now to start building toward this kind of career?

I know this is broad. I am just at the point where I feel like I have a lot of ambition and curiosity but no map for where to direct it. I would really appreciate hearing what careers are actually out there beyond the ones universities tend to show us.

Between 2001 and 2006 Nakheel dredged sand off the Persian Gulf seabed and sprayed it into the shape of a palm tree. 5.72 square kilometres of new land. 94 million cubic metres of marine sand. Around $12 billion. It added 78 kilometres of coastline to Dubai, which was the whole economic case — beachfront commands premiums inland property doesn't, so manufacturing coastline is manufacturing margin.

What it doesn't have is a foundation. There's no concrete base, no seawall at the trunk. It's sand for the fronds and trunk, plus a crescent rock breakwater to shield the fronds from open-ocean wave action — 7 million tonnes of rock, quarried in the Hajar Mountains and barged 100 kilometres.

Which makes it structurally different from everything else people file it alongside. The Falkirk Wheel is steel and concrete with a 120-year design life. The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is structural steel and has been running since 1901. The Palm Jumeirah is built out of the one material water is specifically good at relocating, and its service life is a function of how much money Dubai spends putting sand back versus how fast the Gulf takes it away.

The maintenance is existential, not preventive

NASA satellite data has the island subsiding at roughly 5 mm/year. The fronds lose sand continuously to wave action and tidal currents — one major replenishment operation moved over 3.5 million cubic metres.

Dredged marine sand is a worse structural material than it looks, because it lacks what natural coastal sand has: shell fragment content, organic matter, and the compaction history that gives a natural beach cohesion. You're placing a poorly-graded, uncompacted, cohesionless fill and then asking it to hold a shape against continuous hydraulic loading.

The comparison worth drawing is the Delta Works, which protects land that exists naturally and would flood without intervention. Failure there means inundation of terrain that still exists underneath. Palm Jumeirah protects land that doesn't exist naturally and would dissolve without intervention. Failure means the terrain stops being terrain. Same category of engineering, fundamentally different failure mode.

Self-defeating by construction

The dredging buried roughly 1.2 square kilometres of coral reef under sediment.

Coral reef is a natural breakwater. It dissipates wave energy before it reaches shore — which is exactly the function the 7-million-tonne rock crescent was built to perform. The construction destroyed the free, self-maintaining, self-repairing wave attenuation structure and replaced it with a quarried one that requires monitoring and repair, on the same site, to protect the thing that was built on top of the first one.

The sediment plume also smothered oyster beds and seagrass under about five centimetres of silt across a wide radius, and turbidity cut light penetration enough to kill photosynthetic organisms in the affected zone. Artificial reef structures have since been installed along the breakwater with some documented recovery, but the remediation is cosmetic against the scale of the original loss.

Two consequences nobody designed for

The first is downstream erosion. Dubai's beaches lose 10,000 to 15,000 cubic metres of sand a year naturally. The island disrupts alongshore sediment transport — the mechanism that moves sand from one beach to the next along the coast. Sand that would have travelled east now accumulates on the western side of the island, and the beaches east of it starve. Some sections have retreated at up to 10 metres per year, and Dubai has spent millions on seawalls, groynes, and rock revetments to arrest erosion the island itself caused.

The second is water quality. The crescent breakwater that protects the fronds from storm waves also prevents tidal flushing, so the lagoons don't circulate properly. That produces stagnant zones, algal blooms, and the smell tourists have been reporting since it opened. Engineers deepened channels and installed circulation infrastructure — you're now running engineered water movement to substitute for the tidal exchange the breakwater blocks. Partially effective.

Both are the same class of problem: a structure that solves its primary design objective by interrupting a natural transport process, and then requires secondary infrastructure to replace the process it interrupted.

They're building the bigger one

Palm Jebel Ali — 50 percent larger, shelved after 2008 — relaunched in 2023. Redesigned masterplan with 80 hotels, homes for 35,000 families, six marinas. Jan De Nul took an AED 810 million marine works contract covering dredging, reclamation, beach profiling, and sand placement. First eight fronds targeted site-ready by early 2025, completion revised to 2027.

Meanwhile The World — 300 islands arranged as a world map, four kilometres offshore — sat largely undeveloped for a decade after the crash, visibly dissolving on satellite imagery. Individual island owners carry their own shoreline protection costs, running into millions of dirhams annually per island, which is a reasonable explanation for why most of them remain empty. A Monaco-themed resort opened in 2022 and a Sweden Island development is in progress.

Full write-up on the construction, the sediment transport problem, the reef loss, and Palm Jebel Ali: https://unteachablecourses.com/palm-jumeirah-dubai-artificial-islands-2026/

The engineering question I'd actually like an answer to: is there a design approach for large-scale sand reclamation that gets you to something self-sustaining, or is perpetual replenishment inherent to the method? Geotextile containment, cement or polymer stabilisation of the fill, deliberately engineered reef structures as primary rather than supplementary wave attenuation — do any of these change the maintenance curve meaningfully at 5+ km² scale, or is the honest answer that if you build land out of cohesionless dredged fill in open water, you have signed up for an annual sand budget in perpetuity and the only variable is its size?

Hello fellow env engineers. I’m trying to understand what to ask for as a salary.

I’m a PhD in Environmental engineering from an R1 school. Have contributed to a wide array of projects in water treatment, wastewater treatment, and RO in school. I have had multiple internships that have paid me $30/hour.

I have three years of non-environmental engineering consulting experience. I still did engineering work and will get those years verified. I made $90k when I left my last job. Passed PE Environmental and can become a licensed engineer within a year of getting hired.

I am looking in three markets:
1- California
2- North Carolina
3- Florida

I have had 5 interviews and am likely going to receive 5 offers (have received none yet). I don’t wanna name names, but the companies I have interviewed with are the top 10 ENR firms that do environmental engineering consulting (like AECOM, BV). I want to know what sort of salary, bonuses, total comp I should ask for? What’s the highest I can ask for and still come across as reasonable?

Thank y’all in advance

I’m an engineering undergraduate considering different career paths, one of which is becoming an environmental engineering professor. I’m still undecided on a specific research area (some that currently interest me are industrial decarbonization, PFAS destruction, and recycling incentives, but I’m open to any area).

Though I did some undergraduate research last year and really enjoyed it, I’m very concerned about the difficulty of pursuing an academic career. Indeed, I have heard from academics that becoming a professor in environmental engineering is near impossible and the hardest out of all engineering disciplines. If anybody could answer the following questions to help assess whether that characterization is accurate, would be grateful.

1. What are qualified applicant to position ratios like? Is 50:1+ common, even at R2 universities?
2. Have heard that funding is absymal in general for EnvE and is the worse out of all engineering disciplines: what are the systematic reasons? Some reasons I’ve heard are that EnvE has fewer large-scale funding programs than fields such as EE or biomedical engineering and has the lowest grant acceptance rates in engineering (like 17% for NSF), but what are other reasons?
3. Has EnvE funding stagnated or drastically declined over the past decade (setting aside the [hopefully] anomalous 2025 federal cuts)? Also, does EnvE being housed within CEE departments affect faculty hiring opportunities?
4. What other major reasons are there not to become a professor? For example, difficulty maintaining funding through tenure, etc.?

TL;DR: If you were trying to convince an undergraduate not to pursue a career as an environmental engineering professor, what would your strongest arguments be?

I’m not particularly attached to the idea of becoming an EnvE professor, so if the reality is that this is an exceptionally difficult career path, wouldn’t be heartbroken or anything (can simply consider another career). Thus, if becoming an EnvE professor really is near-impossible, would appreciating knowing that now rather than realizing this after wasting many years.

Hey y'all I take the FE Environmental on Thursday. Open to any and all last minute tips and advice. I've studied quite a lot. This is my second attempt after realizing I didn't have to take the civil one just because I work in civil. I understand the environmental topics a lot more because I hate structural stuff. VERY ready to have this behind me

I’m currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in Health and Environment, but honestly, I’m still unsure whether I should pursue an engineering degree specifically in Environmental Engineering or explore other options. Any suggestions?

Should I just take the FE Civil Exam? Has anyone taken the FE Environmental exam. Was it helpful in your career search?

Hi I plan to major in Environmental Engineering, i’m supposed to start next week but i’ve been having some qualms about it. I’m debating switching to Mechanical Engineering. To those of you who studied Environmental Engineering, what kinds of jobs did you end up working?

I have recently come across the company Tunley Engineering, which is a "science-based environmental sustainability consultancy specialising in carbon, nature, water, and regulatory compliance." The CEO, Dr. William Beer, calls himself a doctor and emphasizes his "academic background in advanced full factorials, large datasets and combustion modelling"...but he doesn't list the university he attended or what specifically his PhD is in. Where can I find if he actually has one? I can't find it anywhere, including his LinkedIn.

Hi all,

Context I am the lead environmental engineer at a company that is both operational and building new facilities across the country simultaneously. There is very little if any historical environmental program but they really wanted to get back on track so they hired someone with more experience from the outside world (me) to do it. Since there was no previous environmental program, group, etc I am the only one and the only one with any background much at all with all things permitting (both for active operations and for construction), operational (SDS management, RCRA, accident response, spill response etc), or with air/water monitoring results and testing. I am doing my best but some days I feel a little bit over my head and question if I am enough to do this (despite having almost 15 years experience in this world) and I think partly it is imposter syndrome due to perhaps the nature of this specific role.

Just looking to see if anyone else around the 15 year mark, when leading something of this scale on their own, had similar feelings and if it's just a matter of maturing as a professional leader in the field. (Taking on a hard project vs living in the comfort of an existing EMS). To be clear I do feel I am doing solidly so far, I just second guess a lot of my stuff and feel more timid than I ever felt trying to "get it right".

What skills do you wish you had started working on early?

What sort of international competitions should I look out for?

Hi! I work at an environmental engineering consulting firm and just found out from my supervisor that obtaining your PE license will not result in any raise or bonus. I am kind of confused by this…? They said that licensure is needed once you get to a certain level but there are people at the firm that do not have their license and are beyond that level. What is the point of getting my license if I don’t get compensated? What is the industry standard? Any advice or insight would be appreciated. I am already on the path to licensure, I have passed the PE and will get the 4 years of experience by the end of January.

Hello, I am seeking some advice regarding my graduate studies and potential path toward a PhD. I have a BA in Environmental Science and have developed a strong interest in drinking water quality, water remediation, and water resources. Through my research experiences, I have realized that I would like to pursue more engineering-focused work, particularly in understanding water quality, groundwater contamination, and sustainable remediation methods. My academic background is primarily in the sciences, but I am very interested in pursuing a PhD because I genuinely enjoy research and would like to conduct research focused on developing sustainable approaches to water treatment and remediation. I have been considering pursuing a PhD in Environmental Engineering. I know that some programs admit students into Environmental Engineering PhD programs without an undergraduate degree specifically in engineering, but I am unsure whether my background would be competitive for direct admission.

One option I have been considering is completing a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering first. However, I am hesitant because many Master's programs are quite expensive and appear to be primarily geared toward students entering industry. If I were to pursue a Master's, I would likely work full-time while completing the degree and then apply to PhD programs afterward.

At the same time, I am wondering whether it would make more sense to apply directly to PhD programs. I have several years of research experience and some co-authorships from my undergrad, but my academic transcript is not as strong as I would like it to be.

Because of that, I am unsure whether a Master's degree would be beneficial in strengthening my academic profile and filling in some of the engineering coursework I may be missing, or whether my research experience would be enough to make me a competitive PhD applicant.
I would really appreciate any advice on I should pursue a Master's in Environmental Engineering first or apply directly to PhD programs. I would also be interested in hearing about what factors I should consider when evaluating programs that accept students from a non-engineering background.
Thank you very much in advance!!

https://preview.redd.it/uwid3ri320ih1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=a0bdb164bb709641d0f5a5007f284e1347c0334b

I’m a rising senior studying Environmental Science. I’ve done two summer internships at a large West Coast utility company where I was in construction services last summer, gas project management this summer. I was planning to add a Construction Management minor,but it’d tack on another full year of school, which isn’t an option for me.

I still want to get into construction after graduation. Has anyone gotten in without the formal coursework? What actually mattered for getting hired: internship experience, certifications, networking, something else? Any advice appreciated.

Okay, so I want to make up my mind before my semester starts this August, but I am currently a Pre-Environmental Engineering undergrad going into my sophomore year. I'm still taking many of the core classes, as you can imagine, but I've been having a dilemma about switching to ChemE. For one, EnvE isn't accredited at CSULB at the moment, but apparently it is on the path to being accredited. More importantly, I'm also interested in the area of renewable energies and sustainable energies like biofuels or hydrogen fuel cells, but I also like the field of water and being in the lab for that as well. Additionally, I'm interested in research in these areas. My school offers a minor in EnvE, which I would take if I were to switch to ChemE, but I'm undecided because I would probably graduate a bit later than expected, and because ChemE is significantly harder than EnvE, and I don't want to regret this significant choice. I'd like to hear from people who may be in the industry or have had a similar experience as I have, so I can make the best possible choice before my semester starts.

Okay, so I want to make up my mind before my semester starts this August, but I am currently a Pre-Environmental Engineering undergrad going into my sophomore year. I'm still taking many of the core classes, as you can imagine, but I've been having a dilemma about switching to ChemE. For one, EnvE isn't accredited at CSULB at the moment, but apparently it is on the path to being accredited. More importantly, I'm also interested in the area of renewable energies and sustainable energies like biofuels or hydrogen fuel cells, but I also like the field of water and being in the lab for that as well. Additionally, I'm interested in research in these areas. My school offers a minor in EnvE, which I would take if I were to switch to ChemE, but I'm undecided because I would probably graduate a bit later than expected, and because ChemE is significantly harder than EnvE, and I don't want to regret this significant choice. I'd like to hear from people who may be in the industry or have had a similar experience as I have, so I can make the best possible choice before my semester starts.