Career As An Environmental Engineer: Green Power

With environmental concerns gaining prominence, the demand for environmental engineers is picking up, says Kamal Sharma, senior manager, INDUS Environmental Services.

The Lowdown

Environmental engineers assess and minimise environmental degradation caused by project/s. Their work revolves around ensuring that environmental quality is maintained properly. An engineer's job profile can range from managing waste to assessing environmental liabilities during mergers and acquisitions. Determining for instance, the liabilities and cost of remediating soil and water contamination, as a part of the due diligence process during mergers or acquisitions

Clockwork

An average day of an environmental engineer working with a company:

10 am: Reach office. Ask team for status reports on weekly/ biweekly projects.

11 am: Meet with team, work on project proposals, collect details on competitors' technology

1.30 pm: Lunch

2 pm: Back to work

3 pm: Participate in or conduct the weekly internal lectures series on topics related to the environment of professional interest

4 pm: Visit the project or work site

6 pm: Back home

I often work out of home searching for new ideas, softwares, technologies, equipment and keep an eye on competitors, says Kamal Sharma

The Payoff

About Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 or more a month, depending on your aptitude, expertise, and employer

Skills/Traits

• Knowledge of various laws around environmental degradation
• A long-term, sustainable outlook on issues
• A proactive approach to solve ecological problems
• An interest in the profession
• Concern for the environment
• Should like travelling and exploring diverse terrain

Getting There

Take up science in Class 12. After this, you can opt for a bachelor's in environmental, civil, chemical or mechanical engineering, microbiology, or even biotechnology. Admission to these programmes is through competitive exams. After completing your engineering, you may pursue a masters in environmental engineering as well. Else, you could also do a BSc programme and follow it up with a masters (MA/MSc) in environmental studies.

Institutes

• Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Bachelors in EE
• Indian Institutes of Technology, multiple locations, various programmes www.jee.iitd.ac.in
• University of Delhi, MA/MSc in environmental studies, MSc in environmental biology, www.du.ac.in
• National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), www.neeri.res.in
• Jawaharlal Nehru University, School of Environmental Sciences, www.jnu.ac.in
• Delhi Technological University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, www.dce.ac.in/departments/Civil
• HNB Garhwal University, School of Environmental Sciences, www.hnbgu.ac.in
• Teri University, Department of Energy and Environment, diploma, masters, and doctoral programmes, www.teriuniversity.ac.in

Pros and Cons

• Huge potential in the waste management sector
• Only for the technologically inclined
• Not well-paying initially
• Stigma attached to working with trash
• Satisfying profession
• Highly exciting profession
• Extremely challenging
• Requires long working hours
• Requires a lot of travelling
• Demanding in terms of time

Source: HT Horizons

Date: 10th March, 2011

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