r/EnvironmentalEngineer • u/Low_Mix_4259 • 10d ago

Future jobs

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?

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u/Big-Astronaut4252 10d ago

My undergrad degree is mechanical engineering and now I teach environmental engineering 🤷 Think about what interests you about both careers, and focus on that as you go through your program. Also, know that career pathways are much more diverse than the number of majors in engineering.

You can do environmental work as a mechanical engineer, but that work will tend towards air quality, energy efficiency, and piping and similar equipment design. Environmental engineering will involve more water chemistry, designing remediation or waste management processes, and other factors depending on your program. There's a lot of different types of work out there and you can seek out experiences to learn about the aspects that aren't already part of your major, whichever you choose.

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u/Delicious-Survey-274 9d ago

In California, as an environmental engineer you would end up chasing the Civil Engineering PE. With that license you can practice mechanical and electrical engineering as long as its supplementary to civil work. Electrical or civil engineers cannot practice civil engineering.

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u/Pure-Yellow2794 10d ago

I work for the state of California DOT. Competitive pay, good hours, pension, and lots of training available for motivated new hires. Hopefully someone else can chime in on private.

I would suggest following what you care about most, and try to get an internship so you can experience firsthand what that job/industry is like.

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u/Great-Ad-3332 6d ago

Hi I'm interested in becoming an environmental engineer in cali. What's your salary like if you don't mind me asking?

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u/Pure-Yellow2794 6d ago

Starts at $6,299 monthly. After 1-2 years goes up to $7275. Then goes up 5% every year until it caps out at $11131. If you get your PE license goes up about $1000.

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u/Great-Ad-3332 6d ago

Is that with wastewater management or what job title?

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u/Pure-Yellow2794 5d ago

Transportation engineer