Who's an Environmental Scientist?
Pollution and global warming have raised a lot of concern in recent times. We need individuals who are aware and determined to contribute towards a healthy planet. If you want to play a role in fighting environmental damage, then environmental scientist is the right career option for you. An environmental scientist studies the science of natural resources and the impact of human activity on the environment. As an environmental scientist, you’ll conduct scientific research to prevent and solve environmental issues caused by human activities, such as pollution, industrial waste, climate change, public health issues among other major issues.
What will you do?
Where will you work?
How do you get there?
What skills would you need?
Technical Skills
As a marketer, you will work on different platforms to communicate with people. If you don’t understand how they work, you won’t be able to come up with the best strategy. You will also use various kinds of software like Google Adwords, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey, etc., during your promotions. You need to know how they work, and how to use them to your advantage.
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Research
You need to perform research on the eggs, sperms and embryos you obtain from the patient. This will involve some long hours of research.
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Scientific Skills
A logical mind can reason well, and reasoning before reaching any conclusions is very important in any scientific field. You must, therefore, have a scientific bent of mind along with an interest in life sciences.
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Communication Skills
It’s harder than ever to get people’s attention, what with so much information being thrown at them. But, people cannot resist a good story. Every good marketing campaign has a story to tell their customers and relate to them on an emotional level. Marketers who tell great stories through their marketing campaigns are always in great demand.
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Attention to Detail
Working with eggs and embryos is a very tedious task. Every little detail matters when you are observing them. If you are good at giving attention to detail, then your job at the laboratory will be made much easier.
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Critical thinking
Marketing strategies involve a lot of trial and error. You will come up with a lot of ideas that sound great on paper. When you analyse them, you might learn that they can’t be executed as per the budget. You should be able to look at an idea practically and see if it will serve its purpose.
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Problem-solving Skills
Patients will be coming to you with different issues with fertility. You must be able to assess their problem, analyse the reason and work on coming up with a solution.
build this skillHow do you make it to the top ranks?
Intern
You can work under the supervision of a reputed environmental scientist in an organisation or private laboratory to strengthen your abilities for a successful career in the field.
Junior Environmental Scientist
You can start your career as a junior or assistant scientist after obtaining the necessary qualifications. Your major role would be to contribute to the research and assist the senior environmental scientist in carrying out projects.
Mid-level Environmental Scientist
After attaining the necessary knowledge, you can secure the position of a research scientist. As a research scientist, you’ll be responsible for doing research and supervising junior scientists.
Senior Environmental Scientist / Researcher
After 8-10 years of experience, you may be promoted to the position of a senior environmental scientist. As a senior environmental scientist, you’ll have more duties, such as lab administration, and monitoring and supervising your team’s performance.
The colleges in India that offer degrees in environmental science are located in almost every state. You can pursue a B.Sc/M.Sc in Environmental Science from top colleges/universities like Amity University (Kolkata), Savitribai Phule Pune University (Pune), Fergusson College (Pune), Delhi University (Delhi), Ramnarain Ruia College of Science and Arts (Mumbai), B.K. Birla College (Mumbai), etc. For a B.sc in environmental science, admissions in most colleges are based on merit, so scoring well in 10+2 is desirable. M.sc colleges have entrance exams for admissions like JNUEE for Jawaharlal Nehru University, BHU UET for Banaras Hindu University, DUET for Delhi University. The fee for these courses ranges from INR 20,000 to INR 3 lakhs.
Protection of the environment plays an integral role in every business and industrial venture. Under such circumstances, an environmental scientist is highly sought after in various sectors urban planning, corporate firms and agencies, mines and refineries, government PSUs, NGOs, etc.
You can pursue a degree in environmental science from universities like Stanford University (United States), Yale University (United States), Harvard University (United States), University of Oxford (United Kingdom), University of Toronto (Canada), Duke University (United States), among others, who offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in environmental science. Apart from qualifying exams like TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, SAT, etc., colleges will have different criteria regarding the knowledge of the field. The fee ranges from USD 10,000 to USD 45,000.
In foreign countries, environmental scientists have an immensely vast scope. From consultancy and research to impact assessment and environmental activism, they are paid handsomely in all these fields.
How much would you get paid?
As an Environmental Scientist, your salary broadly depends on the area of your employment, the organisation you’re working with and your experience in the field. The pay scale for this job ranges from INR 20,000 monthly for an entry-level environmental scientist to INR 1 lakh monthly and above for an experienced environmental scientist.
What are your career options?
Environmental Science Educator
As an Environmental Science Educator, you will typically teach courses in environmental science. You will also carry out research and develop educational programmes and resources for students in a school or university. To specialise in this field, you must possess excellent communication and leadership skills.
Environmental Consultant
Environmental consultants are professionals who help public and private industries with analysis and insight on a variety of environmental issues such as waste management, water and air pollution, and soil contamination. This assists the industry in avoiding potential fines and allows the companies to implement sustainable practices in the workplace.
For instance, as an environmental consultant, you will advise your clients on how to better use and dispose of hazardous materials or help them assess the impact of a construction project on the environment.
Marine Biologist
Marine biology is one of the subsets of environmental science in which you study marine organisms and observe any changes to the bodies of water, such as oceans and wetlands. As a marine biologist, you will conduct research and perform tests on marine inhabits exposed to pollutants or marine hazards. For pursuing this particular profession, you might have to specialise in marine biology at the master’s level.
Wildlife Biologist
A wildlife biologist is an expert who studies the behaviour of animals and other wildlife. As a wildlife biologist, you’ll study how each animal interacts with its natural environment and how the environment affects its survival. A deep love of animals and wildlife is required for a career as a wildlife biologist. Apart from this, a major in zoology or wildlife biology from the undergraduate will also help in establishing a career as a wildlife biologist.
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