Job opportunities related to environmental science and natural resources management are abundant, even in the current economic situation. The increasingly high profile of environmental problems and a growing commitment to addressing them helps to explain the relatively strong job market in this area, and there are a wide variety of careers available. You can explore them here.
A second factor driving the number of job openings available is the large number of looming retirements in many government agencies related to natural resources and the environment (i.e. park services, forest districts, conservation departments, and regulatory agencies). This is not always captured in the data the predicts the future jobs available in a particular career. For example, the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos048.htm) estimates 5% growth in careers of Conservation Scientist and Forester between 2006 and 2016. That means that in 2016, they expect there to be 5% more people employed in these kinds of position than in 2006. What this does not reflect, however, is the anticipated retirements that are likely to occur in the same period, which will generate many more job opportunities than the OOH indicates. Here in NRES, we receive phone calls and e-mails from various state and federal agencies every week wanting us to advertise their positions to NRES students.
Students in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at Illinois have extensive resources available as they plan their career path. Many of the NRES faculty conduct research of interest to the employers in the field, and, consequently, have many contacts that can help students build their network as they begin their job search. In addition, NRES offers a course, NRES 108 Environmental Science and Natural Resource Careers, that provides students with the opportunity to explore a wide variety of related careers and consider which might be the best fit for them. The NRES Student Services Center also provides resources that help students on their career path:
In the weeks ahead, we will be profiling NRES alumni and their careers, so keep an eye on the Spotlight!