Perhaps you’re thinking that the field of environmental health could be interesting to explore in your future career, but you’re uncertain about what the job prospects will be like after you gain the credentials necessary for seeking employment in this niche.
Environmental health is a specialization within the broader public health sector. Workers in this field are specifically concerned with the relationships between the environment and the people who inhabit it. There are many different types of work opportunities within this field; demand is increasing for some of these roles, while it is shrinking for others.
Let’s take a look at some of the environmental healthcare job titles where the future employment outlook is favorable.
Environmental Scientists and Specialists
Analysts at the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast strong growth in the employment prospects for environmental scientists. They expect to see 11 percent more job opportunities for environmental specialists by the year 2024. The demand for these workers is growing because companies are concerned with minimizing the amount of pollution, waste and other environmental impacts caused by their operations. They are also concerned about complying with legal regulations and ensuring the overall sustainability of their long-term operations.
Job opportunities for environmental scientists are likely to be most favorable with privately owned consulting firms. State and local governments will also continue to hire significant numbers of environmental scientists.
Environmental Healthcare Educator
Educators in this field are needed, and employers in the US economy are currently adding healthcare educator jobs at a brisk pace. Analysts at the Bureau of Labor Statistics project that the demand for them will continue to grow at a rate of about 13 percent through the year 2024. The growing number of career opportunities is fueled in large part by the fact that governments and private employers have both concluded that it is possible to reduce healthcare costs by educating the public about how to safeguard their health. The public needs environmental healthcare educators to help people understand how to protect themselves and the environment from the unintended risks posed by nanotechnology, chemical poisons, air pollutants, radiation and other sorts of environmental toxins.
Read: 5 Examples of Environmental Justice
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians
BLS projections indicate that jobs in this niche are growing at a pace of 9 percent. This growth is happening because the public is increasingly concerned with health and environmental implications of industrial practices such as hydraulic fracturing (also known as “fracking”). Job prospects will be best for well-educated candidates who hold at least an associate’s degree. Laboratory experience is particularly desirable in this line of work.
Hydrologist
Clean water is the most essential element necessary for life and good health on planet earth. Hydrologists work to ensure a steady supply of this most essential ingredient. Employers are adding new jobs for hydrologists to the US economy at a rate of about 7 percent.
The demand for hydrologists is rising thanks to increasing amounts of industrial activities such as fracking, mining and construction. Those activities all have the potential to affect the purity and quantity of available water supplies. Fracking, in particular, has the effect of contaminating staggering amounts of much-needed drinking water with toxic chemicals. The US Environmental Protection Agency performed a study concluding that there have been multiple instances where fracking has contaminated private drinking water wells to the point of being unusable. Capable hydrologists are needed to solve the many water supply problems arising because of these technologies.
These job titles currently represent some of the best opportunities in the field of environment and health. There are many other possible job titles in this field that could also be rewarding, fulfilling and lucrative including emergency management director and water treatment plant operator. The field of environmental healthcare holds a wealth of future opportunities for talented, dedicated individuals. There are many roles in the field where demand for workers is increasing. If this is a specialization that interests you, you can pursue a future environmental health career with confidence.
