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A
Job To Love
There’s a town not far from where
you live that has grown a lot over the
last 10 years. The town council realizes
that it needs to build a new landfill
because the old one will soon be full.
The town wants to make sure that this
new landfill site is as clean and environmentally
friendly as possible. You have been
hired to design the new site and make
sure it does as little damage to the
environment as possible. You look for
a site that will prevent chemicals from
leaching into the ground. You ask the
community members about where they would
prefer to put a landfill; you don’t
want to put one in traditional territory
or where the hunting and gathering has
always been good. Finding a good spot
for a landfill is a huge challenge,
and it’s only the first challenge
you’ll face. The next challenge
is designing the new site. You’d
like to explore some new technologies,
and that will be exciting.
Environmental
engineers use mathematical and
scientific ideas to help maintain
and protect a clean and healthy environment.
They spend equal amounts of time working
outdoors and indoors. For example,
they might work for many days to survey
and collect data at a polluted land
site; in the following weeks they
might devise a plan to clean up the
land site. Environmental engineers
usually work in teams with other professionals
from different backgrounds. Aboriginal
environmental engineers have the opportunity
to develop new environmentally friendly
projects in their home communities.
You’ll
need dedication to become an environmental
engineer. You’ll need at least
four years of post-secondary education,
and two or three years of practice
as an Engineer-in-Training. Once you
have a job, you’ll find that
it can be very stressful. Engineering
projects are never scheduled with
enough time, and you’ll often
work evenings and weekends to keep
on top of the workload. The completion
of a project will be extremely satisfying,
however, especially since environmental
engineers work on projects that help
to preserve and protect the environment.
Job
Description
Environmental engineers create solutions
to environmental problems and design
plans to protect the environment. For
example, they would be involved in the
design and construction of a water treatment
plant. While designing the plant, they
might focus on how treatment chemicals
can affect human and environmental health.
Then they would design methods for preventing
those negative effects. Environmental
engineers often work alongside environmental
practitioners from other fields like
hazardous waste technicians and environmental
lawyers. Expert environmental engineers
with master’s or doctorate degrees
conduct research and teach at universities.
Normally, however, environmental engineers
work for government departments, private
consulting firms, manufacturing industries,
and research institutes.
Job
Duties
- Study
industrial sites to decide if they’re
environmentally safe
- Help
companies comply with environmental
legislation and regulations
- Give
advice to companies and governments
on cleaning up industrial development
projects
- Design
water and wastewater treatment plants
- Design
pollution and hazardous waste control
facilities
- Design
safe water transfer and landfill
sites
- Write
and evaluate environmental impact
statements
Fact
In 1995, 9,913 hazardous spills were
reported to Environment Canada for
cleanup. These spills released 1,711,869
tonnes of hazardous material into
the environment. The majority of these
spills were effluent (wastewater),
sewage, and mine tailings.
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High
school courses that will prepare you
for a job as an environmental engineer
include mathematics, physics, chemistry,
biology, computers, and English. Aboriginal
studies, history, and languages will
prepare you for working in a multi-cultural
setting. Talk to your career or academic
counsellor about options such as engineering
technology, geology, and environmental
science.
The
minimum educational requirement for
this job is a university degree in
environmental engineering or in a
related field such as civil or chemical
engineering. A master’s degree
or Ph.D. may be required and can improve
your employment prospects and salary.
Before
entering the workforce, some environmental
engineers require training in:
- Erosion
control
- Environmental
site assessment
- Drafting
To
be an engineer, you will need to complete
a university undergraduate degree
in engineering, work for two or three
years as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT),
and then write and pass a professional
practise exam. Finally, provincial
or territorial certification may be
required, which often requires ongoing
education.
Admissions
to engineering programs are competitive
and grades of 80 per cent or better
in maths and sciences are usually
required. Look into specific high
school prerequisites set by the university
you would like to attend.
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Environmental
engineers with a university degree
make an average of $49,000.00 per
year.
Environmental
engineers with a post-graduate degree
make an average of $78,000.00 per
year.
Environmental
engineers with several years of experience
and education make an average of $104,000.00
per year.
Financial
Assistance
In addition to the general scholarship
tips listed in the BUILD MY CAREER
section, the following awards are
specific to environmental engineers:
Great West Life and London Life
Scholarships
Between $2,000.00 and $2,500.00 are
awarded to Aboriginal students in
business or science.
Contact: Foundation for the
Advancement of Aboriginal Youth
204 -1 George Street
Coach House, Main Floor
Toronto, ON
M5R 2N5
Telephone: (416) 961-8663 ext. 227
Fax: (416) 961-3995
email: faayinfo@ccab.com
website: www.ccab.com
Home
Oil Company Limited - Aboriginal Scholarship
Program
$2,000.00 is awarded to Aboriginal
students pursuing studies in one of
the following areas: engineering,
geology/geophysics, computer science,
technology or commerce.
Contact: Human Resources Department
Home Oil Company Ltd.
1600 Home Oil Tower
324 Eighth Avenue
Calgary, AB
T2P 2Z5
Telephone: (403) 232-7100
Fax: (403) 232-7221
For listings of engineering specific
scholarships and bursaries for Aboriginal
youth, check the Native Access to
Engineering program through Concordia
University.
website: www.nativeaccess.com
Toyota
Earth Day Scholarships
Fifteen awards of $5,000.00 each
are awarded to students entering their
first year of post-secondary full-time
studies in Canada, in any discipline.
Contact: Toyota Earth Day Scholarship
Earth Day Canada
111 Peter Street, Suite 503
Toronto, ON M5V 2H1
Telephone: (416) 599-1991
Fax: (416) 599-3100
email: scholarship@earthday.ca
website: www.earthday.ca
website: www.toyota.ca
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Some
of the best knowledge you’ll
gain for this job will come from listening
to the stories and wisdom of your
relations. Some of your ancestors
may have used their creativity and
ingenuity to design and perfect the
igloo, the snowshoe or the canoe.
These inventions work well because
they are based on solid engineering
and design principles. Talk to your
Elders about other traditional creations.
Using these principles, try designing
different structures on your own.
Relate to people in similar jobs:
- Green
architect
- Clean
energy researcher
- Environmental
co-ordinator
- Environmental
monitor
Relate
and interact with environmental engineers.
Ask them what they like about their
jobs and how you should get started.
Canadian
Council for Professional Engineers
180 Elgin St., Suite 1100
Ottawa, ON
K2P 2K3
Telephone: (613) 232-2474
website: www.ccpe.ca
Find
the professional association in your
province or territory that licenses
engineers online.
website: www.ccpe.ca
The
Canadian Federation of Engineering
Students
website: www.cfes.ca
Engineers
Without Borders
website: www.ewb.ca
Relate
to other students. Most universities
have Aboriginal student associations
and resource centres. Visit these
centres to find out what they have
to offer. Also look into community
centres, friendship centres, and multi-cultural
centres.
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