What are the steps to becoming an environmental consultant?

Um consultor ambiental é formado por combina??es educacionais, além da gradua??o, uma pós gradua??o é importante, geralmente na gradua??o somos generalistas. Além do ambinto da academia procurar certifica??es, experiências práticas e desenvolver habilidades analiticas.

It is also useful to learn about ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. These 2 standards are the minimum requirement you would need to start your journey as an environmental consultant. Along the way, there will be other sustainability frameworks and guidelines that you would need to learn too.

Build a professional network in the environmental industry to connect with potential clients and employers. Stay updated on environmental regulations and laws, as these often change and impact consulting work.

In my experience you can start out with minimal training, but as long as you have the drive and passion to learn, and are willing to continue your education year after year through certifications, designations, and training seminars, there is no limit to how far you can go. Being pliable, and having a high drive for success will also be required. Of course, some sort of basic education in environmental practices is a must but is not the most important part. The drive, passion, and willingness to learn are more important in the long run.

More importantly, get the math and statistics and English grammar education that many scientists avoid. You will present their findings in Congress and court and become their boss and see and advocate for conservation from a wholistic viewpoint. You will be sent to discuss their science in intergovernmental meetings. The leaders may have an engineering, law, business or psychology degree or many other paths. Differentiate yourself from those blindly following a narrow discipline-oriented education. — My thoughts.

It is better for entry-level graduates to work in contractor firms first before working in consultant firms. We could see more and handle more real issues at first hand when working on sites as contractors. In most cases we could manage it only when we are familiar with it.

Working as an intern in a consulting firm provides hands-on experience in conducting environmental assessments, data analysis, and fieldwork. I've known individuals who got to assist senior consultants in projects related to environmental impact assessments, remediation plans, or sustainability strategies for clients across different industries. That’s how you can start your career as an Environmental Consultant.

I secured a crucial internship during my academic years, which was instrumental in my journey to becoming an environmental consultant. I chose an internship with a prominent environmental consulting firm specializing in impact assessments. Through this experience, I gained practical skills by working on data collection, analysis, and site visits. It helped me bridge the gap between theory and practice, applying what I'd learned in the classroom to real-world projects.

Consulting is the best place for experienced researchers or academic professionals aiming to enter or transition into the industry or field jobs. For upcoming consultants, aside from your degree and qualifications, ensure you are up to date in the field you plan to work in. Concepts, policies, strategies and technologies are rapidly changing; those who keep up get the jobs.

I would say that professional designations would help bolster your portfolio or resumé, but they aren't what makes an environmental consultant credible. Remember anyone working in the field can apply for these designations and often pass minimal knowledge checks prior to being certified. While I'm not against doing them, certifications should be viewed as a secondary objective to the primary, which is to keep building your knowledge base of environmental consulting.

Obtaining a professional industry credential from an organization like the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management is one way to help you establish credibility. However, you need to have a deep desire to understand the regulations and know how to interpret them. Clients hire consultants because they don’t have the subject matter expertise (SME) or the time or staff to do the work. Be an expert and know the regulations, learn from others currently in the field and take advantage of opportunities to take on projects to expand your experience. You also need people skills, business skills, and an entrepreneurial drive. Consulting is not your typical 9 to 5 job. But it’s very rewarding because you are involved in solving problems.

Depending on the industry you are interested in, obtain professional certification from a registered institute, I know free courses seem attractive, but you will need a recognised degree/certificate (this is at least true from a South African perspective). In South Africa I'd recommend universities, NOSA, UNISA as starting point, this will greatly shorten the route to becoming an environmental consultant.

Starting at the ground level. My personal growth experience and working with others who have also been successful in the industry is to work your way up the ladder. Learning the basic skill sets from field operations up through project management and ultimately a Sr leadership role, will make you well rounded, a valuable asset and your clients are the ones who will ultimately benefit from the level of expertise you'll bring to the table when it comes to advising, program implementation and most important reducing their overall exposure and limiting liability.

In South Africa a degree will get you in the door, however professional certifications goes a long way, especially SACNASP/EAPASA/industry dependent registration (s).

I started the specialization with my PhD, almost 20 years ago, working on industrial symbiosis and circular economy. That is my passion and my specialization which, 20 years later, is considered a cornerstone in changing socioeconomic systems to become less unsustainable and transform towards sustainability. So, I do encourage to focus on a specific topic which will certainly be fundamental in the short term, as one can see from the emergent regulation: greenwashing, DPP, LCA, biodiversity and natural capital accounting, regeneration...these are niche specialties that will be fundamental in the coming years.

To a young environmental professional starting out on their journey I would suggest there is a need to be as broad based as possible. There is plenty of time to specialise, and it may take time to settle on a particular discipline. However once that particular specialism is identified, I would whole heartedly agree that there is a need to make your expertise stand out

If you have a passion, focusing on learning as much as you can about that topic will help you, whether you actually are able to work in that field, or as a topic of discussion when interviewing, or simply impressing others "around the water cooler".

I’m not sure I agree entirely with this point. I agree you should focus on an area of practice, but also stay nimble because i) you don’t want to become so specialized that you are in jeopardy as the market changes and your area of expertise is not widely needed and ii.) one of the best parts of being a consultant is the diversity of work keeps you interested and learning.

Specialized niche, means acquiring indepth knowledge and becoming subject matter expertise with super ability to address specific issues authoritatively. Take an example of Avian Consultant. Birds are so diverse that a knowledge on their ecology and behaviour as well as conservation status is very important. Birds especially those with special conservation needs and important bird areas — are some of the skills, knowledge, and expertise that Avian consultants should at least possess. Birds conservation regulations such as International migratory birds conventions as well as local and regional birds standards are important tools that any Avian consultants should consider to have them. Self learning and improvement are critically important.

I started with the basics - all already mentioned: engineering degreee, PhD on Environmental Economics and years of experience on various fields. But my advice is this: Find your call and become good at it. Believe in a cause and spread it. Sustainability is more than a profession. It is a way of living our lives. Caring about the environment and the people is what will eventually bring the change.

It's really important to have a strong network around you. When I started my career, the first thing I did was connect with people on LinkedIn, asking them questions and getting them to talk to me about their experiences. I launched the second season of my podcast sustainability 101 with the main goal of increasing my connections with people already working in the environmental sector. I was curious to know their journey. Today, I'm happy to say that I leveraged LinkedIn at the right time and I'm reaping more benefits from it.

In rapidly developing fields arguably the most important attribute will be reputation. Reputation will be a catch all for experience, knowledge, ability, communication capability and delivery. Very few people have a solid and clear body of work in environmental consulting as we know it today. Even less are able to engage appropriate stakeholders to ensure talk becomes action. Too often the deciding factor in winning and delivering work has to fall on the reputation of the company and not the individual. This is why we see so much work going to the big 4 consultancies who have proven to be inadequate in many instances. Equally their appointment makes sense due to the low risk of their appointment to those awarding contracts.

Find others you can learn from and call when you have questions. This field is very diverse in environmental conditions (geology, groundwater, etc) as well as various contaminants (chemicals, rads, metals,etc). Align yourself with several Phone a friend experts. Networks are extremely important.

Starting my career in the environmental field, I learned that professional ethics are fundamental to building a solid reputation. The reputation you build is not only based on the knowledge you acquire, but also on how you apply this knowledge and interact with others. I believe that the key to building a solid reputation in the environmental field is to maintain a passion for learning, be willing to adapt and evolve, and above all, maintain an unwavering commitment to ethics and sustainability.

It's a dynamic and rapidly evolving field, which I find incredibly interesting. In this domain, every problem seems to have a solution, if only we think through it thoroughly.

There are several tools available online that allow you to update your skills and knowledge. I find useful to curate a series of podcasts on important ESG topics, which I listen on my way to work. I also like to watch TED Talks and go through online short-courses on emergent topics. Is a way to update skills on the go, without too much effort or time allocation.

Environment is a rapidly evolving field; even within the various niches (Sustainability corporate reporting, Wastewater treatment, Environmental Finance, Climate Change, Strategy etc) every field is ever growing and expanding. I feel the more important "system" we should try and inculcate into ourselves is to constantly update our selves with the relevant changes and news that does pop up now and then. Reading the latest news, yearly reports by research institutes ranging from the UNEP or other academic sources like a event held by the local university on advancements in treatment systems. Being up to date through such means may be more important to developing "skills" which I feel are developed through experience.

I never thought that by the time I was in my (late) 50’s I would still be doing exams, but it is about adding knowledge, skills and remaining fresh.

Always update your skills, whether delving deeper into your specialization, or learning accessory skills that will help you do a better job. Keeping up to date with regulations is also a must, this is usually why clients reach out to you, and how you create opportunities for new products and services. I have found that a very useful skill to have is knowing a programming language, such as python, and deepening your knowledge of statistics and data science. These skills can be applied to a myriad problems and will help you stand out.

Environmental consulting is ultimately about moving human minds and human hearts with actionable insights and communications that address the 3 ESG fundamentals of profit, people and planet Outside of the comfort of conferences and seminars you may face a handful of stakeholders who seem to care less than they ought to. There will be days when giving up seems to be the logical response And so my suggestion is your own superpower you need to run the race as an environmental consultant is you need to be able yo keep on keeping on, turning up every day and sharpening your saw each day even as you face bigger challenges each day

Whilst few people admit it, developing your career is often as much about luck as it is about talent and hard work. Talent and hard work do count for a lot, but if you can combine them with luck then you will propel yourself further, faster. How do you do it? Put yourself in a position to be lucky as often as possible - grow your skills, do that voluntary work, put yourself out there with that conference talk, write that article, send that letter or CV to the people you want to work with. Keep sending them. Keep going, keep trying, find those opportunities to give yourself a roll of the dice. The more rolls you make, the better your chances of rolling the numbers you wanted to see.

Here are my lessons: 1. A consultant's job is not to save the world but instead to help their client achieve the outcome they need whether it be an approval, a plan or strategy, or getting them out of trouble. 2. Time is money so they typically want it fast 3. You can't have the Cadillac on every project - sometimes you have to work with the budget you have and do the best with what you have 4. If you don't like plan you are being asked to help with seek to understand why it is that way and just maybe there are options to make it better. You won't know if you don't discuss it. 5. Walk away if you cannot in good conscience do the project. In this business reputation is everything and you don't have to work with everyone.

All these comments are valuable, but it seems to me that the action field is limited, specially in emerging economies like LATAM. I Live in Colombia, and my opinion is that an environmental consultant or engineer is too limited to safety and occupational health issues, more than anything else. We need to spread of and divulgate sustainability and ESG into the common sense and corporate language.

Clarity, Coordination, Subject Knowledge, Comprehending Attributes Environmental consultant is termed similar to Surgeon of Nature. Environment itself a blurred term. Specify your interested niche in environmental arena like in green clearances professionals, infrastructure development for waste management facilities, Sustainable Reporting, Events Management, Etc. It’s journey full of site visits, data analysis and representation & reporting, seasoned, etc. Travelling domestics & overseas covers major legends in profile of Environmental Consultant so the need of robust health that is compatible to any regions. Environmental Consultant keeps on exploration and it’s a journey full of healing, grow, excel and set up of high benchmarks