Environmental engineering technologists and technicians held about 15,500 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of environmental engineering technologists and technicians were as follows:
| Government | 22% |
| Engineering services | 20 |
| Management, scientific, and technical consulting services | 16 |
| Waste management and remediation services | 14 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
Environmental engineering technologists and technicians work under the direction of environmental engineers and as part of a team with other technicians. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians may work indoors, often in laboratories. They also work outdoors, sometimes in remote locations.
Because environmental engineering technologists and technicians help with environmental cleanup, they may be exposed to hazards from equipment, chemicals, or toxic materials. For this reason, they must follow proper safety procedures, such as wearing hazmat suits and respirators as needed. When they work in wet areas, environmental engineering technologists and technicians wear rubber boots to keep their legs and feet dry.
Work Schedules
Most environmental engineering technologists and technicians work full time and typically have regular hours. However, they may work irregular hours in order to monitor operations or contain a major environmental threat.
Environmental engineering technologists and technicians typically need an associate’s degree in environmental engineering technology or a related field.
Education
Prospective environmental engineering technologists and technicians should take science and math courses in high school to prepare for postsecondary programs in engineering technology.
Employers usually prefer to hire candidates who have completed ABET-accredited postsecondary programs. Although some candidates may be hired with a high school diploma and postsecondary coursework, environmental engineering technologists and technicians typically need an associate’s degree in environmental engineering technology or a related field to enter the occupation.
Associate degree programs in environmental engineering technology are available in community colleges and vocational–technical schools. These programs generally include courses in chemistry, environmental assessment, hazardous-waste management, and mathematics. Some environmental engineering technologists and technicians enter the occupation with a bachelor’s degree.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Some states require environmental technologists and technicians to have permits or licenses to remove hazardous waste. Workers also may be required to have Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) certification. HAZWOPER certification includes training in health hazards, personal protective equipment, site safety, recognizing and identifying hazards, and decontamination. Refresher training may be required to maintain certification.
Advancement
Environmental engineering technologists and technicians usually begin work as trainees in entry-level positions and are supervised by an environmental engineer or experienced technician. As they gain experience, technologists and technicians take on more responsibility. Some advance to become senior environmental technologists and technicians or lead environmental technologists and technicians, functioning as supervisors onsite.
Technicians with a bachelor’s degree may advance to become environmental engineers.
Environmental engineering technicians typically have an interest in the Building, Thinking and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Building interest area indicates a focus on working with tools and machines, and making or fixing practical things. The Thinking interest area indicates a focus on researching, investigating, and increasing the understanding of natural laws. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.
If you are not sure whether you have a Building or Thinking or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as an environmental engineering technician, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Environmental engineering technicians should also possess the following specific qualities:
Critical-thinking skills. Environmental engineers rely on environmental engineering technicians to help identify problems and their solutions and to implement the engineers’ plans. To do these tasks, technicians must be able to think critically and logically.
Listening skills. Environmental engineering technicians must be able to listen carefully to the instructions that engineers give them.
Observational skills. Environmental engineering technicians are the eyes and ears of environmental engineers and must assume responsibility for properly evaluating situations onsite. These technicians must be able to recognize problems so that the environmental engineers are informed as quickly as possible.
Reading skills. Environmental engineering technicians must be able to read and understand legal and technical documents to ensure that regulatory requirements are being met.
The median annual wage for environmental engineering technologists and technicians was $48,390 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,870, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $84,740.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for environmental engineering technologists and technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Manufacturing | $61,260 |
| Government | 60,520 |
| Engineering services | 57,800 |
| Management, scientific, and technical consulting services | 47,690 |
| Waste management and remediation services | 37,700 |
Most environmental engineering technologists and technicians work full time and typically have regular hours. However, they must sometimes work irregular hours in order to monitor operations or contain a major environmental threat.
Employment of environmental engineering technologists and technicians is projected to grow 4 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 1,600 openings for environmental engineering technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Employment in this occupation is typically tied to projects created by environmental engineers. Growing concerns about pollution are leading to efforts to improve water and air quality and access to clean drinking water across the country, which is expected to create some demand for environmental engineering technologists and technicians over the projections decade.
For more information about accredited programs, visit
For more information about general engineering education and career resources, visit
Technology Student Association
For information about OSHA certification, visit
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration