Environmentalists are often referred to as “tree huggers,” “hippies” or always “going green.” But in today’s world, everyone is seen as an environmentalist, where more and more people are concerned with the future of our earth and the environment, it makes people more conscious and aware of their environmental impact and people using more eco-friendly products.
Environmental jobs are not just limited to recyclers and scientists; they also include jobs that improve an existing business’ environmental practices or based on the amount of money they put into your wallet. Some jobs include producing renewable energy, conserving resources, alleviating pollution and social sciences.
There are also environmental companies that go in and clean up contaminated soil and water, like Sevenson Environmental Services. When it comes to jobs and business opportunities, contractor companies have plenty of work to do when it comes to cleaning up environmental pollutants.
So, what are the top-paying environmental jobs? Here’s a list of six high-paying jobs, according to Investopedia, Green Business Women and Padosa. Take a look:
Venture Capitalist
Normally not a job you would consider to be environmentalist, but venture capitalists are responsible for obtaining venture capital for biofuels: an investment in green technology. Quite hard to make a great career with this unless you already have a foot in the door to begin with, but it’s well worth it. In this position you can make around $300,000-$400,000 annually.
Engineer
When you hear the term engineer you might just think of an electrical engineer or mechanical engineer or even a railroad engineer, but there are a variety of engineer jobs: materials, chemical, industrial and mechanical. Solar power engineers, for example, expand the solar marketplace by creating newer and better solar power collection and storage.
Depending on the type of field you go into, engineers make an annual salary of $65,000-$92,000.
Biochemist/Biophysicist
The gang from “The Big Bang Theory” are very familiar with this subject. Biochemists study the chemical process of living organism; biophysicists study the relationship between physics and natural organisms. If you have a job in this field you will be able to research the effects of environmental chemicals and pollutants to our heath and use that information to possibly find a cure to the negative side effects.
People in this field made an annual wage of around $86,580 in 2010.
Wind Turbine Technician
To break into the environmental field, a great start is this job. The demand for solar, wind, water and geothermal power sources will only continue to grow in the coming years, so you know you will have a job in the future. Wind turbine technicians make around $50,000 annually, not too shabby!
Physicist
In the environmental world, physicists work with a team of chemists, scientists and engineers to make sure that solar power energy work is being used in the best way possible. Physicists help improve solar panel technology by making it more efficient. In 2010 the median wage for physicists was $106,370.
Environmental Engineer Manager
Technology is expanding and growing rapidly so there is a high demand for environmental engineer managers. You need to be highly qualified for this position and be able to lead engineers and be approachable, friendly and firm. You can expect to make around $119,260 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By: Barbara Spinelliย
Barbara loves writing about the changing trends in business, finance and politics. She still likes to let her hair down though and enjoys a beer and tossing the pigskin with her son. Go Green Bay!
