In the Air Force:
Aerospace Medical Service; Aerospace Medical Service Craftsman; Aerospace Medical Service Helper, Flight and Operational Medical Technician; Aerospace Medical Service Journeyman, Neurodiagnostic Medical Technician; Bioenvironmental Engineer, Health Physics; Bioenvironmental Engineering Journeyman; Dental Assistant Helper; Emergency Management Helper; Health Services Management Craftsman, Health Information Technology; Public Health Craftsman
In the Army:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN); Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist; Environmental Science and Engineering; Food Safety Officer; Medical Service Corps Officer; Preventive Medicine Sciences; Preventive Medicine Specialist; Veterinary Biomedical Scientist; Veterinary Corps Officer
In the Coast Guard:
Health Services Technician; Marine Environmental Response; Marine Safety Specialist Engineer; Marine Safety Specialist Response; Marine Science Technician; Medical Administration Specialty; Safety and Environmental Health
In the Marine Corps:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Chief; Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Responder; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Specialist; Environmental Engineering Management Officer; Hazardous Material/Hazardous Waste (HM/HW) Officer; Hazardous Material/Hazardous Waste (HM/HW) Staff Noncommissioned Officer/Noncommissioned Officer
In the Navy:
Aerospace Physiologist; Disaster Preparedness Officer; Environmental Health Officer; Industrial Hygiene Officer; Preventive Medicine Officer (Aerospace); Preventive Medicine Officer (Public Health); RL - Special Duty Officer (Oceanography); Radiation Health Technician; Safety Engineer; Special Warfare Operator
Working to keep ecosystems safe and protect public health, environmental science and protection technicians observe the environment and investigate sources of pollution and contamination. In consulting firms, these technicians help their clients keep an eye on environmental impacts and comply with regulations. They develop cleanup plans for contaminated sites, and recommend ways to eliminate pollution. Government environmental science and protection technicians inspect businesses and public places, and follow up on environmental or health-related complaints. They may perform environmental impact studies of new construction, or evaluate sites that could contaminate the environment, such as abandoned factories. When employed by testing laboratories, technicians collect and track samples, and perform tests. They may also gather samples in the field. Fieldwork is often physically demanding, including long hours walking, carrying heavy equipment, and frequent bending and crouching to set up and monitor equipment. Protective gear such as hardhats and masks is required in some settings, and weather conditions can be difficult. Environmental science and protection technicians typically work full time. Travel to meet with clients or for fieldwork can require additional or irregular hours. Most jobs require an associate’s degree in environmental studies or a related technology, such as remote sensing or geographic information systems, although some positions require only high school, and others, a bachelor’s degree.
What they do:
Perform laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health, under the direction of an environmental scientist, engineer, or other specialist. May collect samples of gases, soil, water, and other materials for testing.
On the job, you would:
Discuss test results and analyses with customers.
Record test data and prepare reports, summaries, or charts that interpret test results.
Develop or implement programs for monitoring of environmental pollution or radiation.
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
biology
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Safety and Government
law and government
public safety and security
Business
customer service
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
reading work related information
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Verbal
listen and understand what people say
read and understand what is written
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems
Math
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Visual Understanding
quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things
People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Analytical Thinking
Initiative
Adaptability/Flexibility
You might use software like this on the job:
Geographic information system
ESRI ArcGIS software
ESRI ArcView
Video creation and editing software
YouTube
Analytical or scientific software
HEC-RAS
Visual OTTHYMO
bachelor's degree or associate's degree usually needed
In the military:
see titles from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy.
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