Are you a chemist looking for a non-traditional career?

We may have the answer.

Consider Environmental Consulting

Chemists who are having trouble establishing themselves on a traditional career path or simply can’t find work out of college should consider an alternative career as an environmental compliance consultant.

Environmental regulations continue to grow with each passing year, placing businesses under increasing scrutiny and requiring many of them to seek out the advice of qualified experts to avoid potential liability issues.

Environmental consulting provides a wonderful opportunity for the chemist who is driven and courageous enough to pursue an alternative path.

As a chemist, you’re uniquely qualified to analyze business practices and produce required annual reports to government bodies on behalf of businesses.

After all, chemists have an excellent understanding of which chemicals can be the greatest potential hazards for the environment, leading to fines and other actions taken against businesses and principal owners.

As such, companies both large and small are more than happy to hire professional chemists to consult them.

The pay can be excellent as well since business managers view your work as more of an investment to protect assets than as an expenditure.

How To Become An Environmental Consultant?

This can take years to accomplish, as the initial projects will be small since many companies don’t want to take the risk of having an inexperienced consultant make a costly error.

One of the ways to bolster your credentials is by earning various environmental consulting certifications. These are offered in a wide range of areas, including certifications for asbestos, lead paint, indoor, and air quality permitting.

By completing such a course, you will be able to better educate yourself on the applicable federal and state laws that must be followed in the course of running a business.

Consulting is a very challenging line of work.

Since one major error is often enough to ruin a career, it is essential that the chemist takes the time to learn all federal regulations that apply to a particular industry in which they specialize.

This will help them to ensure that all proper steps are taken during an audit and that everything, including any possible problems, are accounted for to both the business and the government.

There is no better way to get a footing in a new career path than to prove yourself to be a qualified consultant who can be trusted to complete thorough reports for companies.

These companies are relying on chemists to save them from being subjected to lawsuits and civil actions in the event that violations are later discovered to have occurred.

Because of this, they demand only the best.

As such, you must project a professional image at all times and be willing to prove your knowledge of regulations and laws on demand.

While environmental compliance is consulting is often a demanding career choice, it can be both challenging and enriching at the same time.

For the majority of chemists who don’t want to spend their days being a corporate drone, such a career may be the best choice after all.

Let’s Take This Over To You …

Have you considered a career in environmental consulting?

Join the discussion over on our LinkedIn page …

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Image Credit: Team (CC)