Finding a Job in the Environmental Sciences
NOTE: This page contains employers that hire a range of majors in the environmental sciences. For field specialties (zoology, geology, botany, etc.) look at those pages as well.
Many jobs in environmental activism or environmental science are not advertised, because they are with small, private or public organizations. If you can build a relationship with these small groups, you can have a real advantage in applying for jobs.
Not only will fewer people will be competing with you, you will be a real person, not just a name on a piece of paper. You might find reading the networking and researching an employer quick guides helpful.
Tools for identifying employers of interest:
- Career Search
- Conservation Districts on the Web
- Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG)
- National List of Land Trusts
- Employer identification tool that lets you locate environmental employers by state (warning: popup ads)
- State Environmental Coalitions Index
Web sites that regularly post environmental jobs: (National Coverage)
- Student Conservation Association Internships (Paid & volunteer)
- The Society for Conservation Biology: Job Listings, Internship listings, graduate fellowships, and jobs at all levels (entry-level to PhD)
- Ecological Society of America
- North American Environmental Education Association
- The Orion Grassroots Network
- Green Business Jobs
- EnviroNetwork
- Environmental Jobs and Careers (contains popup ads)
- American Water Works Association: Jobs in Water Quality and Conservation
- Environmental careers
- Environmental Career Opportunities
- Renewable Energy Jobs
Web sites that regularly post environmental jobs: (MSU/Regional)
- MySpartanCareer (you will need a MSUNet ID to log in)
- The Illinois Natural History Survey hires several students each summer for research; some permanent hires
- Great Lakes Network Job listings
MSU Listservers that post environmental jobs:
International Listings:
- Earthworks Jobs
- Biology Jobs UK
- DevNetJobs (note: you do NOT need to purchase the membership to see the job postings)