Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Apply theory and principles of environmental engineering to modify, test, and operate equipment and devices used in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental problems, including waste treatment and site remediation, under the direction of engineering staff or scientists. May assist in the development of environmental remediation devices.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Speaking
- Science
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key knowledge
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Chemistry
- Mechanical
- Physics
- Public Safety and Security
What the work involves
- Receive, set up, test, or decontaminate equipment.
- Maintain project logbook records or computer program files.
- Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
- Inspect facilities to monitor compliance with regulations governing substances, such as asbestos, lead, or wastewater.
- Assist in the cleanup of hazardous material spills.
- Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water.
- Prepare and package environmental samples for shipping or testing.
- Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree (67.3% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (24.2%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (31.4%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Higher on contact with others than 53% of occupations compared | 60% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Moderate | Higher on dealing with the public than 55% of occupations compared | 34% of surveyed respondents chose “Important” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 74% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 86% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 76% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | Moderate | Lower on conflict situations than 55% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 63% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Moderate | Lower on consequence of error than 51% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: moderate
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: moderate
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0.83%
- Occasional contact with others: 1.26%
- Contact with others about half the time: 13.39%
- Contact with others most of the time: 24.43%
- Constant contact with others: 60.09%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 5.57%
- Fairly important: 11.5%
- Important: 33.99%
- Very important: 18.38%
- Extremely important: 30.56%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0.83%
- Fairly important: 10.51%
- Important: 22.06%
- Very important: 25.57%
- Extremely important: 41.03%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 9.04%
- Very little freedom: 9.04%
- Limited freedom: 28.92%
- Some freedom: 21.6%
- A lot of freedom: 31.41%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 1.83%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 56.77%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 30.75%
- Every day: 10.65%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
Conflict situations
- Never: 5.8%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 29.83%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 47.29%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 16.6%
- Every day: 0.49%
n = 33, Incumbent 07/2014
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 3.35%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 57.05%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 25.21%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 9.19%
- Every day: 5.19%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 14.6%
- Fairly serious: 35.84%
- Serious: 3.78%
- Very serious: 31.05%
- Extremely serious: 14.73%
n = 34, Incumbent 07/2014
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O*NET-SOC 17-3025.00 · SOC 17-3025 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8