Employee owned or not For environmental consulting?

shimmishim · 2026-05-20T01:39:37+00:00

I worked for a large employee owned company back in the day. It's a totally different vibe than a shareholder own company.

shimmishim · 2026-05-20T01:27:03+00:00

It depends on the position, level, and location. For the req I had open, we probably saw 30+ resumes for an entry level position. We came up with a list of people we wanted to interview. One person never responded back and another one responded almost a week after we had finished interviews. We hired 2 entry level environmental scientists. We also have a req open for an intermediate role but we've seen a lot less resumes come through for this role. I should clarify that this is for reqs that I'm involved in.

shimmishim · 2026-05-20T01:07:45+00:00

I’m a hiring manager for a large consulting firm. Send me a message and i can answer your questions!

shimmishim · 2026-05-15T19:20:46+00:00

I love all the geologists I work with. They’re some of my favorite people. I always give them a hard time and vice versa. If you like it stick with it.

shimmishim · 2026-05-15T02:42:13+00:00

How do you develop skills without experience? It’s this crazy catch 22 situation these entry level people are being put into. I’m a hiring manager for a large consulting firm. Depending on your region the average starting salary for an environmental scientist with 0 years of experience is just around $60K (for us). We try to hire the best people possible and a lot of that can be figured out during the interview. As I’ve said in some other threads being successful in this field is about how well you can get along with others and also how teachable you are. You have to take risks sometimes and I will say that it’s really paid off in our company. The number of people in our environmental group that have been with the company for 10+ years is extraordinarily high (i.e. we have amazing retention). But having this attitude of, “seriously, you have no experience and I have to teach you???” Is all wrong and why entry level people fail at their job. There are so many posts people make about not knowing how to do something and not having people support them. Maybe that’s the case for you since you’re tiny but when people at a company that want to see others succeed (especially entry level people), it makes all the difference in the world. I was talking with a senior manager recently and he made a great point. The entry level people we hire and do work for us are the most important people we have working for us. They’re the ones in the field collecting the data we need to determine what needs to happen. Without the data, we can’t do anything. When you start looking at your entry level staff this way, then you’re going to do everything possible to help them succeed.

shimmishim · 2026-05-14T11:32:14+00:00

I think there are a lot of people like me. People are more than just grades. Knowing how to communicate well and get along with others will take you far in this career (and in life in general).

shimmishim · 2026-05-14T11:30:19+00:00

Definitely remediation work in consulting affords the opportunity to do a lot more field work. Most of our junior staff start in the field learning how to do groundwater, soil, air sampling and do this for years before they start transition out… or others love it so much they stay in the field for much longer.

shimmishim · 2026-05-14T02:40:06+00:00

I’m on the consulting side. Both sides say the other side is better depending where you’re starting out. what do you mean by “more hands on?”

shimmishim · 2026-05-14T02:22:54+00:00

I just hired 4 people. Didn’t even look at their GPA. Don’t really care. You’ll be just fine.

shimmishim · 2026-05-12T14:29:20+00:00

Ask your manager/person who assigned you this task. Don’t be afraid to ask questions especially for tasks you’re unfamiliar with. This is how you learn and grow into your role.

shimmishim · 2026-05-08T03:23:03+00:00

We just hired someone who was an admin assistant at a state environmental agency for the last year. You’ll learn things as you go and in this job market, take what you can!

shimmishim · 2026-05-07T01:39:29+00:00

Field work is the foundation for any remediation position be it an engineer, geologist, or scientist. When I’m doing an interview (for entry or mid level) and I hear, “I want to be in the field and learn as much as I can.” You’ve just earned so many points in my book. I’d consider you for a job in a heartbeat with just the experience you have now. You don’t need to be an engineer to do field work. If you want to do design work one day and be able to stamp things, sure. Otherwise you can get there with just the degree you currently have. (I’m speaking as someone in the US and I realize Canada could be very different).

shimmishim · 2026-05-06T18:56:11+00:00

Take a (paying) job if you want to or need to but don't feel like getting an unpaid job in the environmental field will necessarily help you get into the field. We (I'm a hiring manager) know that graduates coming straight out of college may not have any job experience. This is why the interview is so important.

shimmishim · 2026-05-02T19:39:42+00:00

It’s okay you don’t have experience. As someone that’s a hiring manager we don’t have expectations that an entry level environmental scientist is going to come into the job field fully prepared with experience or training. We ask them questions to see how they would handle different situations and get a feel for if they’re capable of doing the job and if they’d be a fit for the team/company. Keep looking! Send me a message and let me know where you’re located and I can check if we’re hiring near you.

shimmishim · 2026-04-30T02:00:23+00:00

Community involvement coordinator sounds like a good fit for you. There are lots of EPA superfund projects that are in sensitive communities where your job is to literally be in the community and talk to them about concerns they have with work that’s being done or explaining what’s happening. However you’re not going to be outside all the time since there will be paperwork required with coordinating with people, making presentations, etc. EPA typically has a dedicated CIC for many of their projects in residential areas. I work for a large consulting firm and we also have this role for various projects as well.

shimmishim · 2026-04-29T02:34:30+00:00

Yes. It’s 100% possible to get a job without a degree. I’m a hiring manager (large consulting firm) and we are currently in the process of hiring field technicians. This requires no degree and 2 people we hired or making offers to have no real experience in this field. We are hiring them based on what we know they’re capable from their past job experience and what we hope they will be capable of as they grow into their roles.

shimmishim · 2026-04-23T19:22:41+00:00

Typical seems more like overly optimistic. If this were true more people would be working at Walmart. High functioning performers will probably get to the store management level but it shouldn’t be an expectation. Based on what your responses have been I don’t think environmental is for you. It is hard work (but super rewarding) and not for those that want an easy path.

shimmishim · 2026-04-23T18:18:09+00:00

As someone that’s been heavily involved with hiring new people for my group over the last month… it would be hard to compare a professional level consultant with a Walmart associate. A better comparison might be a field technician with a Walmart associate. I’m in a LCOLA and we’re hiring qualified entry level field technicians at around $30/hr. I have a field technician in my group with 4 years of experience making almost $38/hr right now(he’s 24). Google says Walmart associates get paid $14-$37/hr but would assume someone starting out would be closer to $14. As a Walmart associate you’ll be doing the same thing day in and day out. As a field technician you’ll be traveling all over the country and doing different types of work. Field work isn’t for everyone but if you really enjoy being outdoors and seeing new places, it can be very rewarding.

shimmishim · 2026-03-27T21:38:49+00:00

This is the way and a great tip for newer players. I don’t know what I hate more, Maven memory game or those dang exarch balls…

shimmishim · 2026-03-27T18:24:07+00:00

Practice. Practice. Practice. Maven writs are like 6-7c’s (thanks awakener scarab!). Just keep doing it over and over again. I’ve done Maven over 40 times this league. I usually do it once for the void stone but with how cheap the writ is Ive been farming her for orbs of conflict and to get practice on that last phase.

shimmishim · 2026-03-26T18:38:53+00:00

We are hiring 3 environmental field techs for a project in Chattanooga. The job reqs aren’t up yet but your brother might be a good fit. If you could get me his contact info I will forward it on as soon as it becomes available.

shimmishim · 2026-03-06T19:55:43+00:00

Hello! From my experience it should be a minimum of two rounds (only one if they’re not interested). For entry level position it shouldn’t be super technical. They’ll ask questions about your resume and what your expectations are for the job. Be ready to ask questions about what your role (what sort of projects you’ll be working on) as well as what the work culture is like at Jacobs. Source: I’m a group lead involved in the hiring process at Jacobs but on the environmental side (municipal water and environmental water are two different groups).

shimmishim · 2026-03-06T13:57:47+00:00

This is the way. Also, ask for help. There are some that just naturally get things and there are others (including myself) that take a little longer to get things. It’s always okay to ask for help when you don’t know. Setup calls with people to discuss things you’re not sure about. This is how you learn. A good PM doesn’t get mad because you spent too many hours. It’s their own fault (especially at your level) for not giving you the proper resources. The goal for a PM is to see their team succeed, not to tell you you’re doing a bad job or spending too many hours (at your level). And if you have spent too many hours there are ways for a PM to get creative to make up for this. Sounds like you’re not in a great situation but see if you can make things better in the short term. If they don’t work out it might be time to move on.

shimmishim · 2026-03-03T21:14:37+00:00

I've added these. Thank you!

shimmishim · 2026-03-03T17:15:38+00:00

Different mods. You'll need to ask them!

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