Environmental Consultant Salary - Environmental Consultant Nova Environmental Employee Review

Friendly small company, good starting position

low pay, no room for upward momentum

1) Very high level of independence - once you finish training, you are placed onto (typically) your own project site and are responsible for making sure the project is completed on-time while following strict environmental regulations. You'll be on your own. Some interns were on their own for 2-3 weeks at a time. 2) Management is very helpful and helps you get your work done right. If you have any questions, ask them and you'll get the answers you need. 3) Your mileage and phone are paid for. You get time and a half once you go over 40 hours for the week. They also put you up in decent hotels if you accept to work a project more than a couple hours away. You can also almost always get more hours if you ask for it, even if you are over 40 hours a week. 4) You get a load of good experience. It doesn't matter if you are going into environmental science, business, construction management, etc. You're going to increase your skills in problem-solving, communication, organization, project management, critical thinking, ethics, environmental awareness, etc. This is a full range job. You'll get your hands dirty, but you'll also play a major role in coordinating a complex project. You'll be observing samples under a microscope and doing scientific calculations, but you'll also be auditing the abatement contractors' work to make sure they are following the law and getting all of their work done. This is hands-down one of the most interesting jobs you'll work in your life. 5) Once you get the hang of it, you'll probably have plenty of downtime on your project. Since there is limited supervision, it is up to you to be responsible. As long as it doesn't affect the quality of your work, watching Netflix, YouTube, etc., is fine to pass the time.

1) The pay is pretty low for what you do. It's somewhat ok for a college kid, but it should be more. 2) Your work schedule fluctuates week to week. It varies on a project to project basis. For example, in the summer you could work anywhere in the range of 3-6 days a week for 8-12 hours a day starting at 7:00 - 8:00 AM. It's typically 4-5 days a week for 8-10 hours a day, but can increase or decrease depending on how the project is going. In the spring, you might be working a school project meaning that you'll work after school gets out for the day. Meaning you could work 8-12 hours a day 4-6 days a week starting around 4:00 - 5:00 PM. 3) Management doesn't actively offer personal/professional growth opportunities. For example, you might be interested in writing bid proposals for clients or getting certified for inspecting after being there for a few summers, but you won't get that opportunity unless you directly ask for it. 4) You'll be asking a lot of questions. Some project designers are better than others at giving you the details you need initially to successfully complete your project. 5) You'll be doing a lot of paperwork. It is kind of cool for the first couple of weeks, but then you'll realize that it's a pretty outdated and annoying process. Year-round full-time employees use laptops for recording information, but interns don't get that option. I ended up plugging the formulas you use on excel on my personal laptop to make the process way more efficient. 6) Some contractors you work with will be better than others. Some contractors will try to get away with stuff they shouldn't be doing. It's your responsibility to stand up to them and make sure they are following the laws and regulations. 7) Training in subsequent summers is limited unless you push for more. This can lead to you making mistakes on paperwork and samples, thus requiring you to redo some tedious work. 8) Management is extremely comfortable with how the business is doing. There seems to be a low desire for growth and expansion in new markets. Also- I did not see one additional person added to management in the few years I worked there.