Career switch to different field 1

[ekolog16]

I've been working for several years in environmental consulting, mostly site characterization and remediation. I have a BS in ChE and MS in EnvE and I enjoy the work but I feel the engineering is marginal and am uncertain of the outlook (fewer contaminated sites). I want to switch to water&wastewater treatment but I'm not sure if I can do this in this job market. I had the good fortune to work with water treatment while abroad and loved it but couldn't find work in the field when I returned.

Would this be a difficult transition? Is it common to switch fields in engineering after several years in another? I feel slightly guilty when I already have a job and unemployment is so high.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ron]

The transition won't be difficult from an engineering standpoint; however, you have at least two things to consider....(1) You will be dealing with approving agencies so there's a fair amount of regulatory stuff you'll have to deal with...even more than in the environmental field. (2) Almost everything you'll deal with will require licensing. If you are already licensed as a professional engineer, then it won't likely be big issue. If not, you'll need to become licensed, typically in the Civil Engineering discipline.

Good luck.
Ron