Life After Eckerd: Now What? Scott M. Deitche (’94) Environmental Specialist II Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management

What Is Next? Graduate School Or Work?

Benefits of Graduate School Develop specialized skills; Responsibility; Research; Specialized education; and Higher paying jobs!

Primary Career Paths  Academia – I will not be addressing this.  Government – Federal, State/Regional, and Local Agencies.  Industry - Oil Companies, Electric Utilities, etc.  Consulting- Engineering and Ecological Firms.

Opportunities in Government  Federal Agencies  US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE)  US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)  National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  US Geological Survey (USGS)  Office of Naval Research

Federal Agencies  US EPA  NPDES – stormwater  EMAP – monitoring design, statistics  NEP – watershed management  US ACOE  Wetland Regulation & Permitting  Dredging and Navigation  Ecosystem Restoration (Everglades)

Federal Agencies  US FWS  Natural Resources Inventories (GIS)  Habitat Conservation Plans  Protective Species Management  NOAA  Marine Mammal Protection  Natural Resource Damage Assessment  Atmospheric/Oceanic Modeling & Meteorology

Federal Agencies  USGS  Water Resources  Coastal Geology & Beach Erosion  Water Quantity & Quality Monitoring  Hydrological Restoration  Office of Naval Research  Oceanographic Investigations  Military Applications

Opportunities in Government  State & Regional Agencies (Florida)  Florida Department of Environmental Protection  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission  Water Management Districts  Regional Planning Councils  Department of Transportation  Department of Health

State and Regional Agencies (Florida)  FDEP  Regulatory Programs  Water Resource Management  Wetland Regulation & Permitting  Watershed Management  Integrated Water Resources Monitoring (IWRM)  Air Resource Management  Waste Management  Office of Beaches & Coastal Systems

State and Regional Agencies (Florida)  FDEP  Lands and Recreation  State Lands  Recreation and Parks  Greenways and Trails  Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas  Planning and Management  Resource Assessment and Management

State and Regional Agencies (Florida)  FWCC  Habitat Conservation Plans  Protected Species Management  Game and Sport Fish Management  Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI)  Eckerd “post-grad”  Marine Resource Monitoring & Management  Applied Scientific Investigations  < 10 minutes away!!!

State and Regional Agencies (Florida)  Water Management Districts (SWFWMD)  Resource Management  SWIM Program (Tampa)  Habitat Restoration  Watershed Management Planning  Water Supply Development  Resource Regulation  Wetland Regulation and Permitting  Stormwater Management

State and Regional Agencies (Florida)  Department of Community Affairs  Resource Management Plans  Land Use & Growth Management  Regional Planning Councils  Resource Management Plans  Development of Regional Impact Review  DOT  Wetland Regulation and Permitting  DOH  Water Quality Monitoring

Local Government Programs  County Programs  Pinellas County DEM  Water Resource Management  Pollution Prevention  Lands Management  Codes Enforcement  Air Quality  Environmental Support Services  Water and Navigation  Pinellas County Public Works  Surface Water Engineering

Local Government Programs  County Programs  Hillsborough County EPC  Water Quality Monitoring  Environmental Lab Services  Benthic Community Analysis Section  Industrial and Domestic Waste Permitting  Jurisdictional Wetland Delineation & Permitting

Local Government Programs  City & Municipal Programs  City of Tampa Bay Study Group  Water Quality Monitoring  Seagrass Monitoring  Phytoplankton Taxonomy  Point Source Permit Compliance Monitoring  Public Works, Utilities, Planning, etc.

Opportunities in Industry  Oil Companies  Oil and Gas Exploration  Geological Backgrounds are preferred  Employment is Cyclical  Electric Utilities  Focus is on Regulatory Compliace  Wetland Permitting for Transmission Lines  NPDES – Discharge Permitting  Biological Backgrounds Preferred

Opportunities in Industry  Mining Companies - Phosphate  Focus is on Land Reclamation & Wetland Restoration  Geological and Biological Backgrounds are preferred  Employment is VERY Cyclical  Insurance Companies  Focus is Natural Resource Damage Assessment  Biological Backgrounds Preferred

Opportunities in Consulting  Engineering & Ecological Consulting Firms  Regulatory Compliance & Resource Management  Wetlands Mitigation and Restoration  Threatened & Endangered Species Protection  Watershed Management Planning  Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling  Water Resource Development and Management  Biological Backgrounds Typically Preferred

Engineering & Ecological Consulting Firms  Provide Technical Services for a Variety of Clients  Public Sector – Federal, State, and Local Agencies  Private Sector – Industries, Businesses, Developers  Competitive – Marketing is a Major Aspect of the Job  Very Diverse Range of Projects & Assignments  Substantial Interaction with Engineers & Other Technical Professionals

Career Path Comparisons  Government Employment  High Job Security  Low Compensation – Salary Only  Reduced Job Stress  Low Job Diversity  Low to Moderate Travel  Low to Moderate Advancement

Career Path Comparisons  Industry Employment  Low Job Security – VERY Cyclical  High Compensation – Salary + Bonus + Stock  Moderate to High Job Stress (Lack of Security)  Low to Moderate Job Diversity  Moderate to High Travel  Moderate to High Advancement

Career Path Comparisons  Consulting Employment  Moderate Job Security  High Compensation – Salary + Bonus + Stock  High Job Stress – Very Competitive  High Job Diversity  High Travel  Moderate to High Advancement

Other Career Opportunities  Non-Profit Environmental Organizations  Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, etc.  Tampa Baywatch  Focus is Political Activism, Lobbying, etc.  Biological Background Preferred  Law Firms  Requires a Law Degree or Paralegal Training  Focus is Land Use, Environmental, Maritime Law  Technical Background is of Secondary Importance

How to Get There  Internships  Volunteer  Part-Time Employment  What is Happening Around You?  Get Involved!!  Network

How I Got Here  Eckerd College Class of 1994  Aquarist- Jenkinson’s Aquarium- Pt. Pleasant, NJ  FMRI – Research Staff/Biosampler  FMRI- Biological Scientist August NMFS Headboat Sampler  Pinellas County DEM- Environmental Specialist 1- August April 06  Pinellas County DEM- Environmental Specialist 2- current

Water Quality Sampling

Seagrass Monitoring

NPDES/ Stormwater Enforcement

Education

Project Management

What Would I have Done Differently  Interned or Volunteered Early – Experience, Experience, Experience!!  Networked more  Taken grad classes sooner after graduation  Better grades!

Questions? Scott M. Deitche Pinellas County DEM Water Resources 300 South Garden Avenue Clearwater, FL (727) nment