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

2. What Is Next? Graduate School Or Work?

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

4. 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.

5. 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

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

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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!!!

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

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

28. How I Got Here  Eckerd College Class of 1994  Aquarist- Jenkinson’s Aquarium- Pt. Pleasant, NJ- 1993-1995  FMRI – Research Staff/Biosampler- 1995- 1998  FMRI- Biological Scientist- 1998-August 2001- NMFS Headboat Sampler  Pinellas County DEM- Environmental Specialist 1- August 2001- April 06  Pinellas County DEM- Environmental Specialist 2- current

29. Water Quality Sampling

30. Seagrass Monitoring

31. NPDES/ Stormwater Enforcement

32. Education

33. Project Management

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

35. Questions? Scott M. Deitche Pinellas County DEM Water Resources 300 South Garden Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 (727) 464-4425 sdeitche@pinellascounty.org http://www.pinellascounty.org/enviro nment