💡 Why it matters: Before a road, factory or pipeline is built, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is usually required to study the effects on air, water, land and communities. Consultants do these studies and suggest ways to reduce harm.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.5M – ₦3.5M
- Mid-career
- ₦4M – ₦10M
- Senior
- ₦10M – ₦25M
≈ ₦333k – ₦833k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Environmental scientists and specialists. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Visit project sites and take samples of air, water and soil
- Talk with communities about how they could be affected
- Write EIA reports for the regulator
- Suggest ways to reduce pollution and damage
- Monitor projects to make sure promises are kept
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Science knowledge
- Report writing
- Fieldwork
- Communication
- Attention to detail
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Join a consulting firm as a field assistant and train on the job
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Graduate roles at environmental consultancies
- Apprenticeship in environmental practitioner roles
🇺🇸 United States
- Internships with consulting firms or government agencies
- Start as an environmental technician
🇨🇦 Canada
- Co-op placements at consulting firms
- Field technician jobs then move up
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Chemistry, Biology and Geography in school
- 2Join a school environmental club and learn field skills
- 3Earn a degree in environmental science or management
- 4Work as a junior consultant in a firm that does EIAs
- 5Become a lead consultant or set up your own practice
⏰ A day in the life
You spend the morning at a proposed factory site collecting water samples from a nearby stream. In the afternoon you meet village leaders to hear their worries, then start writing the report.