Vanessa Rogers, ECU Environmental Science graduate.
Vanessa graduated from ECU with a Bachelor of Environmental Science and an Honours degree in Environmental Management.
After graduating, she was presented with multiple job offers in locations across Australia. She credits this to the professional contacts she made during her time at ECU, as well as the excellent knowledge base she gained as a student.
Vanessa started her career with an Environmental Consultancy called Astron, based in Perth but working mainly out of Newman and Karratha.
Since then, she's worked for an Environmental Consultancy in the US state of Utah, identifying and delineating wetlands and streams and managing groundwater and soil contamination clean-up.
She's also worked with the US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources doing water quality analysis and advising on water quality standards and regulations.
Vanessa is currently working as NEPA Director at Hamer Environmental, a consultancy group providing environmental consultancy, project management and technical services in the Greater Seattle area in Washington State USA.
Getting world ready at ECU
Vanessa credits her ability to excel in different environmental science disciplines to the breadth of units she studied during her degree.
She says, "there isn't a single unit I completed at ECU during my undergrad which hasn't been valuable to me in some way throughout my professional career. I've worked in Australia, the United States and the Caribbean in many environmental management roles."
The environmental job market was, and continues to be, exceptionally competitive, and she believes that the opportunities to build contacts while studying was an excellent way to kick-start her career.
Her advice for prospective students?
"Environmental Science is an incredibly competitive, but also rewarding career path. Be utterly relentless in the pursuit of real-world experience while working on your degree."
Vanessa also recommends you keep an open mind about the path your career may take, jump on all opportunities as they are presented to you, and be proactive about forming networks and contacts with like-minded professionals.
Great advice from someone who knows how to create the right environment for a successful career!
