A wastewater engineer is a civil engineer who has professionally specialized in the planning and management of wastewater treatment plants. A wastewater treatment engineer is required to make important decisions under the government guidelines and technical advice relating to the efficient disposal of waste water. He will be in charge of ensuring that the water treatment plant operates efficiently and optimally and is in conformity with government safety guidelines.
A waste water engineer essentially deals with the design and management of wastewater treatment plants. His concern is to look into the technical aspects of waste water treatment and disposal that conform to government guidelines and client proposals. Keeping abreast with the latest waste treatment equipments, ensuring proper clean up of chemical wastes, and curtailing the spread of fatal water diseases also falls under the responsibilities of a waste water treatment engineer.
A Bachelor's Degree in Civil engineering, preferably with a specialization in a field closely related to water resource engineering is the basic minimum qualification required. A specialized course will help in dealing with the highly technical nature of wastewater treatment projects. For example, a Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering will be highly valuable in handling such projects.
Specialized courses dealing with water treatment issues will also add credibility to the individual's qualifications and may help in dealing with related problems.
Today, most corporations are seeking engineers with post graduation degrees, and hence, a Master's degree has become more or less mandatory.
Membership with a professional organization that deals with waste water management will be very helpful in garnering the needed work experience in the field. A work experience in the waste treatment field will be invaluable to the future prospects of the individual in the sector. This will provide a credible work experience background so as to get started independently.
Technical skills pertaining to civil engineering are the basic requirements. Higher positions in waste treatment companies will also demand special skills relating to computer proficiency, etc. Leadership qualities are of the utmost importance in managing work teams on crucial projects. Dealing with junior staff and efficiently delivering on projects is a challenging task faced by many top-ranked engineers. Since the performance and results depend on good team management, the importance of qualities like team building and leadership cannot be underestimated. Good oratory and communication skills are also required for making presentations and holding conferences. It will also be required in dealing with clients and technicians.
Special courses on related subjects such as power generation and waste management, along with work experience in the same will help in keeping oneself and the team abreast with the latest advancements in the technology market. Such courses will also be very helpful in dealing with problems of a related nature.
It is valuable if the engineer has been a working member of a professional society, since it brings credible recognition as a professional expert.
Waste management jobs may not seem appealing but are highly important to the maintenance and functioning of the city. Careers in this field may revolve around field jobs or corporate positions, usually depending upon the engineer's qualifications. The jobs may range from landfill jobs to recycling ones, to dealing with sewage treatment.
Waste water treatment jobs are well paid depending upon the organizational positions. One can earn up to $81,000 annually. A good qualification and work experience can guarantee a lucrative career in waste water management.
Today, no city can function smoothly without an appropriate waste treatment mechanism in place. Unlike in the villages, where domestic waste is converted to bio fuels, urban wastes include huge levels of toxic poisons which must be necessarily treated. Thus, waste water management assumes great importance in the area of city planning. Credit goes to waste treatment professionals who take up the intimidating job of keeping towns and cities clean and free of toxic materials.
