Environmental Technician - Simon Cole

Name: Simon Cole
Age: 22
Job title: Environmental Technician

Why did you choose this career?

I’ve always been interested in nature. When I’m out and about I find the local wildlife invigorating, but it is the relationship between these and factors such as geography or soil-type that  I find most interesting. You look for links like that in the environment to tell you more about what might be there. In my job I use this understanding to make sure that developments have a minimal effect on the environment.

What do you do day-to-day?

For at least a day a week I go water sampling. This usually involves scrambling down a remote ravine in the Snowdonia National Park. Next I analyse the samples in a small chemistry laboratory. Another day, I might have to conduct an ecological survey, this is at night for bats and newts. We often have to access remote and hazardous places so this job is not for the faint-hearted! I have had to abseil into abandoned bomb factories to lay reptile traps. For a couple of days I get a reprieve and work in the office, writing-up reports and mapping-out environmental features.

What advice would you give prospective students?

Get a degree! Employers will always choose people with familiar qualifications to their own. You need a big university that can teach you from a range of departments. For that reason I would avoid environmental courses based in un-related departments (i.e. Schools of Marine Biology). Go for the biggest Environmental Departments in the country and then look for a course. If you want a specific Ecology career then this degree will be better than “Environmental Science”, with which you would need postgraduate qualification to progress.

Good bits about your job?

I am always on the road and in a way it suits my lifestyle.
I get to see some amazing places and sights right across Snowdonia.
I also benefit from being in the public sector where there is more job assurance, flexible working hours and you feel like you are helping people, or at least the environment in a way that will benefit everyone. People do not realise it, but where you see traffic cones on the road, these improvements ultimately save lives.

What are your plans for the future?

I am studying Environmental Law by Distance Learning and anticipate being able to use my knowledge to enforce greater environmental commitments on construction sites. This does not mean just protecting the newts, but also stopping stream pollution from poisoning the surrounding residents, and similar things like that.
In the long-term I would like to remove farmland and return it to a more natural state of wild forest, although I must admit, I have no idea how to do that yet!