Careers & Alumni

With a strong foundation in science, analysis, and communications, you’ll be highly prepared for your future.

Some ESM alumni have gone on to graduate school. Others are making a difference across a wide range of careers as a wilderness planner for Olympic National Park, a GIS (geographic information system) technician for the Yurok Tribe, and an environmental analyst for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

No matter your path, you’ll leave the program ready to succeed.

Related Job Titles

The following list is not meant to be all inclusive; many other job alternatives and titles may exist. Some require further education. As an ESM major, careers could reach across other concentration areas; refer to those career guides.

Air Quality Specialist Biological Science Technician
Climate Change Specialist
Coastal Restoration Assistant
Coastal Program Analyst
Conservation Corps Director
Climatologist
Ecologist
EcoTourism Manager
Energy Analyst
Energy Auditor
Energy Manager
Environmental Analyst
Environmental Assessment
Environmental Auditor
Environmental Communicator
Environmental Mgmt. Consultant
Environmental Health Sanitarian
Environmental Lawyer
Environmental Protection Spec.
Environmental Scientist
Environmental Services Advisor
Field Director
Geospatial Coordinator
GIS Application Specialist
GIS Coordinator
GIS Developer
GIS Manager
GIS Technical Architect
Habitat Restoration Specialist
Hazardous Materials Specialist
Hunting/Fishing Guide
Land Management Supervisor
Natural Resource Specialist
Nature Writer
Park Technician/Aid
Park Naturalist
Park Ranger
Pollution Control Technologist
Project Planning:
  • Planning Engineer
  • City/County
  • Environmental
  • Recreational
  • Tribal
  • Transportation
  • Water Quality
Recreation Specialist
Remote Sensing Technologist
Resource Management Spec.
Rangeland Mgmt Specialist
Soil Conservationist
Soil Scientist
Spatial Ecologist
Spatial Modeler
Sustainability Manager
Technical Writer
Water Resource Analyst
Watershed Technician
 
 
 

Marketable Skills

Communication

  • Written and Oral Presentation Skills
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Program Management and Implementation
  • Communicating Scientific Concepts

Lab-Based Skills

  • General laboratory skills
  • Field-based Research and Testing

Sustainability

  • Understanding of Sustainability Practices
  • Implementation of Sustainable Policies/Methods
  • Management of Natural Resources and Ecosystems

Analytical and Investigative Skills

  • Analyze Human Interactions and Natural Environment
  • Conducting Field Studies
  • Sampling and Surveying
  • Policy Analysis

Planning/GIS/Remote Sensing

  • Resource Management
  • Principles of Urban and Regional Planning
  • Mapping and GIS skills
  • Geospatial Analysis
  • Environmental Impact Assessment

Meet our Alumni

Class of 2014

Daniel White

Geologist,
Bureau of Land Management

Class of 2018

Andrew Dobbs

Peace Officer - Ranger,
California State Parks

Class of 2016

Ian O’Brien

Leadership and Trips Director,
YMCA of the Rockies

Class of 2015

Julia Clark

Spatial Consultant,
GHD

Class of 2011

Tyler Compton

Interpretive Ranger,
Olympic National Park

Class of 2013

Kerry McNamee

Projects & Stewardship Director,
Northcoast Regional Land Trust

View all Alumni Profiles

  Alumni Updates

Our grads are doing great things.

Aaron Jensen Murphy, 2017
Submitted: September 14, 2024
After graduating, Aaron worked on campus for Facilities Management as a groundsworker. In 2021, he moved from Arcata to Salt Lake City, Utah, to work as a Senior Natural Resource Technician for the Salt Lake City Public Lands Department. For the last two years, Aaron has worked for Salt Lake...
Natalie Burghardt, 2020
Submitted: December 1, 2023
Jesse Bobrow and Natalie Burghardt are engaged! They both attended Humboldt State University from 2017-2020. 
Adam Cashman, 2021
Submitted: August 21, 2023
Adam Cashman is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. Cashman wanted to travel to a different country and work in a different ecosystem and hoped to learn more about agriculture, restoration in...
Aydee Zielke, 2008
Submitted: June 14, 2021
Aydee recently obtained her dream job, joining the San Dieguito River Park JPA, taking on the role as the the Park Environmental Planner. Her work includes habitat conservation, preservation, planning, permitting, and mitigation for trails and parkland. She is also using her cartography skills...
Patrick Murphy, 2013
Submitted: December 15, 2020
Patrick Murphy has been working for the Orange County Water District for the past 6 years. His job consists of water quality monitoring through the sampling and water quality data analysis of many groundwater and surface water sites. Murphy has also recently obtained a MS in Environmental...
More Updates »