Where to work?
Working in Soil Science has many different employment choices, no matter what education level that you have. People who have studied soil can get jobs through the government, industry, nonprofits, and universities to name a few options.
Government- potential employers include the US Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources, The Environmental Protection Agency, The Bureau of Land Management, NASA, and the Army Corps of Engineers to name a few national employers. There are also state, county, and regional commissions that need the skills and expertice that people who study soils have.
Industry- there are many different industry jobs that are available to somebody who understands soils. These careers can be in research and development, consulting, sales, and many other venues. These include large, multinational agricultural corporations, like Monsanto, Syngenta, or Cargill, petrolium and oil companies, large and small environmental and agricultural consulting firms, construction companies, landscape design firms, family and corporate farms, down to the small city and county coops.
Universities- People who understand soils are needed to teach soils to the next generation and to research and share new solutions for farmers. Most states have at least one university that hires soil scientists as teachers, researchers, and extension agents. Extension agents are teachers that work outside of traditional classrooms with all backgrounds of people, teaching them about a wide variety of subjects.
Nonprofits - Not for profit organizations exist for educational or charitable reasons. They can be either environmental or agricultural in nature, and often involve community and outreach activities. Nonprofits can be big, like Greenpeace or the Sierra Club, or small, like local or regional water conservancies, nature centers, community gardens, urban farms, and wildlife preserves. These agencies need soil scientists to help educate and manage their various projects.
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