HONORABLE MENTION WINNER, GRADES 9-12
Chandler Capozzi
Grade 9, St. Mary’s High School, Lynn
Careers In The Water and Wastewater Management Industries
When many young people are asked the question 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' a career in the water and wastewater management industry is not usually the first thing to pop into their minds. However, they could be headed towards a career in this industry without even knowing it. Jobs such as attorney, office manager, engineer, biologist, and so many more are all available in the water and wastewater industry. People with interests in sciences, law, business, security, technology, etc, could be working participants in the wastewater management business. There are so many interesting and unique jobs attainable in this field, and all of them are to make sure that the water we use and drink is safe and clean. A career in this field helps to maintain the health of numerous amounts of people, while also keeping our environment pure, and unpolluted.
If you have a passion for the protection of our environment, and the animals that live in it, then this field could be the right one for you. The people involved in this business work hard to clean water that has been affected by fuel spills and other types of contaminations, keep pollution rates low, and keep us and the animals living in those affected areas safe from infection. They provide us with clean, healthy water to drink, bathe, water lawns, flush toilets and perform other tasks that help us survive. Also, because of these water treatment programs we are providing ourselves with a better future. We do not live in filth, and we are protecting our local ponds, oceans, rivers, and other forms of water from contamination. Without wastewater treatment plants water would not be safely returned to communities for use, and those communities simply could not function properly. In places where water can not be properly treated, people and animals are often in extreme filth, dying of disease, and have no access to drinking water. This is just an example of how important this field of work is, and how much we depend on it for basic survival.
Another aspect of wastewater management is the jobs involved that are not obvious to people such as computer sciences. Wastewater management constantly relies on machines and computers to manage the machines that clean water and return it to the environment. They produce progress reports, analyze water cleanliness, and help to make decisions on the process.
They also create and update websites to keep everyone informed and educated on the processes occurring. People who are good with computers and analytical skills could succeed very well in this field and playa very large role in it as well. Anyone interested in biological sciences, and chemistry would playa huge part in this career because they could make educated decisions about the process of the water treatment. People involved in public relations and planning could also do so much for this field, as they inform the general public on their programs, and plan meetings and gatherings that inform all water management workers of their progress, shortcomings, and future changes. If you have gone to a technical institute during high school or college, and are interested in being a electrician, or engineer than you constantly build and repair new structures to make this entire field a more efficient and better process. You may determine new ways to have a more positive effect on the environment and make water ways and the machines used faster and cleaner than ever before so as to serve and protect so many more people! Financial planners are also necessary people in this industry as they stick to a logical budget and use it in the best way possible so there are not so many chances of failure, or shortcomings happening. Plumbers are an obvious requirement in this industry because problems do occur in the pipes that have to be taken care of to keep the process running smoothly, such as clogs and broken pipes. Every company or business is always going to be in need of a lawyer, incase lawsuits come about, and this produces an excellent career opportunity for those people who have gone to school to study law.
As you can see there are so many career opportunities in wastewater management, and most, people do not even think of because of their behind the scene nature. Working in water and wastewater management provides us with a better and brighter future, maintains our survival, and contributes to the salvation of our environment which is a huge issue today. The youth of today should look more closely at these wonderful career opportunities, because there really are so many amazing jobs that have a positive effect on our lives today, and the lives of the future.
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