Imagine working as a licensed professional geotechnical engineer at a firm specializing in pile load testing and deep foundation engineering. You and your team, consisting of other engineers and technicians, are tasked with developing sustainable designs for a deep foundation project within an industrial complex. The project is a multi-year commitment, integrating innovative pile testing technologies with proven engineering design principles.
The objective is to ensure the foundation's sustainability and durability, addressing the environmental and technical challenges of constructing on varied geological terrains. As the project progresses, you encounter a complex problem: the site's unique soil composition threatens the stability of traditional foundation designs.
Leveraging your expertise and collaborative efforts, the team adopts a solution-oriented approach. You incorporate advanced geotechnical analysis and sustainable construction materials to redesign the foundation system. This adjustment mitigates the initial risks and enhances the project's environmental footprint.
The successful application of these innovative and sustainable engineering solutions underlines the project's significance, demonstrating how to overcome technical challenges with teamwork, expertise, and a commitment to sustainability. This experience affirms the vital role of geotechnical engineers in developing resilient and environmentally responsible infrastructure, showcasing the profession's contribution to sustainable development.
Job duties vary from one position to the next, but in general, geotechnical engineers are involved in the following activities:
If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, the following programs are most applicable.
In most cases, the minimum education requirement to work as an environmental geophysicist is a graduate degree. Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in fields related to environmental geophysics can enhance your expertise, career prospects, and ability to contribute to the field. These advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge and skills highly valued in both the professional and academic worlds.
In many provinces, geophysicists must obtain registration and licensure with their provincial association as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.). The certification process for geophysicists is similar to that of engineering professions and is typically overseen by the same regulatory body.
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As key executive leaders who shape their company’s sustainability policy, CSOs work in many different types of organizations. Common employers of CSOs include:
Search for jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.
If you are a post-secondary student seeking a CSO role in the future, consider pursuing a university degree related to:
In addition to the educational fields mentioned above, you will also need extensive management experience to become a CSO, with well-developed human resources management and leadership skills. Consider educational seminars or post-graduate studies that will hone your analytical thinking, such as:
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
A geotechnical engineer specializes in understanding the earth's materials, particularly soil and rock, and their interactions with structures built upon or within them. This occupation assesses and manages construction projects, ensuring they are safe, sustainable, and minimally invasive to natural landscapes.
Geotechnical engineers are critical in preventing environmental degradation and promoting ecological balance by analyzing soil stability, groundwater flow, and the risk of landslides or erosion. Their expertise guides the design of foundations, retaining walls, and other critical infrastructure, incorporating sustainability into engineering solutions to reduce carbon footprints, manage waste, and conserve resources.
Economically, geotechnical engineers enhance the durability and lifespan of structures, minimizing expensive repairs and reconstruction. Socially, their efforts bolster public safety and resilience to natural disasters, thereby improving community welfare.
Geotechnical engineering embodies an environmental role by combining principles of environmental science with engineering practices to protect and preserve the earth's resources while meeting human needs, making it an essential profession in pursuing sustainable development.
Marine geologists are classified into the following occupational grouping:
NOC Code: 21102 – Geoscientists and oceanographers
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers, and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data and describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
See ECO’s Blue National Occupational Standard for a career competency profile for a marine geologist that outlines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for individuals to perform effectively in this particular role. This profile is a benchmark for training and development, ensuring consistency and quality across professions within the blue economy.
Dans un esprit de respect, de réciprocité et de vérité, nous honorons et reconnaissons Moh’kinsstis, le territoire traditionnel du Traité 7 et les pratiques orales de la confédération des Pieds-Noirs : Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, ainsi que les nations Îyâxe Nakoda et Tsuut’ina. Nous reconnaissons que ce territoire abrite la Nation métisse de l’Alberta, la région 3 au sein de la patrie historique des Métis du Nord-Ouest. Enfin, nous reconnaissons toutes les nations qui vivent, travaillent et se divertissent sur ce territoire, et qui l’honorent et le célèbrent.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live, work, and gather on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy—comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations—as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina Nations.
This land, known as Moh’kinsstis in the Blackfoot language and encompassing what is now Districts 5 and 6, is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
We recognize and honour the deep connection these Nations have to the land, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share in its stewardship.
As we continue our work, we commit to learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, uplifting Indigenous voices, and fostering relationships rooted in equity, understanding, and reconciliation.
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Merci pour votre patience et compréhension pendant que nous finalisons la version améliorée du site.
We are working to launch the French site very soon!
Thank you for your patience while we finalize the new and improved version of our website.