Potential Careers

Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences academic programs are excellent preparation for careers that require strong scientific knowledge, mastery of hands-on management and research techniques, and the ability to work effectively with the public. Our students pursue a wide variety of careers.

Just a few of the career options available to our students include:

Career Resources

When it comes to finding a job, we have several resources available to students to ensure they are prepared for the job application process.

Campus Centers and Services

The University of Illinois Career Center offers a full range of programs, services, resources and counseling to assist all students and alumni of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, regardless of academic affiliation. The Career Center also runs the job posting platform Handshake @ Illinois, which can alert students when jobs pertaining to their field are posted.

ACES students can also take advantage of the College of ACES Career Services, which offers job search skills development as well as access to on-campus internship and full-time job interviews with companies recruiting on-campus. Career Services can also aid students applying to graduate programs.

In addition to the College of ACES Career Services, the University of Illinois also offers additional career services. You can learn about specific college offices, career readiness competencies, and how to articulate your experiences into valuable resume building content. For more information visit careerservices.illinois.edu.

Departmental Resources

Students in NRES can also have certain departmental resources available to them:

• The NRES Career Information Blog which is updated regularly with job and internship postings. We recommend students subscribe to the blog when job hunting to be sure they don’t miss a posting.
• NRES 108: Environmental Science and Natural Resource Careers is recommended for students as soon as they can fit it into their schedule. NRES students who have taken this class as seniors always talk about how helpful it was and how much they wish they had taken it earlier.
• The NRES @ Illinois group on LinkedIn is also an excellent resource to learn about potential careers and ask alumni career-related questions.
• Our IllinoisNRES Twitter account regularly posts news, jobs, and internship opportunities.

Professional Organizations

We Also recommend looking into the following professional organizations to grow your network:

Certification

Many careers in NRES-related fields have certification programs that enhance your credentials and impress employers. Many require a certain amount of post-education experience and continuing professional development. While you will not be able to attain many of these certifications with just your NRES coursework, you can choose coursework during your degree program that will provide you with the background you need to pursue certification after you have gained the necessary experience. You can find certification requirements for many professions linked below: