Sara Jones
B.A. Geology, 2007
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences,
Saint Louis University

Environmental Scientist for
SAIC, Engineering and Infrastructure Division,
St. Louis

 
What's your job like? "I am an Environmental Scientist with a company that works on government contract jobs as well as contracts for oil companies.  I mostly work on remediation projects and collect surface water/groundwater/sediment/soil samples for the testing of analytes. I also collect air samples for analysis of particulates.  When I am in the office, I process the field data and enter it into programs such as CAD and GIS."

What do you like about your job? "What I love about my job is that I do not do the same thing all the time, I am learning something new everyday and have a good balance of office work and fieldwork. I love the fact that I am in a nurturing office where advancement and learning is always attainable if you are willing to work for it.  I work with people from varied scientific backgrounds and no one is afraid to ask questions or ask for help."

Any advice for current undergraduates? "My advice to undergrads is not to get discouraged. You know you love your field of study and if you have that passion, everything will fall into place.  Have faith in yourself, work hard and keep that goal in mind.  It may be a hard path to follow at times and an end may never seem in sight, but when it is all said and done and you can settle into a career that you are passionate about everything will be worth it."