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Career Center (CC): What is your current position? What are your main job responsibilities?

Audrey Liu (AL): My job title is environmental protection specialist, and as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Intern Program participant, I will be doing rotations through the regional office in San Francisco for the next two years before being permanently placed in a division. I am currently on my first rotation in the Wetlands Regulatory Office.

My responsibilities include: reviewing and issuing Clean Water Act Water Quality Certifications, reviewing and commenting upon Public Notices for individual permit applications, assisting the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Wetlands Restoration Program, assisting with jurisdictional delineations in enforcement cases, reviewing state, tribal, and local wetland grants, assisting a senior scientist on staff who is writing a research paper on native fish ecology and conservation, and attending available training courses and regional informational meetings.

CC: What did you major in and do while a student at Cal?

AL: I majored in Environmental Sciences, receiving a BS from the College of Natural Resources. I minored in Music and spent a lot of time in rehearsals, so I wasn't active in any of the "green" movements/groups on campus. My senior project, "Restoration of a San Francisco Bay Salt Marsh: Evaluating Water Boatmen and Mosquito Populations," looked at the effect of levee breaching on a salt marsh in Fremont.

CC: Why did you major in ES?

AL: I was initially pre-med. Then I decided to re-evaluate what I wanted to pursue wholeheartedly, and recalled a research paper I had done my senior year of high school. I [had] developed a passion for water protection, specifically wetlands protection. Because ES is an all-encompassing, inter-disciplinary field, I was able to take different classes at Cal, from political ecology to aquatic ecology, from global problem solving to environmental health.

CC: What do you like about your work?

AL: I enjoy doing fieldwork every once in a while -- getting the opportunity to be outside of the office and enjoy the environment I'm helping to protect. I like the people I'm working with. They share the same passion I do for the environment, and they're all willing to help me grow and advance in this field. I also like the people that I work with outside of the agency, specifically people in the community or people in other agencies. It's nice to be able to see the effects of what you're doing and to know that the little things you do are making a difference.

It's a continuous learning process. I had interned for the EPA one summer and I was very impressed by the courses and training opportunities the agency makes available for employees to increase their awareness and knowledge of various issues/topics. I also hear that EPA senior staff is usually very supportive of employees who wish to pursue master's degrees, or even doctorates.

Another thing I like about the EPA is how easy it is to move within the regional office. There are many employees who have worked in several different offices, spending a good amount of time in each, and bringing their knowledge and experiences into the next office. You're not confined to one cubicle in one office for the rest of your EPA career. Impacts to the environment often times involve different media (water, air, soil, etc), and it's important to have basic knowledge about each medium and how solving a problem in one may have a negative impact on another.

CC: How did you learn of the job opening? What was the hiring process like?

AL: I initially applied for a position as an Environmental Protection Specialist, which was posted last Spring on CalJobs . Someone in their human resources office informed me of the EPA Intern Program (EIP) and forwarded the vacancy announcement to me. (The jobs section of the EPA website currently does not have any information about EIP.)

From the thousands of applications nationwide, about 60 of us were invited to Washington, DC for three days of individual and panel interviews with managers from headquarters and the different regional offices.

CC: Do you have any tips regarding what Cal students can do to prepare? Any suggestions for navigating the hiring process?

AL: I encourage students to do internships, either over the summer or during the year. One internship I did was through EPA's NNEMS (National Network for Environmental Management Studies) Program. I was offered an incredible stipend for 3 months over the summer, and it was an experience I don't think I could've gotten anywhere else. Of course an internship in any environmental organization would be beneficial, but an internship at the EPA would definitely help one see if the EPA's a place for him/her.

As for the hiring process, I think the important thing is to be persistent. There's a fine line between being persistent and being annoying, but I think, if one can find that balance, managers will see the motivation and desire that person possesses.

CC: Any other advice for students?

AL: Be open-minded when you're looking for a job, even if you think you have your field of choice narrowed down. I know people here who first started out doing one thing and never in a million years would have imagined themselves where they are now.

Be flexible. As long as you can get your foot inside the door, take advantage of that opportunity, even if it means you may have to do things that don't initially appeal to you or duties that you feel you're overqualified for. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it's a major plus when you're in an organization where you can move around easily, whether it's horizontally into a different section or vertically to a managerial position.

Get to know your professors. I know it's practically impossible to get to know professors in lower division courses, and while I was an undergrad, I dreaded the thought of having to get recommendations for jobs and graduate schools. But once I started taking upper division courses, it was a lot easier to meet with professors and be genuinely interested in not only what they were teaching, but their research as well. Go to office hours and see if you click with the professor. I was able to build a rapport with only two or three professors, but those connections will last a lifetime. It's always nice to have someone you can run to for a recommendation, especially someone who knows you well and wouldn't mind writing you a letter with only one week's notice (of course the latter is not recommended, but it happened to me once, and my professor was gracious enough to write me the letter). And with Cal being the renowned institution it is, professors are valuable assets when it comes to networking. The professor I did my senior project with knew a few people in the different consulting firms and non-profit organizations I was applying to, and he offered to put in a good word for me.

Aside from the whole job search process, enjoy college while it lasts! Working is quite different from being a student. Yes, you don't have to study and do homework, but you are expected to give your best at work, and that can be draining.

Additional Resources

Career Field - Environment

What Can I Do With a Major in Environmental Sciences

What Can I Do With a Major in Music

EPA Careers in California