ABSTRACT
Education can only go so far in preparing the environmental practitioner for on-the-job performance. A person who wishes to become an environmental practitioner is greatly assisted by two personal characteristics. First, a well-rounded, broad development of experience in many areas is required and produces the classic generalist. Second, although environmental practitioners cannot possibly attain great depth in all areas, they must have the desire and the aptitude to do so. They must be interested in-and well informed about-many widely differing fields of study. The necessity for this in the environmental application is readily apparent. Why? Simply because the range of problems encountered is so immense that a narrow education will not suffice; environmental practitioners must handle situations that call upon skills as widely diverse as the ability to solve psychological, sociological, and economic problems (remember the triple bottom line), along with the ability to perform calculations required in fundamental engineering, mechanics, and the structural-construction-maintenance-environmental interface. The would-be practicing environmental professional can come from just about any background, and a narrow education does not preclude students and others from broadening their education later; however, quite often those who are very specialized and have a very narrow focus lack appreciation for other disciplines, as well as the adaptability necessary for environmental practice.
