Am I still a Physicist? – Life as an Environmental Consultant

Maybe it was short sighted of me, but when I headed off to university to study physics, I hadn't thought much about what I’d do for a job when I’d finished. What did physicists do for jobs that wasn’t research or teaching? After completing my Ph.D. I had to work out what studying physics had taught me that wasn’t the knowledge of physics. I had to work out how to market that my training as a physicist impacted how I processed information and how I thought about the world. Environmental Consulting turned out to be the perfect place for my skills and interests. But there are many things I wish I had known about how being a consultant in industry were different than being a student. And am I still a physicist if my job doesn’t directly deal with physics?

Kate is an ex-pat New Zealander turned Canadian, now living in Sarnia, Ontario. With a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics, Kate fell into air quality consulting after graduating in 2009 and found it a perfect fit. She has been in her current position as a Senior Environmental Specialist with Montrose Environmental since 2017. Kate has 2 young children who she hopes she can turn into critical thinkers.