A wave of baby boomers will retire over the next 10 years, making room for new water and wastewater operators, engineers, chemists, water quality analysts, and electricians. California’s population will continue to grow, requiring new water and wastewater facilities. And as the state invests in infrastructure to improve its water supply, we will need more workers trained in recycling wastewater, water treatment and distribution desalination and water conservation. For water/wastewater operators alone, the California Employment Development Department projects 3,600 job openings between 2008 and 2018.

Levi Fuller (left) teaches students preparing for careers as water and wastewater operators.

In November, I had the pleasure of brainstorming about the program with 45 teachers, counselors, and principals from local middle and high schools. They were attending a career conference that also showcased a training program sponsored by biotech companies. It might seem an unlikely pairing of industries. However, like water and wastewater, the biotech industry is projecting strong job growth in California, particularly in the Bay Area. In addition, water, wastewater, and biotech offer solid career opportunities both to students who want to enter a technical vocation right out of high school as well as to those who plan to pursue a professional career after obtaining a college degree.

Interestingly, all of these fields depend upon microorganisms to complete essential processes. In biotech, microorganisms produce enzymes and proteins that treat diseases, manufacture genetically robust crops, and clean up environmental damage such as oil spills. In the water industry, microorganisms treat and stabilize wastewater so that it can be safely returned to the environment.