Water, we all need it, not only for drinking but for creating the food we eat and the products we use every day, to some degree. water s necessary for everything that constitutes humanity. Although it may not be at the top of the list for career choices and target industries, there are many reasons suggesting that it should! Having worked in multiple industries prior to my current position in the water industry, I feel I am well-placed to summarise the reasons why the water industry is a great option for both budding graduates and experienced professionals alike.
The water industry is a great career choice primarily because water is an increasingly scarce commodity that is essential to humanity, providing lucrative opportunities and solid job security into the future. A career in water is somewhat unique in that economic & environmental success are intertwined.
To provide a succinct guide on the advantages of the water industry and why it is a great career option I have chosen eight reasons which highlight why the industry is a great place to be.
Business Is Booming
With a shrinking supply and increasing demand, the water industry is only getting more profitable, this leads to increased investment and with it improved employment prospects. As per the underlying rule of economics, supply and demand increased water prices will lead to increased jobs and subsequent salaries, this is an underlying reason why the water industry has never been more attractive. There have been many exciting movements in the corporate world including the merging of Xylem and Evoqua to create the world’s largest pure-play water company, merges such as this point towards a very favourable business climate.
Rewarding
Working in the water industry is somewhat unique in that the corporate agenda aligns with environmental and humanitarian goals. A large part of the water industry is about improving access to water, improving water quality and increasing the efficiency of all the subsequent and underlying processes.
Having moved across to the water industry from oil & gas, I feel I am speaking from an informed opinion that the water industry is extremely rewarding, knowing that what you are doing benefits the world in addition to the bank accounts of shareholders. There are only a handful of industries that can boast such a quality.
Sustainable
Improving water quality and distribution in itself is an exercise in sustainability, so to have that as your underlying career choice is a great feeling. In addition to the high level of pride that comes with working in such a sustainable industry, there is the additional benefit of favourable treatment from governments and NGOs. No government is going to go after the water industry with punitive taxes or restrictions on business, like agriculture the water industry is in fact better positioned to be on the positive side of government spending in the form of subsidies, tax breaks and even favourable media attention. This combination of increased pride in your work with being viewed favourably by governments around the world leads to financial and moral benefits.
Global
Water is everywhere, and it is necessary for human survival and technological advancement, this unmatched global presence makes skills gained in the water industry very transferrable around the world. For those of you who aren’t particularly interested in travelling, this benefit is less applicable to you, however, for those like me who love getting out of your comfort zone, an internationally transferrable career is invaluable. I used to work in the petroleum industry, which, whilst being very international, was centred on regions with a local oil and gas sector, something that rules out many regions like all of Western Europe for instance, water does not have this issue, everywhere has a water industry of some respect!
Whilst oil & gas enabled me to see places like Australia, Indonesia and Brazil, the water industry has brought me to Western Europe where I frequent new cities every few weeks, it is certainly a perk of the job that I personally, really appreciate.
Innovative
The water industry is extremely innovative, from materials engineering to improve longevity and performance to entirely new treatment techniques or pump features, I have been surprised at the level of resources that are focussed on both solving practical problems or finding ‘The next big thing’ to revolutionize the industry.
A clever example of innovation & problem-solving I have seen in the industry is with dewatering pumps being blocked with rocks, clothing, building materials etc. A clever solution from Flygt involves two stages of sediment/solid removal, the initial outflow through ventures and then the ability to temporarily open the outlet to an equal size of the inlet pipe essentially making the pumps extremely difficult to block up!
Unique
Partially drawing on the aforementioned benefits of the industry, it is unique in the way that corporate and social stakeholders are generally aligned, you don’t have issues like in banking where corporate targets do not align with the average person on the street, whereas with water that is the case and I don’t think there is any other industry like it where you push to maximize profits whilst simultaneously improving the lives of indirect stakeholders.
Secure
Industries are cyclical, prices are volatile and often companies get superseded or replaced by more efficient better products, that can not happen when the commodity you are dealing with is water. There will, of course, be factors outside your control that may affect certain locations on a small scale, however, generally speaking, water is always going to be in demand, because it has to be as long as humans walk this Earth. This perpetual demand leads to a career that will stand up to economic turbulence better than most, along with agriculture the water industry is as close as you can get to being recession-proof!
Future Proof
As alluded to in the previous paragraph, the water industry is largely future-proof, this isn’t going to be a case of seamstresses being made redundant overnight with the advent of industrial sowing machines, a skilled position in the water industry puts you in a great position to weather future trends and revolutions, simply because humans need water and they always will!
