Water/Wastewater Engineers build judgment and decision making, complex problem solving and systems evaluation skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Water Resource Specialists (93%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water Resource Specialists | 93% | $167,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Natural Sciences Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | 85% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Conservation Scientists | 80% | $73,010 | — | None |
| 4 | Environmental Restoration Planners | 78% | $82,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health” | Not compared | Graduate degree |
| 5 | Hydrologists | 78% | $96,600 | — | None |
| 6 | Materials Scientists | 78% | $117,790 | — | None |
| 7 | Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 77% | $55,090 | — | None |
| 8 | Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 77% | $64,950 | — | None |
| 9 | Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | 76% | $171,270Pay for the broader BLS group “Architectural and Engineering Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Logistics Engineers | 76% | $82,320Pay for the broader BLS group “Logisticians” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Water/Wastewater Engineers, median —. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as water/wastewater engineers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
93% skill match · $167,220 (broader BLS group)
Quality Control Analysis
85% skill match · $141,900 (broader BLS group)
Coordination · Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources
80% skill match · $73,010
Management of Material Resources · Social Perceptiveness
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Water Resource Specialists (93% skill match, median $167,220), Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers (85% skill match, median $141,900) and Conservation Scientists (80% skill match, median $73,010), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
None of the 25 closest matches pays more than water/wastewater engineers at the national median (BLS May 2025). Higher-paying moves usually need more training.
23 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 2 usually need a graduate degree: Environmental Restoration Planners and Industrial Ecologists.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.