Diana Chomack

About me

I was born/grew up in: Victoria, British Columbia

I now live in:  Victoria, British Columbia 

I completed my training/education at: I have a BSc. in Biology from the University of Victoria and am a Biologist in Training with the British Columbia College of Applied Biology

What I do at work

In my work at Jacobs, I have several roles. I work as part of a planning team to make sure clients follow all required environmental regulations. Some regulations are provincial; others are national. I have lots of meetings and discussions with clients and team members. Every project is different so new issues often come up. To solve these issues, people with different areas of knowledge are needed.

I am also a part of the scientific team. This team is responsible for doing biological and ecological field surveys. I help to plan, carry out, and report on the wildlife and vegetation surveys. I sometimes take on the role of environmental monitor. This means that I make sure that we follow the proper environmental measures at project sites.

Having a STEM background is essential for this career. I have to use scientific methods when doing surveys. I also use my background to understand the environmental risks of each project. My background helps to lower or avoid those risks.

My career path is

I had no awareness of environmental consulting as a high school student.  I just knew that biology was my favourite subject. During university, I participated in the biology co-op program. This landed me some pretty cool summer jobs. I worked for some small consulting companies and even Parks Canada. Very early on, I decided I liked jobs that were split between fieldwork and office work. I also learned that I wanted to work in a team setting. I also wanted to find a career where I could apply my interests in biology and environmental sciences. Environmental consulting at Jacobs covers all these items!

I am motivated by

Environmental consulting is very exciting. Every project is unique and regulations change from time to time. This keeps consultants on their toes! I'm very motivated by new experiences and learning new skills. This happens all the time during my workdays. You can meet many different people while doing this work, growing a large network.

How I affect peoples’ lives

This career is very relevant! Both society and industry want to reduce environmental impacts. This is especially true when the impacts might add to climate change or the loss of biodiversity. Environmental planners make sure that activities with the potential to affect the planet are carried out responsibly to minimize impacts.

Outside of work I

Outside of work I really enjoy spending time with friends camping, hiking, cooking, kayaking, skiing, you name it! I enjoy taking part in local rec league sports like soccer and badminton. I volunteer with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory. This is an organization that supports the monitoring, scientific research and public education to protect migratory birds.

My advice to others

Get involved with your school's co-op (or similar) program to experience different job placements. You will learn a ton of different skills and start to build a network. You will also get more of a sense of what your career goals are.