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Skills that open doors
Groundwater modeling
Simulating aquifers is a specialist skill that consulting firms look for.
GIS (geographic information systems)
Mapping software is the everyday tool of this field, and being genuinely good at it makes you useful on day one.
Programming
Python or R for handling long records of gauge data. This has quietly become a hiring requirement.
Water rights and regulation
In the western states, who owns which water is a legal fight. People who understand both the science and the law are rare.
Professional engineer license
If you want to design and stamp drawings, not just analyze.