diff --git a/.env.local.template b/.env.local.template
index d9ea77f1..edca4445 100644
--- a/.env.local.template
+++ b/.env.local.template
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ STORAGE_BUCKET = ""
 MESSAGING_SENDER_ID = ""
 APP_ID = ""
 BASE_URL = "http://localhost:3000"
+FIRESTORE_EMULATOR_HOST = "localhost:8080"
diff --git a/dbseed.js b/dbseed.js
index 4935b588..879d5185 100644
--- a/dbseed.js
+++ b/dbseed.js
@@ -1,16 +1,35 @@
+/* eslint-env node */
+
+// Seeding data is only for non-production environments.
+if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') {
+  throw new Error(
+    'Data is not allowed to be seeded in a production environment.'
+  )
+}
+
+const path = require('path')
+
+// Load the local development configuration file.
+require('dotenv').config({ path: path.join(__dirname, '.env.local') })
+
 const admin = require('firebase-admin')
 const faker = require('faker')
+const yargs = require('yargs/yargs')
+const { hideBin } = require('yargs/helpers')
+
+// The argument --seedSize=n can be passed in.
+// If it is not passed in the default seed size is 10.
+const { seedSize = 10 } = yargs(hideBin(process.argv)).argv
+const { PROJECT_ID: projectId } = process.env
 
-const projectId = 'protege-dev-env'
-process.env.FIRESTORE_EMULATOR_HOST = 'localhost:8080'
 admin.initializeApp({ projectId })
 
 const db = admin.firestore()
 
-function getSeedData() {
+async function seedData() {
   try {
-    ;[...Array(10).keys()].map(() =>
-      db.collection('jobs').add({
+    for (let i = 0; i < seedSize; i++) {
+      const job = {
         approved: true,
         companyDescription: faker.lorem.paragraph(),
         companyEmail: faker.internet.email(),
@@ -43,8 +62,11 @@ function getSeedData() {
         ]),
         status: faker.random.arrayElement(['viewed', 'sent']),
         // dateApplied: faker.date.recent(),
-      })
-    )
+      }
+
+      await db.collection('jobs').add(job)
+    }
+
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
     console.log('database seed was successful')
   } catch (error) {
@@ -53,4 +75,4 @@ function getSeedData() {
   }
 }
 
-getSeedData()
+seedData()
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 954ea048..c56d48e8 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -40,5 +40,9 @@
     "uuid": "^8.3.2",
     "yup": "^0.32.8",
     "zustand": "^3.3.1"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "dotenv": "^8.2.0",
+    "yargs": "^16.2.0"
   }
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index ab03b2e3..1b9f2427 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -1983,6 +1983,15 @@ cli-truncate@^0.2.1:
     slice-ansi "0.0.4"
     string-width "^1.0.1"
 
+cliui@^7.0.2:
+  version "7.0.4"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/cliui/-/cliui-7.0.4.tgz#a0265ee655476fc807aea9df3df8df7783808b4f"
+  integrity sha512-OcRE68cOsVMXp1Yvonl/fzkQOyjLSu/8bhPDfQt0e0/Eb283TKP20Fs2MqoPsr9SwA595rRCA+QMzYc9nBP+JQ==
+  dependencies:
+    string-width "^4.2.0"
+    strip-ansi "^6.0.0"
+    wrap-ansi "^7.0.0"
+
 clone@^2.1.1:
   version "2.1.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/clone/-/clone-2.1.2.tgz#1b7f4b9f591f1e8f83670401600345a02887435f"
@@ -2669,6 +2678,11 @@ dot-prop@^5.2.0:
   dependencies:
     is-obj "^2.0.0"
 
+dotenv@^8.2.0:
+  version "8.2.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/dotenv/-/dotenv-8.2.0.tgz#97e619259ada750eea3e4ea3e26bceea5424b16a"
+  integrity sha512-8sJ78ElpbDJBHNeBzUbUVLsqKdccaa/BXF1uPTw3GrvQTBgrQrtObr2mUrE38vzYd8cEv+m/JBfDLioYcfXoaw==
+
 duplexify@^3.4.2, duplexify@^3.6.0:
   version "3.7.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/duplexify/-/duplexify-3.7.1.tgz#2a4df5317f6ccfd91f86d6fd25d8d8a103b88309"
@@ -3302,6 +3316,11 @@ gcs-resumable-upload@^3.1.3:
     pumpify "^2.0.0"
     stream-events "^1.0.4"
 
+get-caller-file@^2.0.5:
+  version "2.0.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/get-caller-file/-/get-caller-file-2.0.5.tgz#4f94412a82db32f36e3b0b9741f8a97feb031f7e"
+  integrity sha512-DyFP3BM/3YHTQOCUL/w0OZHR0lpKeGrxotcHWcqNEdnltqFwXVfhEBQ94eIo34AfQpo0rGki4cyIiftY06h2Fg==
+
 get-intrinsic@^1.0.2:
   version "1.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/get-intrinsic/-/get-intrinsic-1.1.1.tgz#15f59f376f855c446963948f0d24cd3637b4abc6"
@@ -5727,6 +5746,11 @@ request-progress@^3.0.0:
   dependencies:
     throttleit "^1.0.0"
 
+require-directory@^2.1.1:
+  version "2.1.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/require-directory/-/require-directory-2.1.1.tgz#8c64ad5fd30dab1c976e2344ffe7f792a6a6df42"
+  integrity sha1-jGStX9MNqxyXbiNE/+f3kqam30I=
+
 resolve-from@^4.0.0:
   version "4.0.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/resolve-from/-/resolve-from-4.0.0.tgz#4abcd852ad32dd7baabfe9b40e00a36db5f392e6"
@@ -6257,7 +6281,7 @@ string-width@^1.0.1:
     is-fullwidth-code-point "^2.0.0"
     strip-ansi "^4.0.0"
 
-string-width@^4.2.0:
+string-width@^4.1.0, string-width@^4.2.0:
   version "4.2.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/string-width/-/string-width-4.2.2.tgz#dafd4f9559a7585cfba529c6a0a4f73488ebd4c5"
   integrity sha512-XBJbT3N4JhVumXE0eoLU9DCjcaF92KLNqTmFCnG1pf8duUxFGwtP6AD6nkjw9a3IdiRtL3E2w3JDiE/xi3vOeA==
@@ -6918,6 +6942,15 @@ wrap-ansi@^3.0.1:
     string-width "^2.1.1"
     strip-ansi "^4.0.0"
 
+wrap-ansi@^7.0.0:
+  version "7.0.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/wrap-ansi/-/wrap-ansi-7.0.0.tgz#67e145cff510a6a6984bdf1152911d69d2eb9e43"
+  integrity sha512-YVGIj2kamLSTxw6NsZjoBxfSwsn0ycdesmc4p+Q21c5zPuZ1pl+NfxVdxPtdHvmNVOQ6XSYG4AUtyt/Fi7D16Q==
+  dependencies:
+    ansi-styles "^4.0.0"
+    string-width "^4.1.0"
+    strip-ansi "^6.0.0"
+
 wrappy@1:
   version "1.0.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/wrappy/-/wrappy-1.0.2.tgz#b5243d8f3ec1aa35f1364605bc0d1036e30ab69f"
@@ -6953,6 +6986,11 @@ y18n@^4.0.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/y18n/-/y18n-4.0.1.tgz#8db2b83c31c5d75099bb890b23f3094891e247d4"
   integrity sha512-wNcy4NvjMYL8gogWWYAO7ZFWFfHcbdbE57tZO8e4cbpj8tfUcwrwqSl3ad8HxpYWCdXcJUCeKKZS62Av1affwQ==
 
+y18n@^5.0.5:
+  version "5.0.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/y18n/-/y18n-5.0.5.tgz#8769ec08d03b1ea2df2500acef561743bbb9ab18"
+  integrity sha512-hsRUr4FFrvhhRH12wOdfs38Gy7k2FFzB9qgN9v3aLykRq0dRcdcpz5C9FxdS2NuhOrI/628b/KSTJ3rwHysYSg==
+
 yallist@^3.0.2:
   version "3.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/yallist/-/yallist-3.1.1.tgz#dbb7daf9bfd8bac9ab45ebf602b8cbad0d5d08fd"
@@ -6968,6 +7006,24 @@ yaml@^1.7.2:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/yaml/-/yaml-1.10.0.tgz#3b593add944876077d4d683fee01081bd9fff31e"
   integrity sha512-yr2icI4glYaNG+KWONODapy2/jDdMSDnrONSjblABjD9B4Z5LgiircSt8m8sRZFNi08kG9Sm0uSHtEmP3zaEGg==
 
+yargs-parser@^20.2.2:
+  version "20.2.7"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/yargs-parser/-/yargs-parser-20.2.7.tgz#61df85c113edfb5a7a4e36eb8aa60ef423cbc90a"
+  integrity sha512-FiNkvbeHzB/syOjIUxFDCnhSfzAL8R5vs40MgLFBorXACCOAEaWu0gRZl14vG8MR9AOJIZbmkjhusqBYZ3HTHw==
+
+yargs@^16.2.0:
+  version "16.2.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/yargs/-/yargs-16.2.0.tgz#1c82bf0f6b6a66eafce7ef30e376f49a12477f66"
+  integrity sha512-D1mvvtDG0L5ft/jGWkLpG1+m0eQxOfaBvTNELraWj22wSVUMWxZUvYgJYcKh6jGGIkJFhH4IZPQhR4TKpc8mBw==
+  dependencies:
+    cliui "^7.0.2"
+    escalade "^3.1.1"
+    get-caller-file "^2.0.5"
+    require-directory "^2.1.1"
+    string-width "^4.2.0"
+    y18n "^5.0.5"
+    yargs-parser "^20.2.2"
+
 yauzl@^2.10.0:
   version "2.10.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/yauzl/-/yauzl-2.10.0.tgz#c7eb17c93e112cb1086fa6d8e51fb0667b79a5f9"