green-collar jobs
Finding Your Dream Green Job, 1 Tweet at a Time
The Bad News
Statistically, those of us seeking a truly green job that allows us to finish our job every day feeling like we did something worthwhile and beneficial, are probably justified in feeling we’re facing mountain-sized odds for finding said job. There’s just not that many of these green employers. And, with the ever expanding degrees in sustainability we, green-ies-searching-for-green-jobs, are multiplying. Now don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing. A really good thing. But, it does up the competition for those all-too-few priceless green jobs.
The Good News!
However! We also happen to live in a very exciting time in which it’s possible to network and make connections and promote oneself (without even having to brag and boast obnoxiously) like never before. The advent of Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Yelp, FourSquare, you name it, all these social media platforms are just begging to be used to introduce you to your potential boss and to paint the most well-rounded, green fanatic portrait of yourself as possible. And, as I said, it’s much less obtrusive to go about looking a certain way to an employer when you don’t have to necessarily shove it in their faces in a resume and interview. › Continue reading
Jobs and the Green MBA
Does having a Green MBA help when it comes to finding a job? The answer is, it depends.
Different industries value a Sustainable or Green MBA over a traditional MBA, and it can even come down to those doing the hiring. More and more hiring managers and executives are recognizing the benefits of sustainability of business, and are looking to hire these cutting edge graduates. Jobs are opening up in the alternative energy industries (solar, wind and more) as well as the green building industry with LEED certified and EPA class buildings.
Green Jobs are competitive, but having a green MBA greatly increases your chances and distinguishes you from the crowd. With more and more companies looking to improve their environmental image, they need business experts with a knowledge in sustainability. Even the trends from top business schools such as Yale’s school of managment and Johnson School at Cornell University as well as online programs from Walden University and Alliant International University are moving towards sustainability.
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Sustainability Focused Careers Workshop
Image: Tim Patterson via Flickr
Peter was quick to make the point that the idea of a “sustainability job” is more complex than one might first think. There are plenty of sustainability focused jobs and career paths, but sustainability is rarely tangible enough to be a product in and of itself. Rather, sustainability is an issue of systemics. As such, it’s important to recognize that job seekers are likely to be looking at the market from a much wider scope when looking to break into a sustainability based career path. So many jobs can fall into the description of “sustainability related”, everything from green-living businesses, tech, green finance and investing, events, higher education, government, and food just to name a few. The point is that sustainability is something that threads through just about all career paths in one way or another. Instead of looking for a job in outright sustainability, or even a “green-collar job”, people should instead be looking for a sustainability related career, one that supports a variety of values and puts your strongest skills to good use. › Continue reading
Green Jobs
image: flickr user OregonDOT
In today’s current economic situation, there has been a lot of hope (and hype) inspired by what’s being called “green-collar jobs”. This self described new industry would appear to be the much needed solution to not only the depressingly high unemployment rates, but also the need for alternate energy sources and even a more general, cultural environmental paradigm shift. But what is the real situation when it comes to the green job market today? What even qualifies as a “green collar job”? It’s sometimes all too easy to fall for perhaps over emphasized, environmentally significant buzzwords. Recognizing this, let’s start with a couple definitions.
In a Time article, What Is A Green-Collar Job, Exactly, Phil Angelides (chair of the green employment focused coalition, Apollo Alliance) defined it as a job that pays decent wages and benefits that can support a family, a job that is part of a real career path with potential for advancement, and a job that reduces waste and pollution and benefits the environment. Personally, I prefer Green Collar Blog‘s wider definition of “full-time, part-time, or internship opportunities that provide a social or environmental benefit. These jobs can be in the public, private, or non-profit sector and include jobs in areas such as energy efficiency, green building, natural resource management, recycling, and renewable energy.”
The Green Collar Blog definition includes a broader view of green, including sustainability and corporate social responsibility type jobs. It really all comes down to an argument over what the real definition of “green” is, but let’s save that for another blog. › Continue reading
