Green Career Options
May 8, 2010
One of the goals of the Green Career Transition Group is to provide information and resources to individuals interested in pursuing a career within the sustainable development and energy efficiency industry. The Green Career Transition Group does not provide technical job training, but we do attempt to help current professionals leverage their existing skills and educational background to enter the green economy sector.
Below is a brief introduction to the concept of sustainability and a summary of the industry areas where one might begin looking for green job opportunities as well as a few websites to assist in that research.
What is sustainability/being green? The most widely quoted definition internationally is the “Brundtland definition” of the 1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development – that sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” What kinds of careers are available within the Sustainable industry? Although GreenHomeNYC focuses on the building industry, green careers can exist anywhere! Below is a list of 10 areas you could explore, based on your educational background and potential interests: Energy and Renewables Agriculture Planning and Land Use Design and Construction Real Estate Legal Careers Information Technology Health Care Travel Industry Education and Corporate Social Responsibility Additional informational resources regarding careers can be found at New York Public Library’s (NYPL) Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) Job Search Central website: an overview of the available resources additional Internet resources The US Labor Department’s online “Occupational Outlook Handbook” is another good resource for researching careers. It includes detailed information regarding the types of occupations that exist in various industries educational requirements salary ranges expectations for growth or decline in a given field or related disciplines and much more!