| CAREERS NOW 01-27-08 |
| Where To Look For Clean, Green Gigs |
DEAR JOYCE: Now that the term green-collar jobs is sweeping the presidential
campaign trail, is the growth of a stronger environmental ethic worldwide actually creating new opportunities for
Earth-friendly careers? Or is "green-collar job" a buzzword in search of a definition? I'm a mom, a teacher
and maybe a future career-changer. Answers? - S.R.
"Green jobs", also called "green-collar jobs," generally describes employment that protects
or improves environmental quality. But after that there's no universal definition of the green jobs sector.
TWO KINDS OF WORK. Career fields and industries where you and others can find a green job depends upon whether
you want to work sitting down, in occupational groups such as science and engineering or business, or standing
up in blue-collar occupations.
- on the standing-up side, politicians and environmentalists are focusing on the retooling of blue-collar workers
for jobs in the "booming clean and green economy." They believe that green work opportunities are arriving
in the nick of time for Americans as the blue-collar jobs dry up or ship out. They point out that by their nature,
green jobs are local jobs: The money stays in the community and green jobs can't be outsourced. A few examples:
solar panel manufacturing and other renewable energy efforts, green building construction, sustainable forestry,
safe food and water, and resource conservation.
For more information on green standing-up jobs, do a Google search using the search words "green jobs"
and variations, such as "creating green jobs," and look for a column by Tomas. L. Friedman, "The
Green-Collar Solution." The Web sites of presidential candidates offer additional visions about what's may
become possible when you want to get paid for environmental renewal and infrastructure rebuilding using specialized
skill sets.
- On the sitting-down side, companies hire a variety of scientists and engineers to work on renewable-energy technology
and businesspeople to market earth-friendly products.
TWO DEMOGRAPHICS. Individuals whose radar screen is turning green may be first or second-time career choosers.
- Concerns for the planet are ramping up student's career choices at educational institutions everywhere. Student
interests range from gaining expertise in "green mobility" (breakthroughs in alternative fuels to power
transportation) and energy-saving construction, to protecting threatened species and saving endangered areas of
the globe.
But before plunging into a specific career motivated by uninformed enthusiasm, students should carefully and realistically
research their potential choices. As veteran career counselor Dr. Marty Nemko (martynemko.com) has pointed out, jobs like engineering in green science that require very-high
level training and skills are at risk of being offshored. That's just a fact. Any work that can be digitized or
moved to a cheaper labor market is at risk.
For a review of what's greening career choice, visit these Web sites: Environmental Careers Organization, eco.org; MonsterTRAK.com/green careers; and
American Solar Energy Society, ses.org.
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