Green Careers 101: An Introduction to Entering the Green Field
Contributed by Aashna Pachai and Marsha Ord from The Green Career Centre
What is a green career?
As discussed in LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2022, there is a pressing need for society to tackle the climate crisis. A big part of that can be accomplished with the transition to a green economy; this means putting more emphasis on green jobs and green skills. The most commons types of green jobs that people think of are those that are specifically in a ‘green sector’, such as renewable energy and agriculture. In addition, there are also green jobs that can be found in all types of industries such as fashion, sales, and finance. According to the International Labour Organization, green jobs are those that “contribute to preserving, restoring and enhancing environmental quality”. These kinds of jobs are those that incorporate green skills in employees’ day to day. Common green skills include remediation, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, environmental science, renewable energy, and environment, health, and safety, to name a few. As climate change continues to impact all regions of the world, creating green jobs is of utmost importance.
How do I find my green career path?
If you’re struggling to see yourself within a green job, take a look at how you can make your current interests more environmentally friendly! There are green skills that can be adopted to make any existing job more sustainable. If your career interests lie in fashion, you can head sustainability and advocate for the use of eco-friendly materials. If your passion is in sales, you can utilize your green skills to reduce your carbon footprint and prioritize remote selling.
The key to finding your path in green careers is identifying your transferable skills. A common misconception about green careers is that you need a background in STEM. However, there are many existing skills you may have gained from various fields outside of STEM that can contribute to a more sustainable world for us all. Transferable skills that are in demand across industries can include critical thinking, project management, design thinking, customer service, resilience, and even empathy. If you’re struggling to identify your transferable skills or how to talk about them you can utilize free resources such as podcasts, LinkedIn courses, or career centres such as the Green Career Centre!
Once you have identified your interests and passions and the skills you already possess, consider what work needs to be done in the climate and sustainability sectors. After identifying these three things, you will find the green career path for you! Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
How do I obtain a green job?
When thinking about how to land a green job, there are a few different things you can do.
1. Pursue formal education in a green career field.
Obtaining a degree in a program related to the environment, sustainability, or geography will equip you with the knowledge needed to understand how the natural environment is being impacted and how humanity can respond. The subject material that you learn will depend on the program you choose, but nevertheless will give you the chance to learn about green issues and explore new and innovative solutions.
*NOTE: We would like to emphasize that formal education is not for everyone and is not required for you to land a green job. The skills you gain through life experiences are the most important to help you advance your career.
2. Seek Indigenous perspectives on environmental sustainability.
Indigenous lands contain 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and Indigenous peoples’ hold traditional knowledge dating back to time immemorial on how to respectfully steward the land we are residing on. By integrating traditional knowledge with other scientific and technological knowledge, we can begin to work on equitable and inclusive sustainable futures for all.
- As an Indigenous person seeking a green career, work with elders in your community to connect with the land and (re)learn the language, culture, customs, and traditions. Your traditional cultural knowledge is key to strengthening the world’s understanding of environmental sustainability, and may be used in place of formal education to demonstrate your knowledge in environmental sustainability.
- As a settler, learn what traditional lands you are residing on and respectfully learn Indigenous perspectives by recognizing their traditional knowledge and collective rights to use and control the lands and natural resources of their lands.
3. Certifications, training programs and courses.
There are plenty of resources to utilize when upskilling yourself to prepare for a green career!
i) LinkedIn Certifications – Here are some of our recommendations:
- “Closing the Green Skills Gap to Power a Greener Economy and Drive Sustainability” by Sue Duke
- “Sustainability Strategies” by David Bennell
- “Sustainability for Design, Construction, and Manufacturing” by Fulya Kocak Gin
ii) External Certifications – There are several certifications that you can obtain. Some examples include:
- ‘Environmental Professional in Training’ offered by Eco Canada
- ‘True Advisor’ Certificate Program
- ‘LEED Green Associate’ offered by the Canada Green Building Council
iii) Online courses – If you’re interested in enrolling in an online course to enhance your knowledge about sustainability topics, there are several websites that you can use. Here are some options:
- edX: This is an online course provider that partners with universities and organizations to offer high-quality courses to people around the world. Some courses require payment, but many are also free!
- Coursera: This platform offers both paid and free courses, certificates, and degree programs to people all over the world.
- SDG Academy: A platform provided by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the United Nations. Courses focus on educational content under each Sustainable Development Goal.
4. Networking.
i) Utilize LinkedIn to connect with sustainability leaders and professionals that work in your dream career space! It will benefit you when it comes time to apply for positions if you have already been networking with these individuals. You can also reach out to sustainability professionals and request a coffee chat to discuss how you can obtain a job in that field – more often than not, people are happy to assist you! The Green Career Centre’s Youth Green Jobs Network is the ample platform to do so. We have hundreds of green employers part of the group who you can message if you join the group.
ii) You can also attend local in-person and online events to network face-to-face with sustainability professionals. Many organizations host events such as fundraisers and educational webinars, and provide low-cost tickets to youth or students. This is a great way to educate yourself on the everchanging green space and keep yourself up to date with current strategies as well as meet like-minded people passionate about saving the planet! The Green Career Centre hosts frequent events during the year. Whether in-person or virtual, sign-up to attend upcoming events on our events page.
5. Volunteering.
Connect with your local organizations that are driving sustainable change to gain hands-on experience in the field you are interested in! This will give you the chance to meet like-minded individuals and make connections with people in your community. If you’re looking for a place to find these types of opportunities, visit the Green Career Centre’s website where you will find a page of ongoing volunteer opportunities across what is currently known as Canada. You should also check out Regenesis – a community environmental organization where you can volunteer to tackle sustainability issues on a Canadian university campus.
6. Utilize green career resources!
The Green Career Centre provides many resources to youth, BIPOC, and newcomers to help them in obtaining a green career. We have a wage subsidy tool to help you find your next sustainability internship, a LinkedIn Profile Maximization Guide to help you increase the visibility of your LinkedIn profile, as well as the Youth Green Jobs Network on Facebook or LinkedIn. Through our job board you will have access to over 5 new postings per day and a bi-weekly round-up. You won’t be short of positions to apply to and you will save plenty of time searching for them yourself!
Psst.. Does your organization strive to address one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
We’re looking to recognize 2 organizations who aim to tackle the Global SDGs with each receiving over $2500 in marketing services. You don’t want to miss this opportunity!
