Putting people back to work in a ‘green jobs economy’ doesn’t only mean reopening factories and building wind turbines. In fact, there’s a lot of green jobs out there you can prepare for right now. Consider this top 10 list put together by Fast Company, and see if you can picture yourself in one of these up and coming roles.
- Farmer – if you can latch onto organic growing methods, you’ll be on your way to replacing the baby boomers who are tending to today’s fields.
- Forester – help rebuild today’s forests and prevent future generations from participating in the same slash-and-burn tactics we see today.
- Solar Power Installer – if you have some construction abilities, installing solar water heaters or PV cells could garner you a $35/hr rate.
- Energy Efficient Builder – if architecture and green building seem interesting to you, brush up on your LEED and MINIERGIE-P certifications and help cut down on clients’ energy bills.
- Wind Turbine Manufacturing – although this one depends more on your proximity to a factory that builds them, constructing wind turbines is becoming a huge opportunity for many of Americans.
- Conservation Biologist – help protect fragile ecosystems for non-profits or governmental agencies
- Green MBA Entrepreneur – on the business side of the environmental world are professions in legal, research, and consulting
- Recycler – all of that paper and plastic has to go somewhere – and we’re only going to be recycling more as time goes on
- Sustainability Systems Developer – someone has to come up with the technical aspects of Smart Grids, Smart Meters, and every other way we use our computers to measure energy flow.
- Urban Planner – promoting cycling and mass transit is a big part of urban planning, but it’s only going to become more important with this sector expected to grow 15% by 2016.
