Zoe Montgomery shares Tips for your Green Career – curated from our online course – to help you find your own dream job and pathway for making a difference in the world.
What is a green job
Friends of the Earth define a green job as “jobs that have a focus on either reducing carbon emissions, restoring nature or making similar environmental improvements.” But they can also be much broader than this. Whilst there is no overarching definition for a “green job” they mostly:
Focus on social responsibility and/or environmental protection
Contribute to happy, healthy and green communities and planet
Defined either by the nature and purpose of the job or by the nature and purpose of the employer.
How do you figure out what you want to do?
In one of our Green Career sessions, Rufus Bullough from Acre Sustainability Recruitment, shared a few ways to work out where you could work well. Ask yourself:
- Start with your WHY
- What is your cause?
- What do you love?
- What are you good at?
- What does the world need?
- What can you be paid for?
If you’re struggling to see what you’re good at, Jessica Ferrow (pictured below) from Twelve Futures – climate action consultants – gave us some questions to guide our thoughts:
Is there something that your friends always ask your opinion or your help on?
When was the last time you got into a flow state? What were you doing? (i.e. what were you doing when you lost track of time?)
Name three positive qualities you think your friends and family would say about you
If you knew you couldn’t fail, what career would you pursue?
Advice from people in a green role:
If you still feel that your future is uncertain, here is some advice from people already working in a green role:
Olivia Sweeney (pictured below) Sustainable Waste Consultant at Resources Futures:
“Just because you choose one thing at 19, doesn’t mean it shuts off another pathway.”
Laura Fogg-Rogers, Senior Lecturer in STEM Education at University of the West of England:
“A winding route in your career path is fine! You don’t have to know the end and the beginning. All experience is useful.”
Mary Stevens, Experiments Manager at Friends of the Earth
“Show passion by doing. Get out and meet people and organise… do it collectively with people.”
Quick tips from Friends of the Earth:
Finally, we’ve been sharing some great tips on Instagram from young people in this Friends of the Earth blog on How to get a Green Job. Here are just a handful:
Don’t let your grades stop you
Get involved in your local community to gain experience
Don’t let a lack of relevant experience stop you from applying
Find a person you admire in the sector and reach out
Stock up on transferable skills.
We hope you found this useful, If you would like more support on your green education and career journey then do join our Catalyst Summit & mentoring programme which kicks off in July.
