Top Green Jobs

On the Fast Company website, Anya Kamenetz has an article entitled Ten Best Green Jobs of the Next Decade. You can read the article in full by clicking the link, but here is a list of her top ten:

1- Farmer - sustainable agriculture requires small-scale, local, organic methods rather than petroleum-based machines and fertilizers

2- Forester - Modern forestry a complex combination of international project finance, conservation and development.

3- Solar Power Installer - Installing solar-thermal water heaters and rooftop photovoltaic cells is a relatively high-paying job--$15 to $35 an hour--for those with construction skills.

4- Energy Efficiency Builder - not only skilled architects and engineers, but a workforce of retrofitters

5- Wind Turbine Fabricator - an opportunity for autoworkers and other manufacturers to repurpose their skills

6- Conservation Biologist - opportunities in teaching, research and fieldwork for government, nonprofits, and private companies

7- Green MBA and Entrepreneur - business services like legal, research and consulting account for the majority of all green jobs

8- Recycler - specialized companies that can close the loop by recycling and repurposing e-waste, clothing, plastic bags, construction waste, and other materials

9 - Sustainability Systems Developer - green economy needs a cadre of specialized software developers and engineers

10- Urban Planner - Employment in this sector is projected to grow 15 percent by 2016


Tim's Comments

I am not going to argue with her list, though if the new Obama administration holds true to their word on renewable energy and the green economy and does use the carrot-and-stick approach (more funding and more regulation), several of the sectors mentioned in the article may actually grow much faster than predicted.

I would point out that in addition to hiring the skilled workers, these companies will be expanding greatly over the next ten years and will need additional support staff - office workers, receptionists, janitors, accountants, bookkeepers, security guards, salespeople and the like. So even if you don't have the primary skills that these green companies are looking for, you may find that more traditional skills are also in great demand.


Additional Job Board

In case you missed it, yesterday's article included links to ten websites listing green jobs that are available in the USA, UK, Canada and around the world. These are actual jobs that companies are trying to fill right now. To that list of links, add the American Wind Energy Association's Careers in Wind job board, where you can view job listings in windpower and post your resume for potential employers to see.