Environmental Jobs are Scorching Hot
I guess I should really have expected nothing less. We did, after all, just launch an environmental job board, but it’s still a bit surprising to me just how many people out there are looking for “green jobs,” as they are so often referred to. It’s a naturally popular industry, of course. The media are constantly highlighting advances in technology, as well as new policy, that are intended to help the environment. Reports of global warming have also placed the dangers to our environment in the collective consciousness, the result of which is that “the environment” has now taken its place next to the big political and social issues, next to such big issues as “the economy.”
During this whole process, I’ve also tied into the “blogosphere” that relates specifically to new green job boards and resources out there. I’ve seen a number of job boards launch in this particular “vertical space,” and it seems that those seeking employment in the environmental field run the gamut. Young people just out of school are often drawn to the field, as they – even more than the generations before them – have grown up in an environment where the environment (if you’ll excuse me) is a very hot topic.
But that’s really not all I’m seeing. There is a very natural transition to be made from some of the classic home improvement and contractor positions into this field as well. Roofers are beginning to specialize in installation of solar panels. General home improvement contractors are turning to energy audit and energy efficiency jobs. It’s really a thing to behold, when you think about it.
The huge number of advances in technology related to environmental conservation, as well as the massive amount of policy created on a daily basis related to protecting the environment, is literally creating an entire industry in very short order. It’s somewhat akin to the information technology boom that started slowly in the 1970s, grew in the 1980s and then really exploded during the 1990s with the advent of widespread Internet access and use.
After thinking about this phenomenon for a moment, I truly believe that we are witnessing something historic in the employment “space.” Where it will eventually lead is difficult to gauge, but it is apparent that “green jobs” are likely to be among the most popular in the coming months and years, and probably amont the most prevalent as well. Even within this “vertical” there are sub-specialties within the industry. Jobs in solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, general sustainability and others are among those that appear to be the most popular, though other sub-industries are likely to crop up and become more popular as well.
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