If eco-living is important to you, you probably want to pursue an eco-friendly career as well. Interest in sustainability is on the rise, so whether you are changing careers or are in high school or college, this can be an excellent field to go into. Keep the points below in mind as you decide what kind of job will be right for you.
1. Your Education
With a bachelor’s degree, at minimum, you will have a great deal more flexibility in what you pursue. For some positions, you may eventually want to get a master’s degree as well. College can be expensive, but you can get money to complete your education through private student loans. You do not have to have a cosigner to be eligible for these loans. These can help supplement other funding sources, such as grants, scholarships, and federal aid.
2. Indoors or Outdoors
When deciding what eco-friendly career path to pursue, one of the first things you should ask yourself is whether you want to work in an office or out in the field. The latter may sound romantic but remember that it can mean working outside in all kinds of weather. On the other hand, if you hate the idea of a desk job, these types of positions will be perfect for you. Some jobs, such as becoming a conservation scientist or forester, offer both options depending on the type of position that you choose. If indoors sounds better, environmental law is a possibility.
3. Alone or With People
This is worth thinking about since it is a career that you could potentially do in isolation. For example, some conservation scientists work alone in remote locations. However, if you would prefer to work as part of a team or educating others about sustainable practices, these types of positions are available as well. An interesting hybrid option would be a career in an industry like fashion where you work alone in stints, but your work is part of a larger community once it is created. Pathways to an eco-friendly style are easier than ever so as they gain popularity the demand for workers will as well.
4. Private Industry, Government or Academia?
Do you want to work for the federal park services, or do you want to work for an exciting new private energy firm that is finding new ways to provide power to people without damaging the environment? Perhaps you’d like to teach and do research. There are positions in all three areas, and each has their perks. Private industry tends to pay more, but there can be a great deal of security in working for the government while academia may give you the freedom to pursue some of your own ideas.
5. Logistics
Finally, you need to consider where you want to live, how much money you need to make and what kinds of demands will be put on your time. If you would like to eventually have a family, a job that largely requires you to work in remote locations may not be ideal. Another thing you may want to consider is whether you want to work on cleaning up environmental problems that have already occurred or preventing them from happening. In other words, do you want to be the person who is called in to help clean up an oil spill, or do you want to be the person designing a system that prevents it from happening in the first place? Both positions are valuable ones.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
