Sustainability: business, life, environment

When we think of ‘green’ jobs, we often picture a new opportunity, which may require a new set of skills.  This may lead us to believe that ‘green’ jobs are a younger generation career path.  In our sustainability consulting, we encounter professionals at all levels of career development seeking to break into the ‘green’ workspace. 

In a recent post, Are Green Jobs the New High Value Career Track , we discussed how pursing a ‘green’ career is a natural extension of living a sustainable lifestyle and how business sustainability minded individuals are in greater demand and are commanding higher salaries.  While the focus of this post was on individuals in their early stages of career development, ‘green’ jobs are really available to anyone.

According to the 2009 Carbon Salary Survey, the green job market is actually attracting a greater number of senior professionals.

•    17% with 2 to 5 years of experience.
•    22% with 5 to 10 years of experience.
•    21% with 10 to 20 years of experience.
•    15% with more than 20 years of experience.

In a recent personal consulting engagement with a green career seeker, we discussed personal ambitions of ‘green’ employment.  Our discussions led to discoveries about this individual’s career goals, current opportunities, and a defined path to pursue his career ambitions.

Pursuing a preferred change in a career path does not mean you have to start over.   By defining the direction you want to go and setting a course towards personal development, ‘green’ employment might be right in front of you.  It is never too late to incorporate ‘green’ employment into a sustainable lifestyle.