Green career opportunities refer to jobs that focus on developing sustainable and clean energy, as well as recycling, reuse, and other practices that help prevent climate change, pollution, or other environmental problems. This exceptionally large field offers plenty of green career opportunities, and the types available to a job candidate will largely depend on his or her interests, education, and skills. Some of the most common green careers are available in energy development: solar power, wind power, and other types of energy development not reliant on fossil fuels are all growing fields with plenty of job opportunities.
Many of these green career opportunities require a job candidate to have a college degree in science, engineering, or design, though other aspects of these companies require candidates with various skills and education. Advertising and marketing careers, for example, are often readily available within these industries. The primary responsibilities of these green career opportunities include educating the public about emerging technologies, branding a specific company, creating advertising campaigns that include mailers, brochures, radio spots, and television ads, and much more. Mechanical technicians may also be hired within these industries to build, install, and maintain specialty equipment relevant to wind, solar, or other alternative energies.
The carpentry field has also begun to offer green career opportunities in the form of green builders and retrofitters. Green builders focus on using environmentally friendly construction techniques and materials, and designing structures that will minimize damage to the environment. Green builders may use recycled materials, building materials with little environmental impact, reusable materials, or easily renewable materials. Structures may be designed with energy efficiency in mind, thereby reducing the amount of energy the structure will use on a daily basis. Retrofitters may work with existing structures that were not originally built to be environmentally friendly; this professional may examine existing structures for ways to improve eco-friendliness and reduce energy consumption.
The recycling industry is another career field that offers green career opportunities. Drivers, sorters and pickers, machine operators, and managers all work within this field to ensure recyclable materials are collected, sorted, and effectively reused. General recycling companies exist that collect a variety of materials, while others may focus exclusively on one material such as glass.
The automotive industry has also grown to include many green career opportunities. The development of more eco-friendly automobiles has become a higher priority among the general public, so design engineers, machinists, and other auto workers can take advantage of green careers that focus on creating cleaner automobiles.
