4 ways high school and early college students can prepare for a green career

By Hannah Maryanski

Summer is approaching, and if you are in high school or early in your college career, you might be thinking about starting your green career search over the break. Congratulations on taking the first steps! Here are 4 tips for finding a career in the environmental space.

Identify your interests
Environmental educator, renewable energy engineer, construction worker, community organizer, sustainability specialist—these can all be green jobs, and they’re all really different. It can be hard to know where to start when the field is so broad. Try narrowing in on a few areas that interest you. The SEI Green Careers Webinars Series can help by providing knowledge directly from sustainability professionals about their day-to-day work and career paths.

Labor market research from tools like California Career Zone can also help. Labor market information gives you general characteristics about jobs, like the type of education required. It can also show you what jobs are expected to pay well or be in high demand.

If you are interested in a career that doesn’t show up in your green jobs search, don’t worry! Let your creativity shine as you think of new ways to bring sustainability into any career path.

Get out in the field
Hands-on experience helps you discover what you like (and don’t like). If you are in college, try seeking out entry-level environmental internships through your career center, and look for on-campus jobs in your campus sustainability and facilities departments.

If you aren’t looking for an internship yet, you can volunteer with a nonprofit or club, join an environmental advocacy group or youth job corps, attend educational events hosted by your local government or university, or shadow at a job site. These are great venues to meet people in your community working on climate issues who can share their career tips with you!

Make a plan
Use the research you did to plan the education, skills, and experience you need to reach your goals. If you will need training beyond your current schooling, find several schools or training programs that provide the job training you need, and familiarize yourself with the application requirements. Keep an eye out for requirements like a diploma or any recommended or required courses to take before applying.

Will you need special skills, like construction training, writing, or data analysis? Plan how you will acquire those skills over time through taking specific classes or certifications.

Look through job search engines and make a list of companies that are hiring for your dream first environmental job. This can be your starting place when you are ready to apply.

Use your resources
To stand out as a job applicant, seek out application preparation resources, like SEI’s Green Career Connections Toolkit. This toolkit has everything from cover letter tools to networking tips. Request SEI’s Career Connections Toolkit here.

We will be rooting for you during your green career search and hope you find a job that helps you work on climate issues that matter to you and your community!