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Whether you’re entering the workforce for the first time or you’re a mid-career worker looking to make a change, it’s probably a good idea to think green — and not just in your choice of resumé paper.
"Sustainability as a field is so wide open and so huge, [employers] need every kind of expert, from accountants to insurance salespeople to teachers," said K.C. Poulos, who will become the University of Texas at Arlington’s first sustainability director in August. "I think it’s going to be a part of everyone’s future, so you would only benefit yourself [as a job seeker] by going in that direction," she said. Prospects for growthAccording to a July 13 report issued by President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors, "green" jobs, such as environmental engineers or scientists, will grow by 52 percent between 2000 and 2016. Although some academic types and policy wonks contend that the green job boom is being over-hyped, as asserted by a recent study released by the Institute for Energy Research, there’s no sign that the green movement, sustainability or environmentalism are going away anytime soon. "I don’t think you can predict how many jobs will be created, but clearly there are all sorts of movements afoot that are about sustainability, whether it’s about human health, saving money, climate change or protecting natural areas," said Dr. Stacy Alaimo, an associate professor of English and a co-chairman of UT Arlington’s sustainability committee.Texas university programs that lead to green-collar jobs abound and are growing. To name a few examples, Tarleton State University offers studies in hydrology, geoscience and environmental engineering; Texas Tech University offers the nation’s first doctoral degree in wind science and engineering. Wind, solar energies are likely employersAlternative energy engineering, such wind science, is frequently used as an example of the potential growth of the green job market: according to the American Wind Energy Association’s Web site, wind and solar energy are likely to be among the largest sources of new manufacturing jobs during the 21st century. "Within the wind industry they have people like they do in the oil industry, like firefighters who climb the towers," said David Driskill, associate dean for the college of architecture at Texas Tech. "Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater is training people to work in the wind industry." Located in west central Texas, the city of Sweetwater bills itself as the "wind energy capital" due to its status as the leading wind power generation region of the Western Hemisphere. Careers for non-engineersAs pointed out by Poulos, a green career path isn’t limited to science and engineering majors: for example, the University of Texas at El Paso, in partnership with an environmental organization, recently launched a first-of-its-kind master’s degree program for conservationist communications. The program emphasizes the use of messaging, social networking, and other communications vehicles to influence people’s perceptions and behavior regarding conservation.
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