by John Stevens
October 1, 2010 7:28 PM
Is there such a thing as a “green job”? Several new “green job” and “green collar job” search engines have sprung into place over the past few months. If you are in the process of going through a move, downsizing, or a relocation, and are looking for green jobs or have the skills to reinvent yourself as a “green worker,” these search engines may help you in your green job search.
What is a green job? In 2008, during election season, Apollo Alliance chairman explained green jobs to TIME this way: “It has to pay decent wages and benefits that can support a family. It has to be part of a real career path, with upward mobility. And it needs to reduce waste and pollution and benefit the environment.” So jobs that are connected with renewable energy, clean transportation, recycling, and the like, are all considered green. What about working for a green business? If working for a green business counts, hundreds of self storage operators, movers, and purveyors of relocating services could consider themselves green employees, as the industry slowly converts itself, becoming more and more ecofriendly.
If you are looking for a green job, you may want to consider the green job search engines listed below -- and green employers may want to consider listing their job openings on such sites.
According to a Wall Street Journal blog entry this spring, the five best cities to relocate to if you are hoping for green work are: New York City, San Francisco, Boston/Cambridge, Detroit, and Portland, Oregon.
Internationally, China, Germany, Spain, and India led the way in an Ernst & Young report on renewable energy spending and investments.
To train for green work, construction industry specialists recommend that students study engineering and science, and that technicians focus on electrical courses whenever possible.
Sources used:
Apollo Alliance.
Finnigan, Dan. “Green-job market: seeing the forest for the trees.” The Wall Street Journal blog. April 27, 2010.
“Green Job Spider: our favorite source for green job listings.” Green Career Central newsletter.
“Green Job Spider: top 5 states for hiring green jobs.” Area Development Online. May 28, 2010.
Jenkins, Jesse. “Think you know what a ‘green job’ is? Think again.” Forbes. March 10, 2010.
Kamal, Ashok. “Green IT: the other clean tech.” Reuters. Sept. 29, 2010.
“More women could take electrical courses to train for green jobs.” AbleSkills. Jan. 1, 2010.
Nickelsberg, Robert. “What is a green-collar job, exactly?” TIME. May 26, 2008.
Russell, Chris. “Green Job Spider to aggregate green jobs: new job search engine to index green jobs across the web.” E-releases. March 9, 2010.