The Age of Earth Friendly Careers
Choosing the best earth-friendly, or green, career is not a simple task, especially in an information age when misleading facts run rampant on the Internet. Some of the careers in question may not be optimal for everyone, others may be good in the short term, and others are absolutely outstanding. At the end of the day, you have to find the green career which is best for you. Here are a few factors to consider:
Eco-friendly Careers
One of the most environmentally-friendly careers is to work from home. This is becoming increasingly popular and more widely available. By working from home, you are reducing your CO2 emissions, and you are reducing traffic congestion; therefore, you are also reducing overall noise pollution.
You might consider becoming a freelancer. Today, freelancers come in a variety of forms, such as web development, writing, translating, graphic design, and more. You can even establish a successful career consulting through freelancing.
You might also consider becoming a virtual assistant. You could potentially have several clients and make a very decent living. You should also negotiate telecommuting, at least a few days a week, with your current employer to make your career more earth friendly. Very few jobs cannot be done from home today. If your current employer is stuck in the 20th century, you can easily find statistics on productivity and job satisfaction rates of people who telecommute to change their mind.
If you’re going to pursue the work-from-home option be sure you don’t treat your home office as an afterthought. You’ll need to invest in all of the tools and furnishings that a normal office would require: high speed Internet; a comfortable ergonomic chair, which you can assess at www.sitbetter.com; and, of course, whatever computational equipment your tasks will require.
Local Farming
While a significant amount of manufacturing has left the US, a growing need for skill-based green employees is in existence. The entire country is getting behind local farming and eating locally; therefore, the entire farming structure is beginning to change. Large corporate farming is being dismantled into smaller farms run by small business owners. The need for these farmers is in the millions. You must think of this as a business to be successful. If you do not have a business mind, invite a business-minded friend to be a partner.
Green Skill-Based Careers
As the methodologies of how we capture energy and build things is beginning to change, you might also consider one of the many other skill-based green careers. More people are beginning to understand that solar panels are affordable and highly beneficial. You might consider becoming a solar panel installer as this field continues to grow. The same can be said for a wind turbine technician.
As you drive across the country, you see more and more wind turbines. This field is also a career hotbed. Another potential green career is to become an energy efficiency builder. People want energy efficient homes and buildings. Many contractors and builders today make empty promises or simply do not have the right skills. By becoming a qualified energy efficiency builder, you could corner this market as it continues to become more in demand.
In this age of Earth-friendly careers more opportunities are available to trained professionals than ever before. If you are at a loss with the direction of your current career, these jobs are certain to be around for the long term. Find an area in which you have an interest and master it to secure your future today.
Samantha Peters
This post is by Samantha Peters, who enjoys writing about Eco-friendly businesses and sustainable business models that take into account the triple bottom line, Planet, People, and Profits. You can follow Sam on Twitter @Sam_Peters1001.
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[…] Take the Freelance Route […]