EnergyCareerPath.com

‎For any person or organization that directly provides training to those that are new to the industry: "Remember, the measurement of success is based not on the number of students that go through your program, but rather the experience that you and your company delivers that help them confirm that they are in the right industry." ~Michael

Despite the capital invested in your education or transitional training, be prepared to enter the industry at the bottom of the pecking order.  No matter how strong of a game-changing attitude you may think you'll bring, understand that the hierarchical system of social organization in that company is going to ensure that your aspirations of coming in as top chicken will be de-feathered.  At least initially or until you’ve made enough coffee runs.  Corporate culture alone takes a period of saturation to understand.  Add in passion for environmental responsibility to that culture and you have one of the toughest organizational environments to penetrate if you don't support the vision.  In addition, the game has become ...still remains challenging as many career individuals with the very experience you desire to obtain have been displaced and are now fighting for the same position you're willing to do for free.  This only adds to the necessity ...

As you dive in to the vast world of sustainability, you must first recognize there are many applicable sustainability standards depending on the industry you choose to participate in.  As with any job interview, one of the main cards you can have in your back pocket is the element of industry standards knowledge.  Familiarizing yourself with sustainability standards for your target industry is essential to determining the health of an organization and whether that company compliments your level of environmental ethics. ASTM International , formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is an organization that develops standards that address environmental and economic concerns in buildings and construction.  These standards focus on measurements for sustainability action impact.  This organization offers a virtual classroom to new members which may be of interest to you. Have an eye for interior design?  Perhaps the sustainability st...

One of the biggest worries of entering a job site as the intern is the possibility of becoming the gofer (pronounced gopher). A properly designed internship program would take the desired job position and establish roles and responsibilities between both the intern and the supervisor, minimizing the possibilities of you performing menial errands for the sake of convenience. So what do you do if after all the agreements and words of reassurance that you will not have your availability misused, you still find yourself making a pizza run for your coworkers? My warrior intern, I would like to give you a quote from Sun Tzu’s Art of War: " Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots" Before you take this literally, put away the samurai sword and understand the relevance. "Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness" - In the office or at a job site, nothing keep...

Okay.  We're not going to really talk about rats, but imagine the outcome if you had to decide on the survival of your family over sparing an endangered animal.  I love life, I love nature.  But at some point we have to make a decision that results in a better tomorrow.  I'll come back to this. The Sacramento Business Journal recently posted the report, " California, Sacramento keeps growing 'green' jobs " which highlights the achievements of the region that includes California's Core Green Economy Job average annual growth rate of 3%. First, I want go in to Next 10's report and focus on ideas for the green-tern. Page 14 (report is no longer avail as of 2018) provides a quick reference table of Green segments and job types that can help you with your research for careers in the Green industry.   Another great find in this report is how major cities are defined by the type of energy solutions they focus on determined by employment shares.  For examp...

We grow up being told that education leads to job security and that job security determines direction.  While this may be true in some aspects, focusing only on job security will be your inhibitor. Many of you have made the decision to leave that comfort zone...  that hourly - that salary - that position  - that status.   Some of you have spent years studying for one industry only to find yourself in the green industry.  Now faced with the decision of whether or not to continue down your current path, you may be tempted to go back to something that you probably determined won't make you happy. I want to remind you of the importance of bringing yourself to the point of discovery, learning what your tolerance for adversity is and then pushing past it.  Job security is one thing.  Knowing what you're made of is another. It's been said that if you can go to bed at night knowing that you've learned something new that day, then you've allowed your...

Renewable Energy Certificates (REC's) are starting to buzz more often in my ears, so I figured that it was time to begin understanding what will someday become the "alternative" market for trading. Renewable Electricity Certificates or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs) is viewed as the solution that will help states meet their Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) sooner, if not more aggressively. To simplify how the process works, here's my take: 1. Grid-tied producer of electricity (solar, wind...pick your flavor) produces a) electricity and b) the REC. 2. Once the renewable-based electricity is created and sent to the grid, there is no way of distinguishing between electricity generated from other sources. ("Come on! I swear my 1-panel system is powering Grand Central Station.") 3. The solution is to give the point of generation 1 REC for every megawatt of electricity contributed to the grid. 4. This gives you the two products (electricity a...

As your strategies for landing an internship develop while in your green training, I want you to try to avoid limiting yourself with the possibilities of where you will find your opportunities.  Try to get away from relying on traditional methods such as general job boards and unlock doors through your research and volunteering.   I'll start with the latter. The key to volunteering is ensuring that  the position creates a foundation for your career.  This means that the duties of the volunteer position must provide the basic skills required for your goal.  If you don't have a goal yet, skip right down to the "research" section.  Now, although it's important, let's just put aside the rewards you reap spiritually when volunteering to help others and realize that as a job seeker, you have a mission to develop and sell yourself to your future employer.  Therefore treat your volunteer efforts as the defining point of your career.  If you treat the vo...

When I was in telecommunications, there was nothing more fascinating than being part of cutting edge technology.  Part of the enjoyment while in the industry is being able to watch your industry to not only evolve, but to also be a major influence in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  But that psychological theory was never a prominent thought in my own mind as I watched the progression of technology in the wireless industry slowly choke out the workforce that supported it. While working in a switching office between late '98 and early 2000, I recall the size of the switch rooms and the many rows of equipment required to provide communications to mobile subscribers.  Jump ahead 10 years and you'll find that technology has either eliminated that switching office or reduced the equipment down to a single box.  Less equipment, less headcount. I recently sat down with a very good friend of mine who was with me in the industry from the beginning of our careers in telecommu...

What I love the most about any given topic is the idea that there are two sides of the coin.  Those of you who know me well can always expect me to present another perspective on a topic, no matter how obvious (or logical) something may be and even if I agree with your position. Today, I ran across a post from Gigaom.com that describes Verizon's "Connected Home" and how it will be leading the company into the realm of smart energy management in 2011.  In essence, Connected Home will allow users to do all the things the Jetsons did in their home, such as controlling appliances and environmental elements like thermostats and lights remotely through a phone app.  I've done several interviews here in Sacramento that supports the important role that telecommunication companies, both cable and wireless, will play in energy efficiency.  Please keep them on your list of targets if you want to expand your search for internships. Let me continue with the other side of the ...

Take it as a marketing tactic or a terrific sign of the company's commitment to energy, but Siemens is in the news again, but this time for the wind industry. (Found in PR Newswire) Siemens Receives its Largest Onshore Wind Turbine Order to Date and Further Solidifies its Position in the U.S. Wind Power Market No matter what your school of thought is towards the feasibility of wind power, as long as companies continue to receive orders for their renewable energy products, I will remain confident in the future of innovation to support environmental preservation.   I am not here to prove the reliability of nature to produce wind.  If we can hook up a power cord to a hamster wheel and the little fur ball generates power, I'm content.  What I want to instill is that the opportunity for a career in wind has enough "gust" to propel you far enough to learn where you will fit in. Take a look at the Siemens website here .  If you're unfamiliar with the interconnect...

There's something beautiful about a green internship. At the start of my Photovoltaics class, an assessment of the class was made to determine who is serious about "going solar".   For me, any time I'm enrolled in a class, there's some degree of seriousness otherwise, why go?  From the initial assessment, I was fortunate to be given the chance to take a position as a solar installation intern prior to completing my campus training.  Tip: Any of you who have done the same now have a bullet item for your resume to highlight adaptability .   When I was interning for the solar company (one which will be covered soon), I had come to realize just how important the opportunity was. While on the roof, my coworkers and I came up with many ideas for green companies to not only support solar, but ideas for other focuses such as electricity. Here are several things to take away from this: 1.  We are solution-driven .  Being part of an internship progr...

Every so often, I will share some of my dialogue between my classmates. It’s better to get a third perspective from my audience than to rely on who typed the last period. A classmate had asked, “Do you think society takes environmental matters seriously?” So, here is the argument behind their question. If society actually cared enough about the environment, there wouldn’t be so many challenges to get all the players to agree on at least moving towards the use of renewables and the application of sustainability. My response: “I would say that society and the current generations may not take the environmental matters seriously (or at least at levels necessary to make a drastic difference). Fortunately, as long as education exists, we have the opportunity to pass down knowledge to generations that may have no choice but to make a difference.” I compared this thought to the baby boomer’s adoption of the Internet. When the concept first became mainstream, many of the boomers rem...