EnergyCareerPath.com

One of the challenges that many students face upon completion of their studies is creating the continuity from the technical training to field applications.  Part of the problem associated with this is idea that the area of study should directly correlate to the position with the same title.  However, the common theme that I try to present to the students is that recognizing their passions and natural talent should be the priority as this is essential to their successful integration into the workforce. To help you with learning how to look beyond classifications of a career path, I’ve been given the fortunate opportunity to meet an urban planner that will highlight the overall message of this post.  Greg Chew is an urban planner for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and is highly involved in the community.  Greg was kind enough to provide professional insight for the Green-Terns. The following is the content of the interview: Green-Tern (GT): Give...

I was recently asked to comment on some of the skepticism toward the availability of job opportunities within the renewable and sustainable industries.  Both classifications are included as there is a difference, but for the sake of simplifying the message, we'll refer to the "Green" industry.  As an organization focused on accelerating opportunities within this industry, I was more than happy to help with the common goal. The Perspective Challenge The challenge is to decipher between the health of the job market relative to the overall economy and recognizing the true level of opportunities within the Green sector.  As broad as this subject is, you can choose to further dissect the viability of each industry within it (solar, wind, bio, [insert passion here]).  Given that elements such as political influence, local economies (consider the predominant industry as in the oil states, great example here ), regulations and incentives, acceptance of technology, effect...

Today I had the opportunity to attend the Sacramento Region Consortium that focused on the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program.  In short, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the Sacramento Region $1.5 million to create a regional sustainability plan for the six-county Sacramento region.  What I found most intriguing was that the consortium is a collaborative effort that can include anyone from the interested citizen to staff in local jurisdictions.  As far as business development is concerned, any organization that includes feedback from top to bottom (i.e. executive to front line employee) is destined for success.  It's a golden rule for effective communication and strategy implementation. But back to the program.  The initial meeting was designed to facilitate an understanding of the objectives, which includes the Transit Priority Area vision.  Imagine a community with optimal housing and employment ch...

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...