How to recareer for the climate

First, find your people

Simple climate action  //   I S S U E   # 4 2    //   RECAREERING

As the world embarks on the second Industrial Revolution, we’ll need everyone to work on climate solutions for the future. Decarbonizing the global economy means repowering society with more than 2,000 terawatt-hours of clean energy—roughly five times global energy consumption in 1950—and radically redesigning everything, from cities to vehicles to homes.  

To do it, people will need to master a new set of jobs. Some occupations like accounting will expand their purview (tabulating greenhouse gases like we do dollars), while others will be truly novel: geothermal drilling camera operator, anyone? Salespeople are selling software for solar arrays, as well as forest carbon offsets from American landowners. Memphis Meats needs an operations expert to run a factory for lab-grown meat in Berkeley, California. Engineers are building agricultural machinery to sequestering soil carbon at Climate Robotics in Houston.

Results from our poll on your plans to rerecareer: Have you reconsidered your career or career goals because of the climate crisis? 👷‍♀️👨‍🌾👩‍🚀

• It's crossed my mind recently: 61%

• Yes, I re-careered years ago: 17%

• No, but I'm curious to hear about others' journey this month and consider it myself: 13%

• I've never thought about it til now! 9%

Practical advice for a climate career

Kevin Doyle, executive director of career development at Yale School of the Environment, argues there are as many ways to become a climate professional as there are people. There is no dedicated degree in climate change yet, nor is there a single, obvious career path. “There is going to come a time when climate change careers exist in a job title and degree program, but that time is not yet now,” says Doyle. “Those don’t help you find your way in the world of [climate] work as it is actually structured.”

So when people walk into Doyle’s office to start their climate career, he doesn’t suggest turning to listings on a job board or even a company. Instead, he ask them four questions. Each one draws out key elements of what you want to do, and what the world needs. Where your answers overlap is where your search begins.

1. What climate change issues or opportunities do you most want to work on? Adaptation (sea levels, drought, wildfires, etc.) or mitigation (clean energy, efficiency, transportation, agriculture, reforestation, etc.)

2. What skills and methods do you want to use? Scientific research, engineering, financing, marketing, policy design, regulatory and legal enforcement, advocacy, land use planning, etc.

3. Do you have a preferred sector? Public (local, state, national), international agencies, private industry, consulting, education, non-profits, etc.

4. Do you have a geography to work on (or work from)?

After answering those questions, people might be able to say: “I want to work on coastal climate adaptation using climate finance and policies in state governments in the New England area.” 

Most of us would struggle to answer all four questions, even after giving it serious thought. But fear not—you don’t need absolute certainty about what you want to do in order to start out on a climate career. Instead, you just need to find your tribe: the community of people who can guide you on your search for the answers. 

“Find the project that leads you to the people, and the people lead to you the advice, and the advice will lead you to the plan,” says Doyle. Climate careers exist today in what people like Beth Gibbons, executive director of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP), calls “communities of practice”, groups of people who are coalescing around solutions to fight climate change. The world is still deciding just what those solutions are, so building a career around them requires some soul-searching about who you are, as well as what the world needs right now.   

And to do this, he recommends another exercise.

• Step 1: Identify personal answers to at least two quadrants. These answers can change (how do you feel right now?)

• Step 2: Find (on Google) three to five examples of climate change projects that interest you 

• Step 3: Identify names of at least three environmental professionals associated with those projects.

• Step 4: Contact them to ask how you can get involved.

Climate career changers are everywhere

People are changing careers at an unprecedented pace, with one in four Americans estimated to be moving to new jobs in 2021. Millennials now make up one-third of the workforce, but have the highest rate of job turnover; some 50% are expected to change jobs this year. And while traditionally starting a new career meant going back to school, most of these job changers will never set foot in the classroom again. 

For those wishing to expand their network, technical knowledge, and skills, says Doyle, graduate school is going to be best for those three to five years into a career. For those in the middle of their career, certificate programs and professional associations from well-established institutions can help you stay in your current job, and upskill or shift focus. 

Imagery captured from the Vision WellCAM provides a wellbore view of a sand screen. (Source: Expro)

Still looking for what you want to do? We have some advice: 

Find the solutions
Some key organizations can help make sense of the growing number of climate opportunities. Project Drawdown is dedicated to advancing the moment when “greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop rising and start to decline.” That’s what’s needed to stabilize the climate beyond 2050. Drawdown has outlined climate solutions from peatland forest protection to dynamic glass: all the essential blueprints for society to get to net zero, and eventually negative emissions. Browse their solutions here. If you’re interested in the companies that are tackling these solutions, Climatescape is your resource.

Join a professional organization

A slew of professional organizations are emerging to help you find your way—and your people. They’re open to almost everyone who wants to make a positive impact. “We define an adaptation professional as someone who integrates projections about future climate conditions into their day-to-day work,” says Breana Nehls, program coordinator for ASAP, the American Society of Adaptation Professionals. It hopes to expand membership to any profession that can help prepare the world for its warmer future. Others, such as the National Association of Environmental Professionals, offer their own networks and certifications. And if you need an event to kick things off, register for the ASAP Network Meeting on September 13-15, or the Climate Service Providers Academy from October 14-28.

Follow the money

Grant Ferrier’s team at Environmental Business International’s Climate Change Business Journal (CCBJ) tracks trends and money flows within the “climate change industry,” identifying which areas are growing fast, and what communities of practice to approach. Also check out dedicated climate jobs sites like Climatebase which allow you to search by location, profession, sector. 

Be persistent

Above all, stay focused on what you want to do, and be tenacious. “For any serious person, from any field who really wants to make a difference—there is a place for you,” says Doyle. “It may not be easy and available, but if you’re serious, there is a way forward.”

Photo: Nikole Turrell for Hothouse

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