Green Jobs

I am one of those people that aims for a green job; a career that in whatever small way leads to being a savour of the world.

Reasons for this:-

• Climate change is happening, within the 24 years of life – I am able to give hundreds of examples of it destroying environments and peoples lives.
• I love the idea of working within a communication sector that is not all about profit, but aims to create great change individually, within a community, a nation, a continent, a whole planet!
• I have grown up with superhero’s on the brain and without coming into contact with radioactive material or wearing my pants on the outside, this is the nearest I get to saving the world

They is a slight issue with this career goal however.

The United Nations Environment Programme define Green Jobs as

Work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution.*

which covers quite a lot of different varied jobs – so how come – there are so few about?

OK that’s a little white lie. Day-by-day in my search for the perfect full time job, they has been a general small increase in opportunities and roles that involve some sort of sustainable, environmental aspect.

Its just none seem applicable for graduates.
you need ‘at least 2-3 years experience’ a ‘blah blah blah qualification’ and a ‘high level of something you never were taught at university’ 

Therefore the only way to get a job is to work hard get those years of experience behind you so that one day you will get that fantastic job and you will in turn push aside those recent and growing number of graduates aiming for a green job.

Will this continue?

Will the unbelievable happen and an army of green jobs appear that have been promised for the last couple of years by the government and others?

Will companies, organisations, groups charities etc realise that whilst these recent graduates do not have 2-3 years of labour behind them -  they are keen, they want to save the planet and they can actually pick things up quite quickly. (This of course does not include clothes on the floor) 

Maybe..We the graduates have to be the ones to push this to happen.
If we can complain to friends and family about the job situation, why can’t we push this to those who could make the change.

After all we are now voters, We will be joined by 4/5 years of new voters. What can stop us?**

*http://www.unep.org/PDF/UNEPGreenjobs_report08.pdf 

**The only answer I am accepting is global destruction.