Your career in sustainability awaits

The jobs and opportunities that come with building a sustainable world

This past month, I’ve been privileged to speak to several high school and university audiences – in other words, young people facing that first, huge decision: what will I do with my life?  Where appropriate, I’ve tried to impress upon them that the global transition to sustainability will provide a treasure trove of career opportunities – as well as the unique and deep satisfaction that comes with making the world a better place.

So exactly what are those opportunities?  This is far from a comprehensive list, but hopefully the snippets below may inspire career seekers young and old to become the changemakers we need.

Biology: protection of endangered species; preservation of wetlands, forests and other natural areas; restoration of damaged ecosystems; marine biology and reversing ocean acidification; building understanding of the interconnected web of life

Chemistry: helping fix the quagmire that is plastics and plastic ‘recycling’; developing better ways to minimize and manage electronic, toxic and other waste streams

Agriculture: developing cropping systems less dependent on chemical fertilizers; developing heat and drought resistant varieties; reducing food system losses and waste; preserving precious topsoil; carbon sequestration in soils

Arts: creating the next photograph, painting or graphic that will change the world; writing the poem or song that will become the new anthem of hope and resolve; inspiring change through storytelling; championing sustainable fashion design; using social marketing to foster more sustainable human behaviours and actions; developing sustainability policies for organizations, institutions and individuals

Education: teaching a new generation how to reconnect with the natural world upon which we depend; instilling a mindset of resourcefulness, resilience, collaboration, flexibility, creativity and focus; communicating the why, what and how of sustainability; inspiring the sustainability leaders of the future

Engineering: designing and building the renewable energy systems of tomorrow (wind, solar, hydro, tidal, wave, geothermal, biofuels); electrification of everything; conducting credible life cycle analyses; electric vehicles and sustainable transportation, in particular freight; energy storage (batteries, reservoirs, gravity-based, compressed air, molten salt and more); designing and building climate resilient infrastructure; drawing down atmospheric carbon

Technology: making everything related to energy efficiency more accessible and user-friendly; developing apps to increase energy literacy and enable energy management; designing energy management systems for buildings; gamification of sustainability so we can have fun while learning

Trades and technical: residential, commercial and industrial energy efficiency advisor; net-zero building design and construction; wind turbine technician; solar installer; e-bike repair; environmental technician; fixing anything that’s broken

Miscellaneous: landscape architecture that integrates natural systems; sustainable urban planning; environmental law; environmental performance monitoring; corporate sustainability management; sustainable financing

Finally, all careers: please reserve some of your gifts and talents for political engagement and even activism if necessary, because solving climate change will require bold action from local, provincial, national and global leaders – and they need to hear from all of us.