6 Steps to a Career in Sustainability

Re-evaluating career and life priorities

For many, the pandemic prompted a reevaluation of priorities. You may find yourself asking questions like:

• How can I make positive contributions to address the injustices I witness on a daily basis?
• How can I help create healthier, more equitable communities?
• How can I apply my skills to address the climate crisis and ensure that efforts are focused on populations that are disproportionately impacted by pollution and the impacts of climate change?

The field of sustainability presents an opportunity to do work that is aligned with your values and priorities. While pursuing my graduate studies in public administration, in 2006 I made a career pivot into the growing field of sustainability, after advocating for the creation of a campus recycling program.

As a Campus Sustainability Coordinator, I worked on a range of areas from environmentally preferred dining and purchasing, to energy and water conservation, to green building projects, to sustainable transportation. Learn more - check out this article I authored back in 2010.

People often ask, "what does 'sustainability' refer to?" Sustainability is about meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. (Learn more: International Institute for Sustainable Development (https://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-development) and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030.html).

Below are six steps to help you enter the field of sustainability.

#1: Clarify your top areas of interest

Job seekers are often concerned they will eliminate too many job prospects if they narrow down their interests. However, to make progress on your career development, it is important to take the time to develop clarity and a sufficiently specific focus. To do this, take the time to research a range of topics and choose 3 or so that are of most interest to you.

Some examples include:

• Climate change (adaptation, greenhouse gas emissions, resiliency)
• Corporate social responsibility
• Ecological or environmental justice
• Environmental health
• Environmental protection
• Environment, social, and governance (ESG)
• Energy efficiency
• Food systems
• Habitat restoration
• Land use/zoning
• Oceans
• Renewable energy (sometimes called clean energy)
• Parks, green space
• Socially responsible investing (SRI) or social impact investing
• Transportation (urban mobility, sustainable transportation, active transportation)
• Sustainable buildings/development
• Waste/materials management
• Water, wetlands

Many of these issues are interconnected, but it is still valuable to identify a few that are of most interest to you because it will help you be more focused and specific, which will make it easier for others to help you.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (https://ncsl.org/) is a great resource for:

1. browsing topic areas and conducting research to increase your awareness about policies and
2. current events that impact your top areas of interest.

#2: Familiarize yourself with the sectors of the economy

All three sectors of the economy present opportunities to work in the realm of sustainability. Get to know more about the sectors:

• Public
• Private
• Third sector: non-governmental, non-profit, values driven

For each sector there are specialized websites and job boards for researching opportunities and organizations.

#3: Focus on your strengths

By reflecting on your skills, strengths, and the type of work you most enjoy, you can gain clarity about potential types of sustainability-related roles to pursue. A few examples include:

• Community Organizer
• Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
• Data Analyst
• Lobbyist/Director of Advocacy/Legislative Director
• Communications Specialist, Coordinator, or Director
• Policy Associate or Analyst
• Research Assistant or Director
• Sustainability Coordinator or Director

If you're not sure what your skills and strengths are, it can help to complete one or more assessments. For instance, visit O*NET OnLine, sponsored by the US Department of Labor, to access the Interest Profiler (https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip). Working with a career coach can help you learn about additional resources that can help you gain insight into your skills, values, and interests.

Transferable Skills: If you already have years of experience, but not in the exact role, topic, or industry you're interested in shifting to, focus on transferable skills. What skills do you possess that are necessary for advancing the missions of your target organizations?

Use job descriptions as part of your research: Reading a wide variety of job descriptions on a site such as LinkedIn can help you narrow down the types of roles you might be interested in and identify potential roles of interest.

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." - Oprah Winfrey
        

#4: Identify your target organizations

Now that you have a good idea of the topics and types of roles you're interested in, it's time to do some research so you can create a list of 20-40 target organizations. Here's what to do:

1. Identify organizations you're interested in that are in your target markets (e.g., Chicago) or that are remote if you're interested in remote work
2. Research these organizations and key players?within them (for instance, not just staff, but also board members, partner organizations, funders, sponsors, community partners, etc.)
3. Start to form connections by engaging online (subscribe to email lists, connect on social media, read content on their websites, etc.)

Tip: If you are interested in browsing and researching nonprofit organizations, check out GuideStar (https://www.guidestar.org/) -- the world's largest source of information on nonprofit organizations.

#5: Gain experience through volunteering and projects

You don't need to wait until you secure a job to gain experience with organizations and issues of interest to you.

Volunteering can be a great way to build skills, build your network, and gain clarity on what types of roles you're interested in (and not interested in), all while contributing to a cause you care about. Also, organizations often look to volunteers when they are seeking to hire because there is already a familiarity. A few options for how to gain experience as a volunteer include:

• Campaigns:

There are different types of campaigns such as issue (policy) campaigns and candidate campaigns. There are different scopes as well: local, state, national, international. Especially if you have any interest in policy making, it is valuable to gain campaign experience.

• Legislators:

Research your local and state elected officials to find out if they're working on something with which you might want to assist. Connecting with them via social media and signing up for their email list (if they have one) are ways to start to learn what they're involved in.

Perhaps they are working on an issue you would be interested in assisting with, or maybe you can collaborate on something. Research, writing, and outreach are just a few possible ways to contribute.

Example: As a law student, a career counselor I met with encouraged me to explore my interest in environmental policy. She recommended that I reach out to a lawmaker to offer to assist with a project, so I could gain some relevant experience for my desired career direction.

By following her suggestion, I was able to contribute to climate adaptation legislation, working closely with State Senator William Brownsberger and his staff. While working full-time and attending law school at night, I volunteered a few hours per week for a few months, conducting research, participating in meetings with the Senator and subject matter experts, and helping draft legislation.

This volunteer experience helped me transition my career into environmental policy by enabling me to learn about key issues, add to my portfolio, meet professionals in my desired field, and gain policy experience.

Know who represents you: If you don't know who represents you, look up the information online (e.g., Massachusetts elected official lookup tool or a similar website for where you live) and help them get to know you. Consider your elected officials on the local, state, and federal levels.

You might start building a relationship by positively engaging with them on social media, signing up for their email list, and maybe even contributing to their political campaign as a volunteer and/or donor.

It is easier to get an elected official's attention if they know who you are. They have a lot of competition for their time and attention, so building a relationship is helpful if you are seeking to be an effective advocate and/or potential collaborator.

• Nonprofit organizations:

Start by volunteering. Learn about an organization's needs and explore how you might assist. Then consider taking your commitment to the next level by joining the board.

Example: Environmental Voter Project is a national data-based effort to get people who are concerned about climate change to register to vote and become regular voters. You can volunteer from home to help with this work.

• Small businesses:

What businesses in your community might be interested in assistance to use environmentally responsible practices to increase resource efficiency?

#6: Build relationships

Strong relationships are key to leading a fulfilling career and life. Keep in mind the following:

• People are more likely to recommend and hire people they know, like, and trust.
• You have a whole network you may not even realize. (LinkedIn + a spreadsheet can be a powerful combination to help you track, engage with, and grow your network.)
• What have you got to lose by reaching out?
• Meet new people by participating in webinars and online events...then follow up via LinkedIn and/or email to get to know each other.
• Don't only reach out to people when you have a request. Get in the habit of providing value. Get to know others' needs and goals and explore how you might be able to lend support.
• The relationships we form and cultivate present an opportunity to broaden our worldview, diversify and enrich our network, and be supportive and actively engaged with individuals and organizations who are working to achieve equitable, healthy communities.

A few resources

Want to learn more about environmental justice? "Environmental justice embraces the principle that all people and communities have a right to equal protection and equal enforcement of environmental laws and regulations." Learn more -- visit the website of Dr. Robert Bullard (https://drrobertbullard.com/).

Learn more about the links between our environment and our health, and what zip code has to do with it -- visit the Boston University Environmental Health Department website (https://www.bu.edu/sph/about/departments/environmental-health/).

Learn about efforts to organize and advocate for a just transition to a sustainable economy that allows communities to attain environmental and economic justice -- visit the Green Justice Coalition website (https://greenjusticecoalition.org/).

#sustainability #greenjobs #greencareers #climatejobs

"I wanted to touch base to give you an exciting update...Your guidance has been incredibly helpful..." - Carlee C., job seeker with a passion for sustainability.