Aligning Career Choices with SDGs | FarhanasBrainstation

Aligning Career Choices with SDGs?????

Introduction

Are our young professionals contributing sufficiently to society or the country? In today’s world, on one side we are celebrating our technological advancement, on the other side, the constant threat of climate change, the rise of poverty, environmental degradation, humanitarian crisis, deprivation of human rights, increase of inflation, and price hike of daily commodities and foods are looming around us. To fight these dangers all the member States of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Governments of different countries, organizations, and different communities all are engaged in fulfilling those seventeen goals. But as a young professional, you can contribute significantly to fulfilling those goals by aligning your career choices with the Sustainable Development Goals. Before we discuss how you can align your career choices with the SDGs, let us have a look at those goals, the importance to align your career with SDGs, etc.?

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals focuses on 17 goals. Each goal contains several targets. To achieve those goals each target must be implemented. The

Progress report on SDGs, 2023 shows that the different countries may not meet most of the Goals by 2030. Though there has been some progress in some areas, still other seems to regress or the progress is very slow.

So, it is very important that not only the government or organizations involve in accomplishing those goals, but also the contribution from each individual is necessary. So, now you may think is there any profession related to SDGs? Well actually, there are many career paths related to these goals.

Careers related to SDGs

Both in the public and private sectors, many professions are directly related to SDGs. Some of these professions include Climate change researchers, Government officials, jobs in NGOs, teachers, social workers, environmental activists, economists, etc. But other careers also align indirectly with those goals like; lawyers, entrepreneurs, defense service, etc.

Why is it Important to Align?

Now a question may occur in your mind like; why aligning career choices with SDGs is important? What is the need? Let me clarify that for you. You see, young professionals like you are at a point in life where you can choose a path that has a meaningful way to contribute to global sustainability and make a positive impact not only on society but also on the country and the world. The other significance of aligning career choices with SDGs can be summed up as follows:?

1. It allows you to address the global issues.
2. It gives you a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
3. It enables you to work for long-term sustainability.
4. By aligning your career with SDGs you can be a part of a global network of people of the same motto. Thus you will get the chance of knowledge sharing, build collaboration and network, etc.?
5. As SDGs cover multidisciplinary sectors, aligning your career with SDGs will give you the ability and also help you to understand the multi-sectoral teamwork environment.?
6. Other major sustainability programs and standards are aligned with SDGs. So your career choice in alignment with SDGs will give you ample opportunities to gain knowledge on those standards and programs and thus magnify your skills.?

How to align career with SDGs

So now the golden question arises, how can we align our career choices with SDGs? Here are a few tips that might help you to align your career preferences with SDGs:

1. First, you have to identify your area of interest. What attract you most? Which area line up with your area of study?? What is your expertise? Find out those questions.?
2. After getting those answers, do some research. As technological advancement has opened a new horizon for us and given us many options in careers. By doing research you will be able to choose the path or way through which you can contribute.?
3. Once you have chosen a few career paths, try to build a network with people in the same field. This will give you more clarification on the specific career path you have selected.
4. This tip is not for the individual who is exploring his or her career path. Rather than it is for the policy maker of the country. Without practical knowledge and skill-based education, all efforts will go in vain. So, the policymakers should introduce an outcome-based curriculum that will help the graduates to apply their academic knowledge in the professional field and thus will enable them to engage more in accomplishing those goals.?

Conclusion

If we look closely we can see that every goals are inter-related. So, whatever your expertise or career choices are, you can contribute directly or indirectly to establishing SDGs by just doing your part with dedication.??

References

Retrieved from: https://sdgs.un.org/goals, Accessed on 24 May 2023

1. Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet, Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/SDG_Progress_Report_Special_Edition_2023_ADVANCE_UNEDITED_VERSION.pdf, Accessed on 24 May 2023
2. TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,? Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/publications/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf , Accessed on 24 May 2023????
3. Wilson M., Using the SDGs to Guide Your Sustainability Career, Retrieved From https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/using-sdgs-guide-your-sustainability-career-mel-wilson/, Accessed on 25 May 2023s        

Written by,

Subrina Akter

Content Writer, FarhanasBrainstation

Team: FBS Community Champs