Quick Guide To My Sustainability Journey

Hi there!

Phew, after an overwhelmingly positive response to my post earlier today about a sustainability internship role at Aritzia, I thought it might be a little easier to have a place to orient folks who are interested in learning more about me (and there are a lot of you and WOW, that feels nice).

I want to start and ground this by saying I'm very average and I have to write this for my own mental well-being because I'm overwhelmed. I have a partner, two kids under six, a dog, and I live in a cool little ski town in BC, Canada. This means that, like many of you, I am TIRED and over it and trying to make it through the 1,574,985 weeks that this pandemic has been dragging on. I'm juggling working full time (1.5ish jobs if you count this amazing job that I'm also still doing, please share), childcare, a sprinkle of board service, and trying to make space to take care of my mental and physical health. What I don't have any bandwidth for right now is a lot of extra informational interviews where I talk about myself for 30-minutes, so I hope this is helpful for you to get started.

Here are some answers to your most-asked questions:

1. Question: How did you get into this space? Answer: a lot of hustling and a lot of luck. I started my career in corporate finance and accounting and did not love it. While I knew I wanted to find a more purpose-driven career, I found a hard time doing it being an immigrant in the US AND not having a sustainability or social impact background. I decided to do my MPA in International Development and Technology Entrepreneurship at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. I overloaded myself with all the relevant coursework in the public affairs school and whatever the business school would let me take. I also relentlessly networked at every single event I could sneak my way into. I got a couple of amazing internships, and through my network, supported by my whole history of experience, convinced a connection to refer my resume to Starbucks. I have a folder with hundreds of versions of my CV and cover letters that culminated in that one offer at the right time after so. many. rejections.
2. Questions: What skills or experience do you need to get roles in the sustainability space? Answer: it depends. There are lots of technical roles in this space that require really specific experience. If the job description asks for experience in a certain audit protocol, or chemistry certification, or architectural or engineering designation, that's probably not something you can get past the HR screening. What I have witnessed reviewing hundreds of CVs for various roles is that I don't always see the story coming together. Yes, experience is great, but I learned, we all learn, and nothing is rocket science. What doesn't move your application forward is when I don't see how you can put the pieces together - how you became an expert at something, or how you convinced a senior leader to support your initiative. Put those proof points out there loud and clear. Also, don't be afraid to shoot your shot, you'll not get 100% of the jobs you don't apply for.
3. Question: What skills or certifications would you recommend I pursue and should I get a masters? Answer: it depends. I am so grateful for my time at Evans. I met the most amazing people, had the most brilliant professors in the world, and the experience opened up doors to me. What graduate school did not do though is pay for itself nor did an offer letter for a cool job end up neatly rolled up in my diploma. It probably won't for you as well. You have to decide for yourself if a graduate degree is worth the time and money and what kind of network you already have to gain access to this industry. I have nothing against sustainability MBAs, but I personally want to see internships and jobs, so consider that if you are considering grad programs and which one. When I was freshly graduated and searching for jobs, I stacked my resume side-by-side with a couple dream job descriptions and went through line-by-line to see what I was missing. I had the business acumen and ability to speak in corporate, but lacked the storytelling and communications side of things, so I took an internship with a communications firm! Be thoughtful about your next move.
4. Question: I don't have any formal sustainability experience or training, how do I break in? Answer: there is always a window. I get it, it's really hard to get these roles. I was lucky and I have a lot of privilege working for me. I've seen folks hustle and finally make it through. If you want to do this, then keep reaching out. When you see someone with a cool background, follow them or connect with them (I assume that's why you've read this far). Do not waste their time. Ask pointed questions and graciously accept when they decline to meet. I got rejected or outright ignored by so many people when I was first job searching, but then a couple months later when I job opened up on their team or at their company, I'd do my homework and reach back out again with a super targeted ask. I also always respected their wishes if they said no calls or coffees, and sometimes I still got rejected. Good news is that it doesn't take many, it just takes one. Eventually, if it's the right fit, things will fall into place! The other route is to join an organization in a different capacity, and then slowly integrate yourself into the sustainability team, or just go ahead and create that role! I've worked with folks who started out in HR, finance, comms, marketing, operations, strategy... you name it and successfully made the move. It's a long game but companies love to move people around internally and a lot can be said for understanding how the business operates from the inside.

You've made it so far! Thank you! I am cheering for you! If you find this missive helpful, please let me know, and if you feel so inclined, please leave a comment with any questions you'd like answered and I'll get to them next time!