Green jobs are a hot topic in the career industry. But what exactly is a green job? Most people assume its work related to preserving or restoring environmental quality, but there’s more to it than that.
“The term ‘green careers’ refers to careers that permit a more sustainable economy. The world’s population is expected to reach about 9 billion by 2050. Most scientists and economists doubt that we will be able to provide for the needs of this huge population using the technologies that now maintain our lifestyle,” explain the Editors at JIST Publishing. “The earth has finite resources for energy and raw materials, and we’re using them up at a rate we cannot sustain forever.”
This dilemma has given green jobs a big boost in an economy where several other industries are struggling. Because these jobs are flourishing and projected to offer strong growth through 2018, the Editors at JIST felt it was important to feature them in the newest edition of the Young Person’s Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).
“There’s limited information about green jobs, and what is available can be confusing—particularly to young people unfamiliar with the world of work,” says JIST’s Associate Publisher Sue Pines. “One of our goals at JIST has been to demystify these jobs and show young people why they’re important, exciting and rewarding.”
A new section in the Young Person’s OOH overviews nine green jobs and gives young people insight about each job’s earnings, outlook, required education and training, related school subjects, related jobs and more. The book even features extra facts to help young people gain perspective on these emerging opportunities. Below are two examples:
From the overview on Energy Auditors: You may think that utility companies want to sell more power so they can earn more money. However, they lose money when they have to build generating facilities that are needed only on the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer. That’s why the utility companies encourage energy conservation. Some employ energy auditors and offer low-cost energy audits.
From the overview on Biomass Energy Production Workers: Biomass has surpassed hydropower as America’s largest domestic source of renewable energy. California has the largest biomass industry, but recent growth has been concentrated in the central and southern states because of the availability of feedstocks. The U.S. Department of Energy projects a 14 percent increase in energy uses of biomass in a 10-year period ending in 2018.
In addition to the section on green jobs, the Young Person’s OOH presents information on 260 major jobs, covering 90 percent of the workforce. It groups together related job descriptions, making it easy for young people to explore job options based on their interests.
The Young Person’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, Seventh Edition, published this month and is available at Amazon.com, in bookstores and from the publisher (www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST).
