Tag Archives: Condron.us

It’s Not Easy Being Blue, Brown and Green: Who is Needed for Environmental and Water Industry Jobs in America

Blue, brown and green are the colors of water, contaminated land and restored land. The job opportunities available in these markets are well paying and cannot be off-shored due to national security concerns. However, a major problem exists for the environmental and water industry companies: there are not enough Americans willing pursue these jobs because they are not glamorous and highly technical. Who wants to use math and science everyday, right? I hope you see it differently. If you are a job seeker who has the right skills and knowledge you will get hired immediately when the projects start up. Here is some information which may be helpful.

The stimulus package has $6 billion set aside for each state’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to “promote clean water and ensure safe drinking water “. These funds are used by the states to build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in cities and rural communities. The jobs connected to these projects require certifications or degrees in construction management, engineering and water plant operations. Let me turn your attention to a good opportunity.

Water/wastewater treatment plant operators are in high demand due to the large numbers of people retiring from the field. Each state has its own certification program and requirements but job seekers who have mechanical knowledge and a college degree may have a distinct edge over candidates who do not.

The EPA has an appropriation of $100 million dollars dedicated to environmental remediation and restoration programs. Environmental remediation and restoration is the process of cleaning contaminated commercial and industrial land (or brownfields) to a useful and functional state (one of the most successful industrial remediation and restoration sites is Atlanta’s Atlantic Station where an old steel factory was turned into a green based commercial area) . There are many contaminated buildings and factories around the country where chemicals and heavy metals are slowly seeping into the soil and water.

Before these contaminated sites can be restored, environmental scientists, engineers, real estate development professionals and remedial contractors will evaluate the contamination and design a cleanup plan to restore the land to “clean” status. Other professionals in the field of environmental forensics, toxicology and chemistry will be needed to assist in evaluation and legal matters.

If you are a job seeker interested in environmental remediation and restoration or the water industry make sure that you get the right education and certifications to increase your chance of getting a position . You will be glad you did.

 

3 High Tech Green Jobs You (The General Public) Have Never Heard About

We have been asked about IT and High Tech jobs coming available  in the Green economy. Other than the huge investment in medical records technology, there is going to be a need for high tech professionals who can do the following: 

  1. GIS and Remote Sensing: The Smart Grid, infrastructure, industrial and energy facilities are  controlled and monitored through a series of sensors, remote controls and digital communications. Professionals in this area will have to create code,  databases  and infrastructure needed for these systems to work properly.
  2. Air Dispersion and Contaminant Fate and Transport Modeling: These professionals collect data on environmental contamination in the air, soil and water. They use databases and mathematical models to tell us how pollution travels through the ecosystem and its effects.
  3. Environmental Risk professionals: These professionals help us to understand how environmental contaminants react in people, plants and wild life. In another area of risk assessment, they use computer decision models to help governments and companies make the right resources decisions.

Job seekers should look for opportunities where the programming or scientific skills can be a plus. Some programs to learn are: ARC GIS, CALPUFF and Modflow. We will have more information on Green Jobs later.

What are some green jobs you have heard about? Please comment.

Click here for our special offer to IT professionals

5 Critical Skills Needed to get an Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics Job in America

Learn more about Green Careers

America has a shortage of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals. As the economy continues to recover, companies will need technical professionals who have well rounded skills and the ability to produce results. If you are looking to get hired early in the American economy’s upswing, it is vitally important that your resume showcases your achievements,  ]experience and skills in at least three of the following five skill areas:

  1. The ability to create and manage business relationships: In America, money follows relationships. Top technical professionals use their expertise and interpersonal skills to create beneficial relationships with the clients, stakeholders and sponsors of a project. While they may not always be the key person in the sales relationship, their ability to communicate technical information in layman’s terms and management of expectations will play a critical role in delivering a successful and profitable product, service or solution.
  2. Strong Technical skills: A top technical professional understands the basic and advanced technical skills of their profession and can execute them in a corporate setting even as an entrepreneur or freelancer if necessary. There is a market for freelancers in any economic situation.
  3. Financial Management: A top technical professionals understands the financial objectives of their managers, clients and stakeholders. They know how to manage budgets and can present their ideas using Return on Investment (ROI), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and other financial calculations. This skill will be important since investors will be cautious about their investments.
  4. Management: Managing people, processes and policy takes leadership, empathy, adaptability and diplomacy. A top technical professional is concerned with  recruiting and mentoring talented employees; efficiently using resources and ethical business practices while maintaining profitability. In their eyes, the quality of the people, project, product or service under their charge is a statement of their character and company.
  5. Strategic Leadership: Top technical professionals anticipate new markets, types of customer needs and new applications for their product or service. For them, it is not enough to build the solution for today’s problem but to develop the next generation of upgrades, patches and innovations before the market moves.

One of the biggest issues in the current STEM job market is the “Skills Gap” where unemployed job seekers do not possess the necessary education and skills for the available jobs.  Once job seekers acquire the education and skills, they should make sure they continually take classes to keep their skills up to date.

Further Reading

 4 Ways Job Seekers Can “Skill Up” In the Post Recession Economy

Top 17 Key Job Skills Employers Want In 2012

Hinton Human Capital Careers

 

Other Related Articles

Enhanced by Zemanta

It’s Not Easy Being Green: Who Will Be Needed in the First Wave of Green Jobs

Kermit the Frog had it right - It is not easy being green. Especially if you are one of the thousands of people going after a “green job“. These job opportunities will be a driving force in the job market for years to come but they will not be easy to get initially. If you are a job seeker, you will need to get the right skills and knowledge today if you want to get hired immediately.  Here is some information which may be helpful.

The stimulus package has $5.55 billion set aside for the General Services Administration (GSA) to “convert GSA facilities to High-Performance Green Buildings”. These buildings will require some level of redesign and the procurement of specialized building materials before the projects will go to construction. Many of the initial green building construction jobs connected to these projects will require knowledge of LEED AP standards plus degrees in construction management, science or engineering. Job seekers who have a LEED AP certification, knowledge of sustainable building practices and a college degree may have a distinct edge over candidates who do not. 

The Smart Grid has an appropriation of $4.5 billion dollars. Before it goes to construction, there will be an initial need for engineers, Computer Aided Design (CAD) professionals, real estate professionals, scientists and geodetic survey personnel. The engineers and CAD professionals will do the design and specifications for the generation plants and transmission lines. The real estate professionals, scientists and geodetic survey personnel will  do the reports and surveys for the National Environmental Policy ACT (NEPA), Right of Way Acquisition and the local environmental permits required for power plant and power line construction. Job seekers pursuing these fields will need to update their education and certifications to be considered ahead of the competition.

These are just some of the green job opportunities that will come available as the stimulus package takes effect. Our advice to job seekers who want to get an edge over the competition is to take the initiative and get your certifications, degrees and/or experience in order to get these new opportunities. You will be glad you did.

The Federal Employment Crisis: Apply For Your Job Now

Many of us have seen the trouble the Obama administration has had filling key government posts. Qualified candidates have had to withdraw their names because of past mistakes which came out in the vetting process. We are also learning that the fraud scandals on Wall Street were partially caused by the inadequate number of staff at the regulatory agencies. Now I am here to alert job seekers to new opportunities which will be exacerbated by the stimulus package.

It has been widely documented that the federal government is experiencing a staffing shortage and all agencies of government are critically affected. In a year 2000 report, “Report to the President: The Human Capital Crisis” Senator George Voinovich pointed out that:

“In 2004 over 50 percent of 1.8 million federal employees will be eligible for retirement” and “at the 2004 retirement rate, in 2010 over 660,000 employees will have retired.”

A March 2001 hearing called “The National Security Implications of the Human Capital Crisis”explored the ramfications of employees losses in the DOD and other national security related agencies and concluded that :

“The amount of knowledge and experience that is literally going to walk out the door by the end of the decade is unquantifiable. Perhaps even more concerning, government service is no longer a career path of choice for young Americans for a variety of reasons. There is no government wide plan to reshape our workforce so that it can respond to the problems of today and the challenges of tomorrow”

 The federal government will need to hire large number of people to keep pace with its losses and to be able to manage the money from the stimulus package. If the government does not hire appropriate numbers of people, it is possible for the stimulus money to become bottle necked.

 We believe that the federal government will have some great job opportunities in the coming months. Don’t you think it is time to consider a government career?