What are Green Collar Jobs?

Green Collar jobs are defined as being jobs that benefit the environment by reducing waste and pollution. These types of jobs are extremely popular with politicians from both parties, who have promised to create millions of green collar job openings in the near and distant future. Even so, the average person who is not acquainted with the green industry may be hesitant to seek out a green collar job without knowing a bit more about what such jobs entail and which benefits they offer.

Getting to Know Green Jobs

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines green jobs as either jobs that produce goods or provide services that specifically benefit the environment, or jobs that make the business’ production processes more environmentally friendly. Green jobs include both white collar and blue collar jobs. As the BLS points out, green job opportunities can be found in a wide range of industries, including:

• Construction
• Education
• Professional/Business services
• Repair and Maintenance
• Natural resources/Mining
• Public administration
• Information
• Trade
• Manufacturing
• Health Services

Blue collar jobs in the green sector are typically found in construction and manufacturing. They include careers in welding, HVAC installation/repair, construction work, carpentry, brick laying, car manufacturing and solar panel installation. White collar jobs may include working as a trade school teacher, construction site manager, architect or the business administrator, manager, sales representative or marketing manager for an environmentally friendly business.

What are the Benefits of a Green Collar Job?

There are many reasons why pursuing a green collar job is a good idea. Here are just a few of them:

• There are plenty of jobs to go around. As Fortune notes, green collar jobs have been growing quietly but steadily. As the job growth in many of these fields is faster than average, there will be no shortage of job opportunities for those who have the right skills and education.
• In many instances, you do not need a college degree in order to get a green collar job. For a number of jobs all that is required is a high school diploma, on-the-job training or a vocational school certificate/degree. Particularly those who want to learn a specialized career often attend vocational school program, which is much more affordable than the average college or university degree program. Thus, choosing a green collar career can be cost- and time-efficient.
• Green collar workers who do opt to get a college or even graduate degree have the potential to earn an especially high annual salary. In fact, a person with a green collar job can earn up to 20% more than a person with a similar white or blue collar job.
• Green collar jobs give workers the satisfaction that they are doing something to benefit the environment – and eventually future generations. Those who are concerned about issues such as global warming and environmental pollution often find that green collar work is fulfilling as it enables them to make a positive difference.
• There are plenty of opportunities for green collar workers to strike out on their own and become self-employed.

As you can see, the green collar job market has much to offer in the way of rewarding, lucrative career options. If you are looking for a career with plenty of job opportunities, but do not have a large amount of money and time to spend on studies, then finding green collar work may very well be your best option. Simply consider the options and then find the exact trade that you feel would be best for you.