Green Collar Job Guide for College Students

You're here, so you already know the alternative energy industry is super cool. But the industry is also growing rapidly and there are plenty of jobs in it.

Here's a couple quick stats that will convince you, if you're not already:

• Green Collar Jobs: The Green Jobs Report by the American Solar Energy Society in 2007 reported that Green Jobs currently account for 9 million jobs with the number expected to grow by 37 million by 2030.
• Geothermal Industry: From 2002 to 2007 the geothermal industry grew by 100% with no government incentives. In February 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed that included for the first time a 30% un-capped tax credit for geothermal systems. This has created more rapid, stable growth for the geothermal industry.
• Solar Energy (Photovoltaic (PV): According to the 2008 Interstate Renewable Energy Council Solar Market Trends Report, the solar PV industry grew by over 1000% from 1999 to 2008. The growth rate doubled in 2008 with the 30% tax credit with a cap of $8,000 was passed. In 2009, the 30% tax credit was extended and un-capped until 2016, creating explosive growth. Many states reported a doubling a capacity in 2008.
  
• Solar Thermal: According to the 2008 Interstate Renewable Energy Council Solar Market Trends Report, the solar thermal market has increased more then 400% since 2005. With added government incentives the industry is expected to continue rapid growth.
  
• LEED Green Building: The Green Building industry will create or support 7.9 million jobs between 2009 and 2013 and will contribute $553 billion dollars to the U.S economy.
  
• Energy Efficiency: According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, in 2004 $300 billion was invested in energy efficiency supporting 1.6 million jobs with that amount expect to grow to $700 billion by 2030.
  
  

Finding a green collar is very different than traditional, more established industries, like consulting, marketing, or accounting in many significant ways:

1. Rapid growth - Creating a huge demand for a skilled, passionate workforce
   
2. No experts - The industry is too new to be filled with experts. Everyone needs to trained and be able to learn quickly
   
3. No Clear Career Path - Its the wild west, anything goes and the old rules don't apply
   

This creates several problems for traditional college career service departments to help you, mainly because they are not familiar with the new industry. If you go to your career development office and ask them about a career in consulting, accounting or finance, they will have plenty of resources, contacts and answers for you because they've done it thousands of times. However, green collar jobs are completely new. If you were to ask the same career services department for resources, contacts, or help in the alternative energy, green or solar industries, like I did, they will be a lot less helpful. This is not because they're not well trained and are not smart, on the contrary. Its just because the industry is so new and no one knows which way is up.

The rapid growth has created an industry where there is huge demand, but few people to to fill the demand. The fact that the industry is so new means that unlike traditional industry, few experts exist. Lastly, there is no clear career path. If you want to be an accountant, you know and can find the EXACT steps you must take, what scores you need to make, the schools you need to go to, and the internships that will help you out.

This creates a huge opportunity for students to fill the demand. However, new skills and strategies need to be learned and applied to the industry.

On the flip side, you're getting information that took me 3 years and many jobs to figure out for a low price. You could find all this information on your own, but it would take you a long time and some missed opportunities. If you're a junior looking for a sustainable internship or a senior looking for an alternative energy job you need to minimize your learning curve, and get in the industry soon on the ground floor.

For less than the price of a text book you'll get the resources and a step by step guide of how to turn your passion and existing education into a career.

When I created the guide, I realized I wanted to provide students with real, hard economic value. So, I reached out to my training contacts to create the BONUS '10 Ways Students Waste Money on Green Collar Job Training' and negotiated over $500 worth of discounts on tip top green collar job training for student serious about getting an green career it will pay for itself.

There's no risk. If you don't find the information useful you get a 110% refund and can keep the BONUS material and discounts.

The 7 sections will provide you a step by step path to taking out the guess work and minimize the learning curve to allow you to turn your passion and current education into a career.

The BONUS material will teach you '10 Ways that Students Waste Money on Green Collar Job Training' and will provide you with reviews and over $500 worth of discounts on green collar job trainings.

Here's the outline of the guide:
         
       Section 1: Understanding the Technologies and Concepts
       The single and most critical part to understanding the industry is knowing and understanding the basic concepts and technologies that are driving it. You will not be able to market, sell, finance or develop something that you do not understand.
      Section 1 Will Include:

• One page technical document that describe the fundamentals for each technology (geothermal, solar PV, solar thermal, energy efficiency, green building) written in plain English.
  
• The technical review document will allow you to 1) understand what each technology is 2) how it works 3) must know information about each technology 4) provide illustrations to describe the technology
  
• A complete reading list of books, publications, and resources that can be used to build on the technical knowledge of each technology. This will be essential for you once you understand the basics and are looking for more in depth knowledge.
  

       Section 2: Knowing the Industry
       After you understand the technology, you need to understand the industries. This will help you to impress a potential company during an interview, while networking, and will help you find your niche. I'll teach you what you need to know about the each industry and what you need to be reading to keep up to date.
       Section 2 Will Include:

• A complete list of industry acronyms and their meanings. Do you know what REGGI, an RPS, an ACP, or the difference between a kWH and a kW are? You'll need to know this to impress others
• Complete industry 'cheat sheet' for each of the 5 industries.
  
• The cheat sheet will cover 1) key companies 2) industry trends 3) key factors to success in each industry 4) industry specific acronyms 5) driving forces of change in each industry
  
• Top 10 publications you need to be reading for each of the 5 industry.
  
• Lists of reviews of the top 20 blogs that industry professionals use to keep up to date.
  

       Section 3: Find your Niche
       By finding your niche, I mean finding the place in the industry you're going to work in. The renewable energy and green building industries are so vast and becoming larger that it can be daunting when you look at them from the outside. The good news is, after understanding the technology and the industry you'll have a better understanding of what you'll want to do for work. For good measure, I've created a complete guide for you. I'll break down each industry by the typical types of entry level jobs and qualifications that are looked at for each job. This isn't to say you have to go into a certain type of position but it may be easier.
       Section 3 Will Provide:

• Complete table of typical entry level jobs by industry and by qualification. This will help you to determine your place given your current education, passion, and any supplemental education you may need. 
• There are over 40 typical entry level jobs in the 5 hot industry focused on
  
• Here is a sample:       

  

Section 4: Make Friends
       Some people call this 'networking' but in the green industry we're all friends because we're saving the world. I say making friends because you should actually be making friends. Making friends is about building your circle of contacts that can help to guide you, provide you with references and referrals and ideas for your job search. A reference or introduction is 100 times more valuable than a cold email or call.
       Section 4 Will Provide:

• 6 strategies for building your contacts in each green collar job industry including the 1) research project method 2) speaker series
  
• 10 resources for finding your green collar friends in your state at the best conferences, 'meetups' and local organizations. Face to face meeting are the best and will help you tons. 
• Template emails scripts that can be used when reaching out to future friends
  

       Section 5: Find 10 Target Companies that are Hiring
       The next step is to hone in on target companies that you want to work with. Now that you know the technologies, industries, your niche and have a bunch of friends you're ready to find a company. Most companies do not list their openings so the goal here is only to find a list of companies, not to contact them, this will come later.
       Section 5 Will Include:

• 10 Proven Resources to find companies that are growing and hiring in your state in each of the 5 hot industries. I've used these resources in many hunt for internships and jobs.
  

       Section 6: Get your Foot in the Door
       After you have a handful of companies you want to work with you need to get your foot in the door. The green collar job industry is unique in how new and fast the industry is growing. The key here is to stand out, show that you're an expert and have done your reading, are passionate and can learn.
       Section 6 Will Include:

• 5 effective strategies I've used to get in the door of companies, including the 'blog method'
• The top 5 most ineffective ways to contact green organizations
  
• Email templates that can be customized and used to get in contact with professionals while reliving the stress of 'asking for a job'

       Section 7: Acing the Interview
       This module will be the shortest of them all. The hard part in the green industry is getting the right information, making friends, and getting your foot in the door. Once you get your foot in the door there is tons of information about how to master interviews. However, I will take some time to outline a couple general principles that are specific to renewable energy interviews.
        Section 7 Will Include:

• 5 questions asked in green interviews NOT asked in traditional industries
• 5 questions to ask during an interview to stand out and show your serious
  

       BONUS Section 8: 10 Ways Students Waste Money on Green Collar Job Trainings
       When looking to set yourself apart from the crowd training is an integral part for a couple reasons:

1. Its gives you a credential to supplement your education
   
2. It shows your serious to potential employers
3. It demonstrates passion and seriousness by putting your own money on the line.
   

       However, from my work at HeatSpring Learning Institute, I've learned that people waste money on trainings in many ways. You don't want to be this person.
       Bonus Section 8 Will Include:

• The Top 10 Ways Students Waste Money on Green Collar Job Trainings
  
• A highlight of the 10 ways:
  

1. Training is not industry certified
2. No references available
3. Training is not brand agnostic

       BONUS Section 9: Over $500 in Discounts on Top Green Collar Job Training
        Will you always need training? No, it depends on your goal, some of you surely will. So, once you know how to avoid wasting money, it may be important for you to get some  training to supplement your college education depending on the niche you've identified and what company you're looking to work with. Using the connections I made while working in the training industry I've established relationships with the best renewable energy training providers to give you $500 worth of discounts on geothermal, solar PV, solar thermal, energy efficiency, and green building training providers. This module will provide you with discount codes and links needed to access these discounts that can't be found anywhere else. 
       Bonus Section 9 Will Include:

•  When you purchase the guide you will receive the discount codes for the following green collar job trainings  

           Solar Photovoltaic Training

• $100 discount on Rich Hessler's Online PV Solar Sales Training Program. The best solar sales training on the market
• $50 discount on HeatSpring Learning Institute's IREC ISPQ Accredited Solar Installer Boot Camp
• $50 off Boots on the Roof IREC ISPQ Accredited Solar PV Training
  
• 20% discounts on Sun Pirates Industry Accredited Online Solar Training

           Solar Thermal Training

• 10% off Sun Max Solar Thermal Installation Training
• 100$ off Boots on the Roof Solar Thermal Training
  

           Green Building

• 20% off Green Exam Academy Green Building LEED GA Exam Prep Material
• 50$ off any Everblue LEED Training program
  

           Geothermal Training

• 100$ off HeatSpring Learning Institutes Entry Level Geothermal Certificate Online Training
  
• 100$ off HeatSpring's IGSHPA Accredited Geothermal Installer Training
  

           Energy Efficiency

• 100$ off any Everblue BPI Energy Auditor Training
  

Well, let’s not be silly. Of course I do.

What I mean is I don’t want your money if you’re not happy with what you get.

If you don't find the information useful and you're not unhappy with what I deliver, send me an email and tell me. I'll refund your money.

No hassle and no problem. If you’re not happy, I’m not happy.