Paint Your Career With A Green Job

"Solar living", "green" houses, "smart" appliances, "going green" – these aren't just "the day's" catchwords; these are all phrases used to describe a way of life. In the past decade or so however, they've also come to describe a way of working.

If you're new in the field and looking for a career, or if you have a career but you'd like to increase your knowledge and skills base, you're in luck. Your position doesn't have to be high technology, like a PV Project Engineer. Thanks to the new federal incentives for solar energy, more than 440,000 jobs for installation and manufacturing will be opening up within the solar industry.

Even without the federal incentives, the need for people with solar training grows each year. Environmental groups argue against carbon pollution; homeowners looking for lower energy costs pay roofers with solar training to replace their old asphalt tiles with solar panels and PV arrays; companies and individuals who use solar energy receive tax credits. As the demand for products from the solar industry rise, so does the need for those who can develop, manufacture and install those products.

This remains true even through the current economic crisis; having a green job ensures job security in a shaky economic climate. Billions of dollars are being spent on solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing, installation and maintenance, green building and any number of energy efficient and sustainable energy methods. According to Greenpeace and the Worldwatch Institute, green jobs may be one of the keys to economic stabilization.

People in the construction industry, such as general contractors, are some of those that could take advantage of solar courses and certification. Most solar training for general contractors isn't so much learning about new things, as learning a new way to do old things. For instance, a trained general contractor will ensure that new buildings meet the high performance standards necessary to receive Green certification.

In addition, retrofitting old buildings to become energy efficient adds jobs for solar trained workers, engineers, electricians and others. Retrofitting may actually turn into a more lucrative position than building, as there are more non-compliant buildings than there are Green certified buildings.

The lack of workers with solar training isn't confined to one area:

•Connecticut just created a $9 million fund for investments in starting companies focused on clean technology jobs.
•Hawaii plans to stop using fossil fuels within the next ten years, moving to renewable, sustainable energy. An agreement to allow customers with solar panels to sell power back to the Hawaiian Electric Company was signed in November of this year, though not brought into law.
•In Oregon, over 1,700 solar jobs are either available or opening since Gov. Ted Kulongoski began luring renewable energy jobs to the state.

Everywhere across America and the globe, solar jobs are opening up and people with solar education are needed. If you don't have a field yet, or would like to expand your field, look into solar training. The opportunities are endless!