Editor’s Note: This is the third in a four-part series about the current job market.
Scott Eardley knew he wanted to enter the environmental job field after hearing the forest he played in as a child being ripped apart.
“I woke up one morning hearing the trees cracking, and it sounded like screaming, and that was awful,” Eardley said.
“It was that day I was like, ‘I need to be proactive, not reactive,’” he added. “Because when you’re reactive, sometimes it’s too late to do anything.”
Eardley, a fourth-year student studying chemical engineering on the energy and environment track, is a student in the growing field of green jobs, a segment of the market that focuses on the environment.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are two segments of the green job market: one focuses on producing goods that benefit the environment and conserve resources, while the other involves employees making their established company more friendly to the environment.
"There certainly are some jobs generated by (environmentalism), but I think also it’s just a feeling of a sense of opportunity or a commitment to society where individuals want to help organizations reach some of their green goals,” said Thomas Korvas, director of Ohio University Career Services.
In a 2009 survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found 2,154,700 establishments that are classified as having green jobs, 38.1 percent of which are in the construction industry and 36.2 percent of which are in professional and business services.
“The whole environmental sector in general is growing,” said Kristine Hoke, assistant director of Career Services. “Yes, technology plays a role in it, but just with companies trying to become more socially responsible in terms of their environmental impact, it definitely has created job opportunities.”
Hoke added that in her experience, the people who aim for green jobs often have a commitment to environmentalism. The average chemical engineer earns $91,670 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Carbon Salary Survey — a study of people in green jobs — reports that engineers in an environmental field earn $55,000 annually, a decrease of nearly $37,000.
“It almost takes that passion for change to kind of be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t need to make $100,000 prospecting oil because I believe in (the environment), and I’m willing to make what I make doing that,’” Eardley said.
Eardley and other people with majors that lead to green jobs have taken steps to develop other skills. He said he has developed skills, such as better communication, which would allow him to use his engineering background to pursue a career in consulting.
“My big goal for my career is to somehow change our society for the better in an environmentally-friendly area, not just because it’s nice, but ultimately there will be a water scarcity, there will be an oil scarcity, and these are challenges we face as a civilization,” Eardley said.
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