7 Key Reasons to Build a Career in Sustainability
- Reasons Why it Makes Sense
Generative AI and a changing market landscape are already causing a serious disruption in a lot of career options. Many career streams including content writing, SEO, graphic design, even coding seem to be in a state of flux. There’s definitely a high-demand for talent with AI skills, though it doesn’t seem to appeal to everyone. If you are one of those people, there’s another enticing option—building a career in sustainability.
Reasons Why it Makes Sense
In addition to the obvious—there’s money to be made—there are several reasons why sustainability jobs and careers are bound to grow.
1. Demand-Supply Gap
As per multiple surveys—Linkedin (1), Microsoft (2), BCG (3), and several others—it’s no longer about the future. The demand for sustainability talent has been rising much faster than the number of people with these skills. And everyone knows what happens when demand outstrips supply—there is a premium. Additionally, it is also estimated that the gap is expected to widen in the coming years. Which means more companies chasing limited talent. If you pursue a career in suitability, this is a good place to be in, isn’t it?
2. Some Security From Generative AI
What we know about gen AI technologies (as of now) is that they are good at replicating existing patterns from existing data sources. On the other hand, sustainability is still a relatively under-explored topic, and humanity as a whole is still trying to find practical ways of adaptation. There is still a lot that we need to test and learn. As a result, there simply isn’t enough existing data that generative AI can use pattern recognition to solve or extend existing solutions. Additionally, because most such data is proprietary and sensitive to every company’s internal operations, there is a lot of vested interest that ensures AIs don’t get to train on such data. So a career in sustainability, in the foreseeable future, seems secure against AI.
3. Resilient Market
Even when most of the startup ecosystem (except AI tech) has seen a fall in investments and funding; climate-tech investments have increased across countries (4). Because irrespective of personal ideologies and preferences, with the rising climate-change induced disasters like- Los Angeles fires, Spanish & Pakistan floods, there’s a clear and growing demand for sustainable alternatives to existing solutions.
4. Local and Global Integrations
Companies of all sizes need sustainable innovations. And there are a lot of opportunities at every level of a company’s supply chain. Due to regulations first affecting large conglomerates and MNCs, several roles require cross-team collaboration. (And judging by some of my friend’s statuses, regional as well as international travel!)
5. Expertise-Driven and People Management
As several companies now face the practical realities of climate change, most sustainability experts are no longer just scientists. People from varied backgrounds—sales, marketing, IT, accounting, project/product managers, HR, etc—are required to implement sustainability roadmaps across every vertical. There’s a potential for both—a specialized career in sustainability, or a generalist one.
6. Diversity of Roles
Even if we leave aside the traditional job titles, a career in sustainability brings with it a lot of diversity in such roles. Be it lifecycle assessment, biodiversity specialist, ESG reporting (which in itself has much diversity), GHG (Greenhouse Gases) accounting and several more. This is further compounded by industry-specificity because most companies can’t do with just subject matter expertise. They also need some industry understanding (be it real estate, IT, textile, or food). Thus, there’s a lot of diverse career options one can choose from.
7. It’s Fulfilling, Really
Almost everyone wants their work to be rewarding, not just financially, but also emotionally. Sustainability careers hold that promise, though one can never fully discount arrogant bosses, toxic colleagues, or nagging clients. Still, there is a strong perception that people working in this domain have a deeper, more well-intentioned motivation, in addition to just making money.
Still, the world’s not really as rosy as one wants to believe. Pivoting to a career in sustainability could be hard, real hard. Added to that is the fact that one doesn’t always get the job one would desire. It could take several months of effort, networking with the right people, relevant education, and luck to find your perfect match.
However, the best part is that this domain is filled with people who seem eager to help others join them in the good fight. There exist absolutely free super-helpful communities like Work on Climate, initiatives like OpenDoorClimate, and several dedicated sustainability job boards as well.
So, if you are looking to upskill yourself, pivot to a new career, or even build a startup, do think about the potential of a career in climate. And just in case you want to discuss more, why not reach out and ask?
NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Emeritus.
Write to us at content@emeritus.org
Sources:
