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Friday, March 01, 2013 By Taylor W.
Turbines create energy by harnessing wind power. - Taylor W
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With college coming around the corner, many students might not be totally sure about what they want to major in, or ultimately go into as a career. One option would be to pursue something in the green jobs sector. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that there's more growth in the green jobs sector than there is in the economy as a whole. The best part about green jobs, other than the environmental benefits, is that there's something for everyone in the sector, some occupations only require on-the-job training, while for other jobs, a master's degree or PhD is recommended.
So, what exactly is a green job? The BLS has two definitions: “jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources,” and “jobs in which workers' duties involve making their establishment's production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources.” Either way, it's clear that the green jobs sector will become a large part of the economy of the future; as of November 2011, there's already 3.1 million green jobs in the U.S.alone.
Two areas of green jobs that are especially important are wind and solar. Demand for energy from these sources has been growing over the past couple of decades, and this is set to continue. These areas alone require many different types of workers. In particular, manufacturing, research, and engineering are three important aspects to creating solar panels and wind turbines. The following is an overview of the different jobs in these areas:
Manufacturing:
Semiconductor processors (solar): Overseers of solar cell manufacturing.
Computer-controlled machine tool operators: Run CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines.
Welders: Use heat to connect metal pieces.
Glazers (solar): Handle glass selection, cutting, installing, replacing. Glass is an important part of making PV (photovoltaic) cells.
Coating and painting machine setters, operators,and tenders (solar): Put important coatings on solar panels.
Electrical and electronic installers/repairers(solar): Maintain electronic and electrical equipment needed to make PV cells.
Assemblers: Put the components together.
Quality control inspectors (wind): Make sure everything works correctly.
Industrial production managers: In charge of planning, directing, and coordinating work.
Engineering:
Aerospace engineers (wind): Deal with the designing, testing, and manufacture supervision of the blades and rotors of wind turbines.
Civil engineers (wind): Design a variety of elements in wind farms.
Electrical engineers: Deal with the designing, testing, and manufacture supervision of electrical components. Electronics engineers (wind): Handle the electronics systems used to run the wind turbine.
Environmental engineers (wind): Assess the possible effects of wind turbines on the environment.
Health and safety engineers (wind): Analyze wind turbines' possible health and safety dangers.
Industrial engineers: Assesses the basic production factors and finds the best way to use them.
Mechanical engineers: Handles machines.
Materials engineers: Deal with the designing and testing of materials used in the production of wind turbines and solar panels, respectively.
Chemical engineers (solar): Use chemistry principles and applies them to the design of equipment and the manufacturing of chemicals essential for production.
Computer software developers (solar): Deal with the design and development of software.
Engineering technicians: Help engineers solve a variety of technical issues.
Research:
Meteorologists (wind): Makes sure the area for a possible wind farm is suitable for production.
Wildlife biologists (wind): Assesses potential impact of wind farm operation on the animals of the area.
Geologists (wind): Looks at the topography (a land surface's configuration) of potential wind farm sites.
Environmental scientists (wind): Help developers of wind farms to adhere to environmental standards.
Physicists (solar): Aid engineers, materials scientists, and chemists in making solar panels more efficient.
Chemists (solar): Work on solar cell design and efficiency.
Materials scientists (solar): Develop new materials for PV cells and other components of solar panels in order to make them more efficient and cost-friendly.
Most of the manufacturing jobs listed here require on-the-job training. For industrial production managers, a degree in business administration, management, or industrial technology is recommended, followed by corporate training. Generally, engineering jobs require a bachelor's degree in engineering, or a specialty of engineering. Though, due to how complex some of these systems are, a Master's or PhD might be needed. For computer software developers, a degree in computer science is recommended, as well as previous experience in software programming. Engineering technicians might need a certificate or associate's degree; they go through training on the job, as well. For scientists in research or product creation, it's essential to have a doctorate, but it is possible to go into these fields with a bachelor's or master's. Scientists also need to have proficient computer skills.
If you find yourself interested in engineering, manufacturing, or science, these careers are certainly something to think about. However, if you aren't interested in any of these jobs, there isn't reason to worry. This is only a fraction of the careers to be found in the green sector; many additional opportunities are to be found in areas such as sales, management, and real estate, just to name a couple. In conclusion, it's increasingly obvious that there are many ways to “make green” in the green sector. Further information on green jobs and careers can be found at the BLS' green jobs page: http://www.bls.gov/green/.
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