Career Forecast: Look for Overlapping Opportunities

Good Careers in a Bad Economy, Part 4

Much is said of the “green” environmental movement providing good jobs in a bad economy. Therefore, a young person might perceive that working in the energy field is an either-or proposition. Either you ride the wave of the future by studying solar or wind power or fuel cells, or you concentrate in the traditional fields of oil and gas.

Not necessarily. A great deal of overlap exists. Besides, alternative energy will take years to develop. Even the most optimistic plans call for utilities to generate only 20 percent or 25 percent of their energy from alternative sources, often with a target year of 2015 or 2020. There still will be plenty of oil, natural gas and coal to burn until at least the middle of the century.

More Career Overlap Potential

Consider small business, which is regarded with gloom and doom in many circles because of the bad economy. What if an entrepreneur were to overlap a small business into an international business? According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, small companies provide 96 percent of export volume. As noted on www.myownbusiness.org, America offers 300 million potential customers; the planet, 6.5 billion.

Or how about law enforcement? In the age of terrorism, law enforcement no longer stops at America’s shorelines. There is so much international overlap, creating so many job opportunities, that even the FBI and the CIA have taken the unusual steps of recruiting applicants with ad campaigns. The CIA pitch states, “Consider the global employment opportunities at the CIA. We’re looking for a diversity of people for the important job of keeping America safe. This includes Clandestine Service Officers to be on the front line of human intelligence. Plus, individuals skilled in science, engineering, technology, analysis, foreign languages and administration for positions in the United States and overseas.”

In science and technology, analysts often assert that America must gear up for global competition. This is true, but again there is a career overlap because America also is part of a move toward international cooperation. Just one prominent example is the International Space Station.

As young adults focus both on dream careers and recession-proof careers, they should look for these types of overlaps as paths toward opportunity.

Energy Careers Show Overlap Potential

Good Careers in a Bad Economy
Part 1: Graduating in a Recession
Part 2: According to the March 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics
Part 3: Potential Careers Arising from the Stimulus Bill
Part 4: Career Forecast: Look for Overlapping Opportunities
Part 5: Career Planning: The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

A report for the Mother Nature Network Web site demonstrates how careers in the energy field need not be typecast into the traditional or alternative fields.

“Today’s most sought after solar positions are in installation, engineering system design, and sales and maintenance,” it states. “Lucky for you, lots of skills that are useful in the solar industry don’t require a background in solar power, or even renewable energy.”

On the labor level, individuals with blue-collar experience installing gas-fed furnaces might don green collars to install solar panels.

For professional positions, consider a major corporation’s recent job posting for “director of solar engineering.” The listed educational requirement is a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering “or other relevant engineering degree.” In other words, the corporation was not looking for somebody with a specific degree in solar power.

Still, today’s young adults will find greater opportunities to tailor their education and training toward specific fields of energy industry employment. This is where a college student should establish a strong relationship with a trusted guidance counselor.

As MyGreenScene.com puts it, “University degree programs focused on renewable energy are starting to see the same growth that computer science programs did in the early eighties, and that means the new Energy Age is here.”

But the old Energy Age will still be here for a long time, too.

Michael Thompson