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How to Succeed in Your Green Career

By Carol McClelland

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 04Jun2009 Word count: 924 Viewed: 77 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

A TED* video caught my attention this weekend: Richard St. John's 8 Secrets of Success (http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/70.). In just three short minutes, St. John provides a compelling case for the eight key actions that create success.

If you have a moment now, give yourself the gift of watching this video now. (If you can't take the time right now, continue reading, but go back later to watch the video.)

As I watched the video, I was struck by how closely these actions mirror what it takes to be a success in the green economy.

1. Passion - To succeed in the green economy you must connect with your passion. It can also be called identifying your green niche. When your work aligns with your interests and favorite skills, you become more animated, more enthusiastic, and more committed about all that you do. Your passion draws the attention of those around you, which not only helps when you are searching for a job but also when you are championing a project at work or advancing your career.

2. Work - Finding a position in the green economy takes work. If anyone has told you it would be a walk in the park, they haven't done their homework. The green economy is just forming. Each new regulation, policy, treaty, incentive, disincentive, and funding decision molds the shape and direction of the green economy. Nothing is set in stone yet. As a pioneer in this new frontier of our generation we need to invest our time, money, resources, and energy in making sure the green economy takes hold and flourishes. Keeping up with all the changes takes effort. Finding green companies who are hiring takes determination. Staying current on technology requires work. Don't get me wrong, there are rewards, both personal and professional, in doing work you are passionate about.

3. Focus - To make progress you must have a sharp focus. In identifying your green niche you hone in on the area of the green economy that suits your interests, skills, education and experience. As you learn what it takes to work in your target field, it's likely your focus will become even sharper as you identify the specialty that leverages your expertise. Given the interconnectedness of all aspects of the green economy, it's likely your specialty will involve weaving your multiple interests together to create your focus.

4. Push - There will be some days, maybe even weeks, when you may want to sink back into a comfortable life and profession that doesn't require so much attention and effort. Then your passion and desire to make a difference in this critical time will bubble up to the surface and call upon you to take the next step toward your goal. Being pioneers isn't always easy. There are going to be times when you have to reach in deep to find your courage, resolve, perseverance, and discipline to move yourself and the green economy forward.

5. Ideas - The key to the success of the green economy is finding innovative ways to make our work and lives more sustainable. To reach beyond the status quo of life in the 21st Century we must keep watch for new ideas that allow us to be more energy efficient, waste conscious, and mindful of the resources we are using. Your expertise allows you to see the world from a unique perspective. The planet needs you to capture your ideas and act on them.

6. Improve - The green of today is going to be gray tomorrow. As the green economy takes hold and new technology is in place, actions we consider to be sustainable today may be seen as lacking tomorrow. To keep up with the pace of improvement, we must all continue to learn about sustainability and best practices. We must also continue to strengthen our own professional skills to be ready to move forward with our professions.

7. Serve - There are many you serve in your role within the green economy, your children and grandchildren, wildlife, peoples in undeveloped areas around the world, a particular species, a cause, or your community. Choose the audience(s) that motivate and inspire you to take action. Think of them on the days that you wonder whether it is all worth it.

8. Persist - The road ahead is neither easy nor short. To combat global warming, to be energy independent, to live locally, and to build a thriving economy, we must be in the game for the long haul. We need to celebrate each victory, each step in the right direction, and each positive sign while also staying focused and committed to the larger vision of living in a sustainable way on a thriving planet.

As I write each chapter of Green Careers For Dummies I am inspired and awed by the innovations, inventions, commitment, and passion I see in the industries I'm researching. The potential is there. Technology is available to get us moving in the right direction. Countless innovations and enhancements are developing in the wings to move us forward even more. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I do believe that some years down the line we'll look back and wonder how we lived with so little regard for the planet.

* TED (http://www.ted.com/) is an annual conference that brings together thinkers and doers from around the world to the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). You can now view a number of extraordinary presentations online. It's a great repository of inspiration, passion and enthusiasm.

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