Looking for a long-term career Heres why clean energys a good place to start

Looking for a long-term career Heres why clean energys a good place to startLooking for a long-term career Heres why clean energys a good place to startWhat constitutes a career has changed drastically over the years.With the rise of the gig economy, especially, the days are gone where an employee would work for only a few companies over theirentire career. Gone are pensions, corporate ladders, and even the security of saving reliably for retirement. Manyprominent companiesare trying desperately to hire people as contractors and prove that they are not employees. As a result, many Americans now make their living with temporary,freelance, or part-time jobs.Over a third of Millennials, for example, report having multiple side hustles in addition to their primary jobs.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraIn fact, very little about the gig economy or the professional culture it has inspi red proves beneficial for workers. For one thing, the companies offering this kind of work often dont ensure that their contractors have the best training to reach their full potential. By definition, their contractors are dispensable and the companies want to commoditize them. Also, given that the contractors have to pay for their own geschftliches miteinander expenses, it feels next to impossible to do something likesaving for retirementor for your kids college tuition when you have to hit next months numbers to pay rent.But the truth is, itispossibleeven in todays professional climateto find gainful, long-term, and stable employment in America today. You might just be looking in the wrong places.Therealbest place to find a fulfilling, long-term career? The clean energy sector. Heres why.Clean energy as an industry is uniquely equipped to provide stable careers because its essentially infrastructure.The clean energy industry is, in essence, an industry rooted in infrastructure. In 2018,1 out of every 23 peoplethat found new work chose the clean energy industry. That has been true since the 2008 financial crisis.Clean energy companies today are building and installing solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. Theyre composting food and green waste, recycling, and turning waste to value. The largest employee base in the clean energy economy is making your home mora comfortable through energy efficiency. Theyre completing work thats dangerous and in which mistakes are expensive to rectify.Thats why clean energy companies want andneedto retain employees who know what theyre doing and who they can relyupon.As it happens, theyll pay good money for these kinds of employees and will commit to them long-term. Which makes sensewhy would younotwant to commit to employees by way of a stable, reliable income if youd spent a year or so training them? Youd want your workers to become more productive, smarter, and safer over 10, 20, even 30 years.Thats the prevail ing employer mindset right now in clean energy.Aside from the good wages and long-term support, clean energy jobs are dignified and dont always require direct experienceAnd those kinds of opportunities are increasingly rare in America today, especially in blue-collar or tafelgeschirr work. According toa recent reportfrom Brookings Mean hourly wages exceed national averages by 8 to 19 percent. Clean energy economy wages are also more equitable workers at lower ends of the income spectrum can earn $5 to $10 more per hour than other jobs.The clean energy sector may be the only remaining sector, in fact, where an American worker who is not an engineer or executive can obtain a $45-an-hour job with benefits.Its also one of the only sectors where you dont need direct experience to apply. Clean energy companies will take people whove just graduated with a high school diploma and train and commit to them, so long as they work hard and believe in the work.The clean energy sector is also comm itted to diversity and inclusion. There are many programs through which people who dont know someone can enter the clean energy industry. These are accessible through available certifications, orGRID alternatives, which train thousands of clean energy workers every year.To start looking for a clean energy job, tap your local vocational schoolThere youll find professionals who can both prepare you for the kind of work you want to be doingwhether thats in electricity, mechanics, or constructionas well as connect you with employers when youre ready.Another option is to begin working for a contractor. Theyll teach you the basics around installation efficiency, ventilation, or construction, for example, so that you can provide a more specific kind of value to clean energy companies when they bring you on board.The bottom line is this the clean energy sector isoverflowingwith opportunity, from renewable energy, to energy storage, to energy efficiency, to advanced vehicles and autonomous t ransportation.And its uniquely positioned to provide an opportunity that also comes withstability. Plus, tellingly, its growing.A 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reportfound that the energy sector employed 6.4 million Americans and that a majority of those jobs were in renewable energy and efficiency.A career you can depend on is still obtainable. The economy of our parents generations may be a relic of the past, but the economy of the future is ours for the taking.This article first appeared on Minutes Magazine.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people