What do you consider green collar jobs?

Question

green collar jobs is employment in the clean engery field. Employers provide living wages and benefits. I'm interested in finding out what people consider to be green collar jobs

Answer 1

I need some help with this one. First define a "living wage."

Is that a wage where you won't die during or after work? What is a living wage?

Answer 2

The term "green collar jobs" has become much more common recently as many US policymakers hope the clean energy field will create jobs with strong wages that aren't easily outsourced.  

Among my contacts the term is still a moving target (what makes a job truly "green"? what is not a green job?) but there are some jobs today traditionally considered blue collar, e.g. cooling system technicians, solar panel installers, and manufacturing line workers.  

The line blurs when you move up into roles generally considered white collar, e.g. design/engineering, marketing, and management within companies that produce "green" products and services.  

The one certainty here is that technology will be a critical component of the green economy.  Many of the new green economy jobs whether historically "blue" or "white" collar roles will require significant technical and/or other training.  

Regarding your thoughts on living wages, so much will depend on where you live in the future.  I can't suggest more as I don't know your situation, but I'd be thinking about what your opportunities would be for advancement (not necessarily to make a pile of money, but so that you always have career options).  

California is of course more expensive than most other states, but, no surprise, is a big leader in setting clean energy mandates.  In 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two key bills into law.  AB32 (the Global Warming Solutions Act) mandates reducing greenhouse gases in CA to 1990 levels by 2020, a ~25% reduction.  SB1 (the California Solar Initiative aka "Million Solar Rooftops") sets a goal of installing 3,000 megawatts of solar facilities in CA by 2017.  As you can imagine, such activity has started to attract many companies to create a presence in CA.  

Best of luck to you and please feel free to follow up.