I live in Southern California and I have a degree in public administration and I took a few graduate classes in public administration as well, but have never worked in that field. Instead I work for a recycling company right now, and I enjoy it, especially when we get to work with LEED buildings. I am considering a career in this industry (green buildings, sustainability, etc) since I have a few years experience and like it, however the company I work for is small and family owned and there is no upward mobility so I'd have to start by trying to get a job with another company that I could grow and develop with. However without a related degree and only some experience working with LEED buildings I don't know if anyone would even hire me, and even if someone did I fear I wouldn't ever be competitive for upper management jobs without a degree in engineering or architecture or something similar. I could definitely get LEED accredited (several people at my company are), and though I don't want to get another degree I would be willing to get some professional certificates in these related fields, but am unsure as to how much weight these really hold in the long run. Any advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated!
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Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11477 thumbs up
July 17, 2017 - 11:32 am
David, I'd say that the building industry in general, and sustainability, are filled with people without relevant degrees. I can attest to this as someone with a degree in cognitive science. Accreditations and certificates help a lot, as does experience. So do connections—I'd recommend getting involved in your local or regional green building council chapter, volunteering, and seeing what excites you and what's going on.