Climate Analytics Career Path for Graduates

I've heard from thousands of green jobseekers that feel “stuck” in their journey to work on climate, with the four most common barriers being:  🤝 Lack of personal connections in the industry 🛠 Uncertainty on transferring skills 👷♀️ Lacking direct experience in the field 🔍 Challenges finding organizations or roles that align with interests   Last year, I hosted a mini-series of the Degrees Podcast called ‘The Year of the Climate Job.’ Each episode dissects these barriers and shares ways to overcome them. Here is the full series, along with key takeaways: 🤝 Lack of personal connections in the industry Episode: How to network for a green job with purpose-driven LinkedIn expert Nick Martin - https://lnkd.in/eNP6FJ9e Takeaways: - Browse the #OpenDoorClimate Directory to find climate professionals willing to connect and chat https://lnkd.in/gSf727gi - Use LinkedIn to build relationships with people you admire and contribute content yourself 🛠 Uncertainty on transferring skills Episode: Transfer your skills to a green job with Work on Climate’s Eugene Kirpichov - https://lnkd.in/ecjggq_V Takeaways: - Try to connect with people in jobs that you want to understand what skills they use day-to-day - Take stock of your own skills and remember that climate-focused companies need traditional skills 👷♀️ Lacking direct experience in the field Episode: Learn how to build your climate experience with Terra.do founder Anshuman Bapna - https://lnkd.in/e2tKYnTQ Takeaways: - Consider courses or certification programs that incorporate case studies or capstone projects - Try pitching yourself for freelance or project-based work or volunteerism 🔍 Challenges finding organizations or roles that align with interests Episode: Taking the mystery out of finding a green job with Green Jobs Board’s Kristy Drutman - https://lnkd.in/eZbJVPwJ Takeaways: - Pair skills with what you’re passionate about when searching general or climate job boards - Follow industry news and analysis hubs to learn about companies and potential roles 🤷♂️ Unsure how to use current job for climate action Episode: How to green any job with Project Drawdown’s Jamie Beck Alexander - https://lnkd.in/eMKVEFPN Takeaways: - Understand the leverage points of existing job functions have to take climate action - Organize with other interested coworkers to brainstorm and come together on issues and action I also recommend checking out the latest season of Degrees from Yesh Pavlik Slenk featuring some incredible guests, including Katharine Hayhoe, Solitaire Townsend, Drew Wilkinson and Shannon Houde,. https://lnkd.in/eba8GBdF

Everything you need to know about getting a job in Climate 🌍 Distilled into 5 steps. 1️⃣ Find Your Niche "I want to work in climate" is too broad. Climate is massive. Narrow your search to an industry, function, or specific problem that needs solving. Ask: What am I good at? What excites me? Where can I add value fastest? Start broad, figure out what topics you naturally want to learn more about, and then focus there This will accelerate your learning and empower people to give you better recommendations along the way. 2️⃣ Build the Right Network (Two Types of People Matter) Type 1: Door Openers – People already in the roles, industries, or companies you want to join. They help with referrals, advice, and industry insights. Type 2: Fellow Climbers – Other career-switchers who push you, hold you accountable, and share opportunities. (Most people only focus on the first group - big mistake imo) Be proactive: DM people, join climate communities, attend events. 3️⃣ Prove You Belong You don’t need years of Climate experience, you need to show you can add value. Ways to demonstrate credibility: ✅ Document what you're learning and share it online (Linkedin, Substack, personal website) ✅ Create something - do consulting work, write a deep-dive blog post, volunteer with an org you care about ✅ Come prepared to networking / hiring conversations with an informed perspective on the industry Whatever you do, document it and share it so people know what you're up to. 4️⃣ Make It Easy to Hire You The best candidates make saying ‘yes’ easy. Have a clean LinkedIn presence (headline, summary & bio most importantly) that makes it easy for relevant recruiters to find you. Craft a strong elevator pitch that connects your past experience to Climate. Be extremely prompt with follow ups to all interviews and comms with their team. 5️⃣ Be Relentless Breaking into climate isn’t about luck—it’s about persistence. The people who break in fastest treat it like a job before they get the job. Stay consistent with outreach, networking, and learning—momentum compounds. Follow up. Then follow up again. Polite persistence wins. You do those 5 things and I can almost guarantee you'll be successful. -- Want more help? Drop me a follow (Cameron McDonald). I've helped dozens of people break into Climate and I regularly share what I think are the most important things you need to know.

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱. So many solutions, so many paths. I made plenty of mistakes before I found my niche. If I could go back, here’s what I wish I knew: 🔬 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀. I started with books like ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster’ by Bill Gates and Speed&Scale by John Doerr. These books were helpful, but were very tech and VC-centered perspectives. Project Regeneration’s Cascade of Solutions was ultimately a better, more objective, and comprehensive resource. 📕 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. Work on Climate’s #i-got-a-job channel is full of successful climate transition journeys by engineers, designers, marketers, PhD candidates, and more. 👋 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. Terra was mine, but My Climate Journey (MCJ), Work on Climate, or Job Search Councils are great options. 😡 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. What do you want to protect from climate change? Who do you want to build for? What pisses you off? Your answers can point you to your niche. ⚓ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲. If possible, keep your role & location the same while switching to climate—it makes the transition easier. 🚗 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀: come up with 2-3 ideas for where you might fit. This could be a climate solution (residential solar), a type of organization (large environmental nonprofit), or even a way to effect change in your current role. Use networking, side projects, or small actions to validate your fit. 🤝 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲: The Open Door Climate directory is full of folks happy to chat. After many twists & turns, I focused on software product management roles at climate tech startups where business and climate incentives were aligned. This led me to organizations like food waste and renewable energy, and away from areas like carbon removal. What climate niches are you interested in? How are you finding where you fit?