A Job In This Sector Is Still About The Human Element

I highly recommend a career the environmental/ forest sector. If you think there’s no money or excitement in it you’d be dead wrong – if you’re good with people and have a strong business sense, you can literally consult in any direction.

Kissinger Lake - and cutblock on distant hill

As I looked out over Lake Kissinger – camping recently – I again realized how lucky I am to work in a sector (and region) that allows me to look around and see my job in everything. And I don’t mean that in a “prisoner of work” sense. I live in an area where I can drive twenty minutes from the city and be in the boonies, so why would I want to fetch a career in anything but the environmental sector? The more I travel, the more I see that I live and work in the environmental sector: I can look beyond the lake and see opportunity for solutions.

To consider whether you’re happy working in (or pursuing) something, try to find your ‘place at work’ surrounding you. For example:

**Do you see billboards in Times Square and think, ” They’ve got that wrong, I know how I could sell that better.”

**Do you look up to Steve Jobs and think, “I could take over from here, let me in old man”.

**Do you look around and see an uncomfortable, traffic-ridden and poorly planned business district?

**And, (not an ad for medication) does unprecedented urban sprawl sadden you?

When your passion has direction, whether you’re right or wrong is not the point. Ask yourself; did you make your way into your career (or will you) because of a series of problems you thought you could solve? Those who seek problems will come out ahead of their competition.

Then, once you’ve started, it takes time and experience to know where you “should be headed” in the career sense – which is often as frustrating as needing experience to gain experience (that resume debacle). Sometimes you’ll need a series of mistakes before you find your happy place. And then it’s not always a happy place. So when you’re in a position, take time to consider when and whether you should dive deeper. You should probably dive deeper when:

1) You seek change and improvement in observing what others do.
2) You see challenges, and want to face those challenges; and
3) You see opportunity to stand out, and offer a personal touch to your niche.

Working in forestry consulting was the first place I tried and – luckily – is a place I’m happy exploring challenging niches. It all started when I worked at the base of the industry (silviculture/treeplanting) while pursuing a degree in Poli-Sci and English and would get frustrated (and curious) when I saw the dinosaur that (still) is the forest industry headed right down the drain. I saw opportunity in a downturn – and things had to get better. There’s everything to explore from development planning, land management, and sustainability in the energy sector. Within the larger field I see forest operations planning, and community and stakeholder consulting. It is packed with constant change and opportunity – all opening before me as I dive deeper into my ecological restoration niche. Basically, if there’s something missing or changing – there’s a need for consulting.

In the end, there’s no doubt that your surroundings define you. So if you seek to define (or defend!) your surroundings, environmental work just might be your calling. Then, you can define it.

**If you’re curious about the current environment and opportunities in this sector around your home base, contact me and I’ll do some basic research to help you find resources to help you on your way.