Is more training the answer when looking to transition into a sustainability career?

Is more training the answer when looking to transition into a sustainability career?

Well, not wanting to get splinters in my ass sitting on the fence but the answer is, “it depends”.

But before we get to that, the most important question is what are you going to sacrifice to make the time to attend the course?

Most jobs come from your loose network of connections, rather than applying cold via job boards + most recruiters prefer demonstrable lived experience of a skill than a theoretical piece of “book knowledge”.

So unless you are already doing all that is reasonable to do to grow your network and be ‘doing’ rather ‘reading about’ your chosen niche, then pause your quest for the next course and invest in the people and the experience first.

That said, courses do serve several purposes they can:

◦Help you understand if a particular sector aligns to your future career goals

◦Help improve your ability to execute in a given role, increasing your confidence and therefore interview and networking approach

◦Give you an instant network of course alumni (not all course do this, so be sure to look for this)

◦Give you visible credibility from a respected ‘brand name’ platform or educational establishment, which some people find appealing/useful.
(Have I mentioned recently that I am a fellow of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Business”. I have probably have 🙂).

OK what you should be optimising for depends on where you are in your journey...

1️⃣ Early stage - exploring
Optimise for short, free, courses that offer a broad over view of a particular topic. Ideally you are looking to validate a particular hypothesis around a particular sector, and the faster you can find out the more quickly you can home in on the right role for you.
Great examples: Ellen Macarthy Intro to circular economy - two weeks and free

2️⃣ Mid Stage - establishing your credibility and network
Optimise for recognised institutions, and a strong alumni network. Ideally you are looking to increase your exposure to potential role opportunities, great examples the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Business (courses typically 8-12 weeks and c.£1500)

3️⃣Mature Stage - getting the job you want
Optimise for highly specific, technical courses for your chosen niche with recognised world leading individual experts. Ideally you are looking to improve your ability to execute in a given role or task that will elevate your prospect vs those who have not taken a similar course. Expect to invest more time and money in these courses as these are going to be important distinguishing features of your offer to the market. A good example would be Embercombe Rewilding Training (courses typically 6-12 months and £2-10k)

If you’ve any questions about what you should be doing about adding training to your list of goals this year, then lets chat : grab a virtual coffee. ☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕