What is a Green Construction and Building Career?
If you’re passionate about the environment and interested in the rapidly growing field of sustainable construction, a career in green construction could be the perfect fit. Green construction combines eco-friendly methods with traditional building techniques to create environmentally responsible homes, offices, and factories. This field offers exciting opportunities to improve and sustain the environment through innovative, sustainable practices.
In this guide, we’ll help you plan your education and career goals in the green construction industry, providing valuable insights into the skills, certifications, and pathways needed to succeed in this environmentally-focused field.
How to Get Into This Career
As environmental concerns grow, there is a stronger focus on creating sustainable products to help reduce and potentially reverse environmental damage. While recycling and repurposing are well-known practices, these principles extend to more permanent products, such as buildings and homes. This is where green construction comes into play—professionals in this field are trained to design and build structures with a focus on reducing environmental impact.
Many careers in green construction are similar to traditional construction roles but require additional training in eco-friendly techniques and sustainable building practices. Additionally, new job opportunities have emerged in industries focused on sustainable energy generation and other green innovations. Whether you're transitioning from traditional construction or entering the field for the first time, a career in green building offers opportunities to make a lasting positive impact on the environment.
Becoming a green builder may seem challenging, particularly for experienced construction professionals transitioning to new eco-friendly building methods. However, for those new to the field, learning about green construction and sustainable building practices can be more straightforward. If you're serious about pursuing a career as a green builder or green contractor, acquiring the necessary skills is completely achievable.
The path involves taking specialized classes and training to gain expertise in green building techniques and sustainability practices. Fortunately, finding schools and programs that offer courses for green builder certification has never been easier. As demand for sustainable construction continues to rise, the opportunities to train and excel in this field are abundant, offering a rewarding career that makes a positive impact on the environment.
These are the most common steps those who want to work in green construction can take to be educated and prepared to work in the green construction industry:
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Step 1: Getting an Undergraduate Degree
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Step 2: Internships/Entry-level Job
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Step 3: Higher Level Degree or Certificate
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Step 4: Certification in Green Building
Step 1: Getting an Undergraduate Degree
The ultimate goal of green education is to achieve some sort of certification in green building initiatives from one of the approved green construction agencies. The first step to doing this is to get an undergraduate degree in building and construction that either focuses or specializes in green building. However, if you already have a degree and you’re just looking to move into providing green initiative work from within your existing expertise, take a look at step 3-4.
A degree program, which could be an associates or bachelor’s degree, should including the following courses or focus:
- should include courses in sustainable building methods and techniques
- pay particular attention on how to reduce a building’s environmental footprint and improve an existing building’s environmental efficiency
- should provide an understanding of energy-efficient materials and technology Possible majors include construction engineering, construction management, building science and sustainable design
Step 2: Internships/Entry-level Job
An internship while working toward a degree is a good idea because hands-on training is an important part of learning about designing and building green buildings and structures. As a green building intern for a construction company, you’ll learn about the different structures that can be designed with environmental ideals in mind including commercial, residential, and industrial structures. It is worth noting that the most common structures that utilize green initiatives are commercial buildings such as office buildings, hospitals, and other retail or business structures. An internship is also one of the best ways to land an entry-level job upon graduation since the business has an idea of the graduate’s abilities and work style and they will have already put time and effort into training you to their standards.
Step 3: Higher Level Degree or Certificate
If you only completed an associate degree in the last step, then this would be a good time to pursue a bachelor’s degree (or even a graduate degree if you are looking to run your own business or move into management). Although you can enter the field with a two-year degree, to advance into other areas including management or owning your own business is going to require at least a bachelor’s degree, a graduate degree or certificate might also be required depending on the area of expertise or what a business desires of its employees.
A graduate degree takes one to three years to complete and focuses on areas including:
- Architecture, construction, and planning
- Sustainable principles and technology system designs
- Building performance
- A research-based project may be required for graduation
If you would prefer to forego the graduate degree and focus on one specific area instead, a certificate is also an option. Most certificates take one to two years to complete and the hours accumulated to get the certificate can sometimes be applied toward a graduate degree later. One of the most popular certifications for those working in the green construction trade is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. This is the system that is frequently used to determine how green a structure actually is.
Step 4: Certification
One of the most popular agencies for certification in Green Building is the Sierra Green Building Association. They offer a variety of certification for those working in the construction trades.
They offer the Certified Practitioners Exam which certifies workers in the following areas:
- Green building and sustainability
- Land and site use
- Energy
- Indoor environmental quality
- Proper environmental treatment of material, waste, and water
Green Construction Career Options and Earning Potential
Where Might You Work?
Green construction jobs can be found in practically every industry imaginable. From government buildings that are being retrofitted to be eco-friendly, to the design and construction of new structures that are green from the start. Even hospitals, schools, and office buildings are using more environmentally friendly techniques, methods, and materials and many construction companies are changing in order to take on these projects. To do this, they need employees who are trained in green initiatives and practices. So, the question isn’t so much where you might work, but where you want to work. Because, in all likelihood, there will be positions in the industry needing workers in whatever specialization you choose.