ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Stephen!

I don't have any specific experience in those industries, but I can share some general advice based on my own experience making a career leap.

Informational calls will be your best friend. When I was thinking about changing careers, I made sure I spoke with at least 3 people at different points in their careers in the field I was interested in. These conversations gave me perspective on the experience of someone new to the field, someone more established, and someone close to the end of their career; these perspectives are what I used to decide if that was a possible path I wanted to go down as well.

Finding a mentor can be a great way to supplement your inquiries. A mentor can help introduce you to people in the field, answer questions, or just offer support when you need it. If you haven't already, you can apply for a mentorship through ACP by going to https://www.acp-usa.org/mentoring-program/veteran-application.

The final thing I would suggest is LinkedIn. LinkedIn may not have all the job postings, but what they do have are wonderful communities and groups. A quick search shows me that there are at least 3 great options for connecting to the Sustainability community in Illinois - a great place to find new contacts, build a network, and see where people are working to get inspiration for your job search.

I hope any of what I said was helpful.

All the best,

Carolyne

Robin Hicks ⋅ Naperville, IL BP ⋅ 41 years experience

I too don't have specific advice as sustainability is a big and ever growing space and it's becoming more interwoven into many jobs where previously it might not have been considered. If you search our jobs (@ bp.com) the listing of current openings around sustainability will vary depending on which key word you search by. Still, would recommend you check some of them out as it may help you focus where in the sustainability sphere you'd like to operate.
Also, I recently attended a presentation on new energy legislation impacts both here in Illinois and across the U.S. All the panelists indicated they were hiring to fill needs in related spaces. Panelists included: Commission Ann McCabe, Illinois Commerce Commission (https://www.icc.illinois.gov); Stacey Paradis, Exec Director Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA, https://www.mwalliance.org/); and Dan LeFevers, Director of State and Consumer Programs at GTI Energy (https://www.gti.energy/). Each also worth checking out to see what requirements or desired qualities are in their posted roles.

Justin Moodley ⋅ Columbus, OH LASANAN ⋅ 12 years experience

Check out social enterprise groups (like SEA Change) as many of those companies in the social good space are focused on sustainability.

Normally it's nonprofits and engineering/manufacturing orgs that have the most opportunities.

Richard Byrne ⋅ Hillsborough, NJ Intel Corporation ⋅ 53 years experience

I've added links to information & videos under these sections of my EE web[page that should be helpful:
http://eehot.com/ee.html#networking - get 1 year free premium LinkedIn
http://eehot.com/ee.html#mentoring - traverse BLS.gov, skill bridge network
http://eehot.com/ee.html#jobs - commercial job searches
http://eehot.com/ee.html#gjobs - Gov job searches
http://eehot.com/ee.html#energy

Look over the job offerings, compare to what you've got, look for training to enhance if necessary.
Commercial Environmental Management search, your location 1,062 jobs:
https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Environmental%20Management&l=Belleville%2C%20IL&vjk=7e6d543398b5f655

Gov job search your location 46 jobs:
https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?l=Belleville%2C%20Illinois&k=Environmental%20Management&p=1