Everyone is always talking about jobs and unemployment. Everywhere you go, whether it’s in the city or the countryside, that’s always a topic of discussion. And it isn’t just in North America, either. People are concerned about jobs and having the opportunity to earn a living everywhere you go.
Of course, nobody wants to lose their job, and suffer the devastating consequences that usually go with such an experience, if another job isn’t found. Even with a fair amount of savings, bank accounts can quicky be drained by rent, utility bills, and other monthly expenses such as food and transportation costs.
But there’s more to this story. Many of the jobs that were lost during thr twentieth century did not move elsewhere; they no longer ceased to be. One glaring example is the icebox ice deliveryman. Once iceboxes ceased to be used any longer, replaced by compressor-based refrigerators, that particular job quickly ceased to have any usefulness to anyone, save the few holdouts to the newer technology.
We have had wave after wave of economy and society changing technology, altering the kinds of jobs people routinely work at. Our economies, here in the West, are shifting toward service, and occupations such as working with computer, IT networks, search engines, social networking, and other “e-jobs” are now common.
Working online, value can be created by the simple application of creativity and marketing skill. Such jobs exist in the real world, though the bulk of their importance is in the virtual world of the Internet and computer networks. A social networking media expert is helping to bring Internet traffic to a client. Such a job can be performed right from home, and the network resources, electricity, and other resources used is negligible, compared to a traditional job at an office.
New jobs must be relevant. It’s natural evolution of society that some jobs become outmoded as others gain in significance. People seek education where the jobs are, where the money is. So, as new types of jobs emerge that are both eco-friendly, completely within the parameters of the goals of Sustainable Development, and important to society, people will shift to working toward having qualifications for those jobs.
Most universities scrambled in the 1990s to update their curriculum, as computers and the Internet came to the fore in a serious way. Now, it’s happening again, as new jobs and types of jobs that weren’t even imaginable before the advent of social media, are becoming increasingly in-demand. Young people want jobs that are relevant.
So when they go to university, they pursue a path in service. Aspiring to find a job after graduation as a physical therapist or nurse, as a health-conscious, eco- aware chef, as a social networking guru, as an IT wizard, or even a solar panel installer, young people, naturally “with it”, enjoy the advantage of keeping with the latest societal trends.
Then, there are the actual “green” careers, such as sustainable agriculture, environmental advocacy and protection, climate change, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and renewable energy, like the solar panel installer mentioned above. Each of these fields is directly about Sustainable Development, and not merely in line with the notion of sustainability.
It is the older generations, those who have faced layoffs, often due to their jobs becoming outmoded or too costly to keep in their area, who find it difficult to adapt. Many just do not get the new world of the Internet, more ecologically-friendly energy generation - a shift to more ecological solutions, much of this involving technology.
Retraining is the only solution, either at a trade school or at university for additional education in fields that are far more in line with the doctrine of Sustainable Development.
As Sustainable Development becomes increasingly important to our twenty-first century world, the types of jobs available will increasingly be in line with the philosophy of sustainability. Businesses will reap the advantages of efficiency, as profits increase in response.
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