If you’re having trouble figuring out what kind of green job you might transition to, the Sunrise Movement has created an online quiz that might help. The quiz funnels you to one of eight career archetypes, and provides information about what those might mean in the context of the green economy:
The Careworker is a people-person. You put your skills to use keeping our communities and our relationships to each other healthy. You have a deep love and respect for all people and you believe that healing our relationships to our bodies, our minds, and to each other is the most critical part of solving the crises we face.
The Observer is curious about our world. When facing problems, you are excited by complexities and want to answer the questions, how did this happen? and why? You want to understand the fundamental truths of how our world works and are committed to making that knowledge available for all to learn.
The Naturalist is dedicated to repairing humanity’s relationship with the land, air and water. You work to translate the knowledge made available from the scientist and others into solutions that work with natural rhythms of the world. You understand that at the core of your work lies a central, life-long goal: to help humanity relearn its natural role in the world’s ecosystems.
The Communicator shows us what is really going on and helps us imagine what the world could be. You use murals, writing, podcasts, art, or film to speak truth to power and inspire others to fight for the world we deserve. You are bursting at the seams with ideas, emotions, and creativity that inspire us to our collective future we know we can achieve.
The Observer is curious about our world. When facing problems, you are excited by complexities and want to answer the questions, how did this happen? and why? You want to understand the fundamental truths of how our world works and are committed to making that knowledge available for all to learn.
The Organizer brings people together across different roles to make sure we work together consistently. We need you to marshal our collective power to fight for our rights, just like the generations before us. When problems come up in our communities or between people, you don’t shy away. You believe conflict is an opportunity to bring us all closer to our shared goal of building a society that works for and protects everyone.
The Builder is the person that gets things done. When there is a bridge to be built, an engine to be fixed, or a thing to be made you are the first one with your hands on the tools. You are quick to learn and efficient with your time and energy. It won’t always be easy but you are willing to put in the work. All across this country we have to physically build a new low-carbon world and you will be the one to make it happen.
The world is plentiful, and The Grower wants to share that natural plenty with everyone. You put knowledge from biology and science to good use, cultivating the natural gifts from the land and water in ways that provides everyone what they need to live while maintaining the balance of ecosystems we’re healing. You are patient. You know the fruits of your labor are not always immediate or visible, but your work provides the food, water, medicine and other materials that will sustain us for generations to come.
The Analyst understands the details that make the world tick. There are a million and one details to creating a successful green future and you have worked hard to analyze them all. You enjoy working with data and making sure information is well-organized and distributed. You help others understand and plan for the future by providing the hard numbers and the correct directions we need to take.
The Sunrise Movement is a youth-oriented movement, but one of the common refrains at Ecotopian Careers is that we need to expand the discussion to include people of all ages. As it is, the Green New Careers quiz is suitable for everyone interested a green job 🙂