Missed the EcoLeaders Twitter Chats? Here’s how to catch up.
On March 12th I participated in my first Twitter chat. I thought it was great to be able to ask or answer questions from your couch without all the prep time that's involved with being on camera. It's also great that the chat will remain out there under the #EcoCareers2019 hashtag. There are two big downsides, however, 1) is that the tweets are quickly get lost in the noise of the other billions of tweets and 2) many people don’t have a Twitter account to access the info.
So here’s how you can still check out what’s going down and a little recap if you’d prefer to stay here or if you don’t use Twitter.
The hosts of the Nations Wildlife Federation’s Annual EcoCareers Conference wanted a way to allow people to continue to ask questions from some of the presenters. To do that, they scheduled 4 weeks of 1-hour twitter chats with a different presenter each week (you can still catch the other 2 live).
I was set to go on the first week and here are the major Q & A that went down. Keep in mind these are tweets, limited to 140 characters so they will not read like regular sentences in some cases. You can find the originals by searching the hashtag @Ecocareers2019 on Twitter.
Here’s the Twitter Transcript:
@EcoLeaders: What advice do you have for job seekers pursuing sustainability careers in for-profit vs non-profit and how might that advice differ?
@EnvCareerCoach: Good question! There are traits and skills that will benefit anywhere. However, the culture & expectations are different. I suggest 1st find out which you align with better. Some of the non-profits are very hard to get into so finding ways to volunteer
@LRGVLL: Work a lot with school children of all ages. What info is available to get them interested in a career involving the environment?
@TheEnvCareerCoach: Great question. I think contextual learning is a great way. Some local non-profits also provide educational materials. Try partnering with local environmental groups. Exposure is key at a young age.
@TheEncCareerCoach: One more thought on the resources for children. There are learning kits and educational programs for the teachers. It helps if they have interest too! Hope that helps!
@DavidCorsar: Indeed! IMHO, it's easier to instill a love of nature than an interest in career in nature, specifically. Kids need to know about the options there are - interactive career days and representative examples are important
@EnvCareerCoach: I spent a ton of time outdoors but never really appreciated it until I learned something about it. How nature works, symbiosis, life cycles, etc. It's more than just going out for a hike
@CampusEcology: What do you see as the top growth sectors to consider for young people who are researching potential sectors of employment?
@EnvCareerCoach: Pt 1 - Environmental careers and the types of jobs, in general, are growing.I’m honestly not an all-around industry expert, Partly because it takes a lot of time to research but I also don’t think limiting yourself to “popular” sectors is a good career strategy.
@EnvCareerCoach: Pt 2 -Discover what you love 1st, then research what’s out there, & then I help you go after it. Regardless of how “popular” the sector is. 2nd, it doesn’t matter how big the potential growth factor is, if you’re not qualified that won’t improve your chances.
@DavidCorsar: Great point! Working in career services, it's easy to get swept up in the trends and such and lose sight of individual career pathways. That's why coaches are so important!
@EnvCareerCoach: I'm not here to tell you what to do, I'm here to find out and explore what you want to do... and then help you do it!
@DavidCorsar: you recently hosted a webinar all about networking. What are some of your top recommendations for someone who’s not sure how to start building their network?
@DavidCorsar: How important is having a LinkedIn presence? and how do you recommend getting young people active on it? I've struggled with that :D
@EnvCareerCoach: I00% sure I looked at your LinkedIn page before we met on the phone. Helps to know people and have things to talk about before meeting them... just one of the many many ways LinkedIn is helpful
@WaterEqualsLife: It has helped me to connect with people I might never be able to connect with, keeps me up to date with envl happenings, and allows for me to build upon my skills as an envl professional. What’s not to like?!
