It’s become pretty well established by now that “green” is the way of the future. According to USA Today, “The Obama administration has estimated that jobs in energy and environmental-related occupations will grow 52% from 2000 through 2016, vs. 14% for other occupations.” At least in part this explains the proliferation of green majors in American colleges (100 new environmental programs in 2009 alone). Environmental sustainability is not just good for the planet; it’s apparently also a practical career choice.
Well, maybe. According to Zac Bissonnette at Wallet Pop, a personal finiance blog:
Job growth projections like that are certainly a strong selling point for these programs, but parents and prospective college students should be wary: many of these programs are likely to be more marketing savvy hype to lure recruits in an increasingly competitive market for tuition-paying students than real, value-added opportunities to gain valuable skills and knowledge that will lead to success in the workplace.
Just because green jobs are growing doesn’t necessarily mean it helps to have a green major. Realistically, the best way to get a chance to improve planet sustainability is to study engineering or biology, in which case a green MBA starts to look a little silly.
