Powerful Careers

Introduction

Energy is a diverse field, with many job opportunities. Working in energy can mean working for utilities, for gas and oil companies, for government and research groups, for energy education or environmental regulation agencies, for nonprofit energy awareness and conservation organizations, or for many other energy related agencies.

Demand increases everyday for skilled professionals in careers related to energy. There are many people who help generate energy, transport it, and connect it to the things we use everyday. There are also people creating new methods of energy generation and helping the public understand issues of energy use.

Most of the electricity produced in the United States comes from non-renewable sources. Examples of non-renewable sources are coal, petroleum, natural gas and nuclear fission. A typical coal-fired utility employs power plant operators who control and operate the turbines which produce electricity. It also employs power distributors and dispatchers to regulate and direct electricity to transmission lines, substations, and over electric power lines. In order to keep machinery in good working order, industrial machinery mechanics and maintenance staff are necessary. A nuclear power plant employs several types of reactor operators. These people are responsible for starting and stopping equipment, moving control rods, and monitoring plant equipment performance. All types of utilities have engineers that design equipment, improve efficiency, and overall plant performance. These examples are just a few jobs available to people interested in non-renewable power generation.

There is growing interest in all areas of renewable power generation. Some examples of sources are wind, water, solar and biomass. These ideas have been around for a long time, but recently they have become more common. Research and development of new technology is an important aspect of all the renewable energy sources. Scientists and engineers are creating new technology to improve efficiency and production. Site assessors are needed to help customers properly place wind turbines or solar panels. In turn, skilled labor is necessary to manufacture and install equipment. The industry has many more jobs than qualified applicants.

You probably don't spend your day at a power plant or under a wind turbine. You probably do spend your day at home or in school where the energy is put to use. During the design process, the architect will think about how to make the building use energy more efficiently. While your home was being built, electricians installed all of the wiring and outlets. There were also professionals who put in insulation and a heating/cooling system. That's where we come in. We enjoy the benefits of temperature control and electric lights and computers and televisions and all the other electrical devices we use. It would be easy to forget about building maintenance staff while you are enjoying the benefits of electricity. However, they are always keeping an eye on electrical and heating/cooling systems to prevent problems from happening. Of course they are prepared to repair problems when they arise.

Below is a collection of books and internet resources on careers in energy. There are literally thousands of employment-related websites on the Internet. This list is not extensive but it might give you a flavor of what kind of jobs are out there and the best strategies for pursuing one. Also feel free to check out the KEEP Staff page where you will meet not only the full-time KEEP Staff, but the adjunct faculty and other energy professionals that teach our courses as well as do many other energy-related activities.

Terms to Know

Green building - A sustainable home or commercial structure that is designed and built in an ecologically balanced and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings meet objectives such as protecting occupant health, using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently, and promoting environmental protection.

Non-Renewable energy - Energy derived from resources that are either replenished very slowly or are not replenished at all by natural processes. A non-renewable resource can ultimately be totally depleted or depleted to the point where it is too expensive to extract and process for human use. Fossil fuels are examples of non-renewable energy resources.

Renewable energy - Energy derived from resources that are regenerative or for all practical purposes cannot be depleted. Types of renewable energy resources include moving water (hydro, tidal and wave power), thermal gradients in ocean water, biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, and wind energy.
 

Classroom Ideas

Guest Speakers

1. Invite professionals from the energy field in your community to speak to the class or organize a career fair focused on energy.

2. Click here to find contacts for guest speakers in your area.

Sample Academic Standards Addressed:
              Business K12.6         Analyze projected career opportunities and trends
              Business K12.10      Explain the benefits of community involvement.

 Activities and Lessons
1. The KEEP Activity Guide includes a number of activities focused on Careers. The activity, "Careers in Energy" involves student investigation of energy-related careers through research, interviews, and job shadowing. Both "Get That Gasoline" and "Catch That Wind" have students sequence the variety of careers involved in gasoline production and wind farming respectively. If you have not been through a KEEP course and do not have a guide yet, you can still help students explore careers in energy. Have students review the websites listed below and others they find through Internet searches to pick a career to research. Or they can look through their community yellow pages to identify careers in energy. Following are a few ideas of how students can relate their career search to their own lives:

a.         Create a list of careers and professions in the community and identify which have direct and indirect energy connections.

b.         Organize the energy-related careers in the community based on the type of energy used or some other categories (e.g., energy generation, distribution, conservation).

c.         Interview energy professionals to learn what education, training, and experiences are useful in that field.

d.         Challenge students to revise, re-organize, and enhance the list of websites provided below, including sites from their own community if possible.

Sample Academic Standards Addressed:
          Business K12.15      Develop and maintain a job search database.
 

2. Use a video clip created by the Futures Channel (www.thefutureschannel.com) to introduce students to three engineers involved in building large wind farms. www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/science_technology/wind_farming/index.php

3. Involve students in an Energy Issue Investigation and Action Project.

4. Have students make a Science Fair presentation about their research. 

Support Materials

Websites

Check out the NEED newsletter available online: Career Currents. They highlight different careers in each newsletter. http://www.need.org/Newsletters

Alliance to Save Energy has a website for energy professionals: http://www.alliantenergy.com/Careers/index.htm

Careers with Utilities and Non-renewable Energy Development

Energy Service Careers Overview
www.ateec.org/publ/energy_book.pdf

Center for Energy Workforce Development
www.cewd.org

Careers in Utilities
www.getintoenergy.com

Electrifying Careers
www.electrifyingcareers.com/students/

Energy Career Cards
www.progress-energy.com/aboutus/employment/highschool/careers.asp

Energy and Power Career Guide
www.khake.com/page49.html

Dept of Labor nuclear power
http://www.bls.gov/soc/2010/soc518011.htm

Oil Industry Jobs
www.oil-industry-jobs.com/

Oil Rig Jobs
www.oil-rig-jobs.com

Careers in Renewable Energy

Home Power - solar power careers
www.homepower.com/files/REcareer89-148.pdf

National Energy Education Development Project - Career Currents
www.need.org/needpdf/April2006CCNews.pdf

Science Careers.org - wind energy careers
sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/
previous_issues/articles/2006_07_14/careers_in_wind_energy/(parent)/68

Science Careers.org - hydrogen fuel cell careers
sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/
previous_issues/articles/2006_07_14/an_energetic_future_with_hydrogen/(parent)/68

Green Building Careers

Smart Communities - green building
www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/buildings/gbintro.shtml

HVAC/R Professionals (Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration)
www.hvacagent.com HVAC/R Professionals...HVAC Agent is like a "Professional Sports Agent" for the HVACR Industry. It's their job to scout the best opportunities for you.