Learn skills to solve climate change and get hired in less than a year [Full Guide + PDF]
Brandon Stover
Founder of Plato University
July 20, 2022
·
40
min read
Climate change may be one of the biggest threats facing humanity. Climate science is becoming clear that we will need solutions now and in the coming decades to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
This learning guide has the exact steps that you should take if you want to learn the in-demand skills that employers want in 2022 and actually help to solve climate change.
It will teach you everything you need to know to get up to speed in the climate field including green skills in climate science, climate data analysis, sustainability consulting, climate change communication, energy, agriculture, the built environment, climate policy and advocacy, and much more.
If you're a complete beginner, have never worked in the climate space, or you're curious about this industry, then this post is for you.
If you're an established practitioner in climate work, you will also find some useful links in here as I list the best free resources to level-up your skills and get cutting edge jobs in the green economy.
If you find this post too long, skip over and start from the Step by Step Learning Guide section. You’ll hurt my feelings… so know that you'll have to live with that guilt.
Ok, you’re still here. Great! I like you already. Let’s keep going…
Using only free online courses, tutorials, and tools, you can gain a valuable skill that will allow you to be employed in a great industry that is rewarding, challenging, and that is changing the world we live in.
The best part? You don’t need a college degree or an expensive bootcamp. And you definitely don't need to give away part of your income once you get hired, which some new schools are doing via something called an ISA (Income Sharing Agreement). This sounds great until you have to start giving away some of your paychecks.
Important note: This post may seem like it's just a step-by-step guide of what to do to become employed in the green economy. But if you look more closely, it's also a strategy you can apply to any sort of learning.
Also... no pressure, but I don't want you getting mad at me for not telling you that if you want a downloadable version, you can sign up below and I'll email you a full PDF version of this guide that includes the month-by-month checklist!
Download PDF Guide (With Checklist) For Free
No pressure, but I don't want you getting mad at me for not telling you that if you want a downloadable version, you can click the button below to sign up on Plato University and get access to PDF version of this guide that includes the month by month checklist!
We think the most crucial question you face in choosing an impactful career is which problem or issue to focus on — whether that’s health, education, climate change, poverty, or something else.
Every decision that will require a significant time of your life should be justified. Time, after all, is the most important resource we have.
So then why focus on Climate Change?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report is, to our knowledge, the most authoritative and comprehensive source on climate change. The report is clear: climate change will be hugely destructive.
We’ll see floods, famines, fires, and droughts — and the world’s poorest people will be affected the most. Looking at the worst possible scenarios, it could be an important factor that increases existential threats from other sources, like great power conflicts, nuclear war, or pandemics.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates the need at approximately 10 gigatonnes of net CO2 removal per year by the year 2050 in order to keep global temperature rise under 1.5 or 2C. As governments, companies, investors, and entrepreneurs make plans to meet this challenge, it is clear that we will need a range of carbon removal solutions to be proven through demonstration and deployment to complement work that is already underway. If humanity continues on a business-as-usual path, the global average temperature could increase 6˚(C) by the year 2100.
There is a litany of solutions, practices and technologies that can stem and begin to reduce the excess of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. However, the demand for talent, skilled labor, and brilliant minds to focus on building and implementing these solutions is ever growing.
That is an opportunity for you, my dear friend, to start a career in an exciting, accelerating field that makes a huge difference.
Still with me? I haven’t scared you off? Ok, we shall keep going then…
IMPORTANT POINT. READ IT: The first 2 months will feel like you are climbing an insurmountable mountain. Every tutorial, course or lesson you do will make you feel like you are the only person in the world that doesn’t know this stuff.
This is called Impostor Syndrome. The feeling of complete self-doubt.
Stay strong. You will get there and you will have more and more ‘AHA!’ moments as time progresses. Rest assured, we all feel this way when we learn something new. This is good. This is how you know you are stretching your boundaries. It's kind of like doing a really tough workout and your muscles are sore for the next couple days. You know you're pushing yourself and growing when you feel uncomfortable.
What you will learn at the end of this is that being a master in a skill isn’t just memorizing a whole bunch of facts. It’s about learning how to solve problems using all of the tools that are available to you. It’s about being a problem solver and getting from a state of not knowing, to knowing. This guide will help you get those skills.
Finally, just as this problem keeps evolving, this learning plan will also constantly evolve and be updated with new lectures and resources as well so that you can stay on the cutting edge.
Who is this learning guide for?
Current practitioners in the climate industry, regardless of skill level, who want to level up their skills for the future and be on the cutting edge of the green economy.
Early career starters who want to get into mission driven climate tech companies in exciting roles like climate designers, recruiters, climate data analysts, or sustainability consultants.
Passionate people who want to create solutions for climate change but don’t know where to start understanding the problem and skills need to build solutions.
Who are you and why should I listen to you?
Wow, you’re direct, but I guess that’s a fair question.
First off, I’m the Founder of Plato University, where you can get a personalized education built around your passions, highly in-demand, real world skills, and the impact you want to make.
Being a poor kid from the trailer park living in a broken home, I know the power of education to transform one's life. But after chasing education's promise of a golden ticket, I graduated with a degree in a career I was not passionate about or felt would make a real difference in the world. Ultimately I felt I had no meaning, impact, or sense of purpose in his life.
Since then, I’ve surrounded myself with and learned from dozens of social entrepreneurs making a difference in the world, built half a decade of experience as a designer, marketer, and educator for mission driven companies, and built educational programs that have reached over 80,000 people.
But like you I started from zero. From nothing. Yes I had some formal college education, but that was in architecture. The other skills I have built have come from thousands of hours of self-taught, self directed learning.
So yes, I have been where you are and I know what it takes. When I was getting started, I wished there was something like this that outlined things for me step by step. Now, I've become obsessed with the art of learning and helping you master skills you can apply in the real world. I want to teach skills that you can use to create real change, solve major global issues, and find real fulfillment in your life.
What Skills Are We Going to Learn?
When people think about working in fields to solve climate change, they think they need a degree and have to become a climate scientist. However there are dozens of other roles that are as crucially important to the cause that don’t require you to have a degree or be a scientist.
Now if you do want to become one of the following, you’re best bet is to get a formal degree. These fields have intense training that are best served by the traditional education system:
Climate or Environmental Scientist
Geoscientist
Climatologist
Environmental Lawyer
Environmental Engineer
Environmental Architect
Sustainable Architect
Now as the green economy grows and more solutions are being created, there is also a high demand for skilled labor in jobs that require only technical training. If you want to be boots on the ground, working directly in the field with these green technologies, then consider one of these roles:
Renewable Energy Installer
Power Grid Modernization Expert
Waste Removal And Recycling Professional
Urban Grower
Public Green Space Maintenance Professional
Brownfield Restorer
Invasive Species Controller
Energy Auditor
Weatherization Expert
Pedestrian And Bike Lane Construction Consultant
Disaster Preparedness Trainer
And dozens of others…
The skills we will focus on in this learning plan will absolutely benefit you in any of the positions above. However most of those will have training programs which will be specific to the work you would be doing.
Instead, the skills below are the skillsets we believe you need to be successful in addressing climate change and are highly sought after by employers build solutions in climate tech startups:
Green Skills
Climate Science
Renewable Energy
Agriculture
Carbon
Built Environment
Transportation
Data Analysis
Data Science
Sustainability
Corporate Sustainability
Sustainable Development
Circular Economy
Marketing & Growth
Storytelling & Communications
Sales & Business Development
Recruiting
Project Management
Design Thinking
UX & Product Design
Technology
Software Engineering & Development
Policy Analysis
Political Leadership
Climate Tech Leadership
With these skills you could land a variety of in-demand roles at mission driven startups who are aimed at solving the climate crisis. Possible roles in Climate Tech Startups are:
Data Scientist/ Data Analyst
Sustainability Consultant:
Marketer
Sales
HR & Recruiting
Climate Designer
Software Engineer
Climate Tech Founder
How to Use this Learning Guide
Everything at Plato University is based on Mastery. For this reason we design all of our courses into bite sized chunks that build on each other. You master each small chunk by applying what you have learned before moving on to the next. By the end of the course you will have mastered the entire skill and created something to show for it.
However, we believe that there is a ton of great content out there on various subjects. Although we would like to have original courses on all material, it’s just not possible. Nor are we always the best ones to teach something. This is why we create learning plans, scaffold pathways for you to navigate learning materials to master skills.
So in order to extend the concept of mastery to these learning resources we can’t control, we recommend approaching them in this way for the most optimal learning:
Before you get started with any of these learning resources, make sure you take our How to Learn Anything course which will teach you the science based tools of pro learners to become smarter, remember more, and master any hard skills. This will ensure you are truly learning instead of just using your short-term memory.
Create a learning habit, where you learn at least 20-30 minutes of original content everyday and then spend up to 60 minutes applying the skill. This makes learning manageable and easy to fit in your schedule. But you’ll also realize it improves the quality of your learning.
This learning plan is intensive. If you want to finish in under a year, we recommend treating it like actually going to school part-time. So take multiple classes or learning resources at once. However, don't feel obligated to finish that quickly. It’s more important to comprehend what your learning, taking the time to do so, rather than how quickly you get through the plan.
Always learn, then apply. We are not here to just take in knowledge. We are here to make real change in our lives. This only happens if you apply what you learn.
Only learn what you’re interested in. There is no exam. No one tells you what you have to learn. If you’re only interested in one skill set, then learn that part, skip the rest. If you want to master every skill, then follow this learning plan in its entirety.
Download PDF Guide (With Checklist) For Free
No pressure, but I don't want you getting mad at me for not telling you that if you want a downloadable version, you can click the button below to sign up on Plato University and get access to PDF version of this guide that includes the month by month checklist!
We will be focusing on the most usable and in-demand skills that climate tech startups and employers want in 2022. Time is important to you and you want to be building as soon as possible and learn the most modern skills.
Before you get started with any of these learning resources, make sure you take our How to Learn Anything course which will teach you the science based tools of pro learners to become smarter, remember more, and master any hard skills. This will ensure you are truly learning instead of just using your short-term memory.
(Yes I just repeated that advice from the last section. Why? Because it's important!)
Month 1: Primer on Climate Change
Before we can solve any problem, we must fully understand it. So our first month will be spent studying the problem and the various solutions others are creating to solve the problem. Doing this exploration is an opportunity to decide if this is a problem you feel compelled to solve.
If you start diving into the material below and feel like you're on the edge of your seat and getting lost in hours of research, that is a good sign this is the problem for you. But if you find you can’t even muster the energy to look at another resource, then maybe there's another problem that you would better be motivated to solve.
Then below is a brief starting point for your exploration. This list is far from exhaustive. Instead use it to start sparking your own curiosity and then find your own resources to further your understanding.
Month 2: How to Understand Climate Science (Green Skills)
In LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Green Skills Report, they discussed the most in-demand “green skills” that are needed for employment in the green economy. Green skills are those that enable the environmental sustainability of economic activities. These skills include understanding the complex science of climate change and its associated industries. It also includes the various roles that are increasing in these industries. This month we will focus on each industry, then in following months we will cover roles within those industries.
For the most benefit and optimal learning for you, only choose the resources and industries that interest you.
Skills to Master:
Climate Science:
First, master the basics of climate science and how to evaluate scientific evidence from the University of British Columbia. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Gain a deeper understanding of renewable technologies like solar power, wind power, storage, nuclear power, hydropower, and bioenergy from engineering and socio-political perspectives with MIT’s Sustainable Energy Course.
Even if you don’t want to focus on Agriculture, understanding how to be a regenerative consumer will greatly improve your impact on our food system.
Then understand how climate change and our actions affect the Biodiverse Landscapes.
Learn how to feed the world in a sustainable way with the XSeries Program in Food Security and Sustainability from Wageningen, the #1 Agricultural University in the world. You can supplement this learning by understanding drainage in agriculture and controlling water and salt levels in the soil.
Then take their Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Architecture to fully grasp the various environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainable architecture, including climate, air quality, waste management, and energy considerations.
Want to focus on just energy in buildings? Take the Professional Certificate in Buildings as Sustainable Energy Systems from Delft University of Technology to learn how to design efficient energy systems. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Finally, take design to the macroscale and learn how ecology can guide urban design to avert environmental disasters and improve people’s lives with the Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs course from the University of British Columbia.
Transportation:
Learn how to implement sustainable strategies for modern urban transportation solutions with the Diploma in Urban Transportation and Sustainability from The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning.
Month 3: How to Use Climate Data (Data Scientist/ Data Analyst)
It should come as no surprise, but there are boat loads of data being produced in the study of climate change, and more and more that is needed to actually get a full understanding of what is going on. For this reason, those that have the skill to develop and analyze this data are in high demand.
If you don’t already have technical skills in Data Analysis, then you can easily start learning them with either IBM’s data analyst courses leading you from the fundamentals to working in Python, or Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certificate which will lead you from understanding of the practices and processes to using spreadsheets, SQL and R programming. For an in depth understanding, I recommend both.
If you have never touched data science, then start by taking the Data Science for Everyone course from DataCamp.
Then learn the technical skills of data science through the Data Science Specialization from John Hopkins University. Additionally the courses in data analysis above should be taken.
Then dive into the Data Science + Climate Change Curriculum curated by Towards Data Science to learn more about obtaining and analyzing climate data to designing solutions.
Finally get your hands dirty and put your skills to the test by analyzing data and models from the dozens of projects and educational resources available in the Open Sustainable Technology.
Month 4: How to be Sustainable (Sustainability Consultant)
Sustainability and climate change (S&CC) consultants help companies and organizations become more socially and environmentally responsible. They offer advice on sustainable building practices and environmentally-friendly materials. They also show clients how to decrease energy consumption and waste by putting tools in place to measure and monitor corresponding data.
Get an Introduction to Sustainable Finance from the UN to learn more about sustainable finance instruments, methodologies and frameworks for integrating sustainability into financial decisions.
Finally learn the skills a consultant would need to become a Sustainable Business Change Agent within organizations from the University of Colorado. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Sustainable development:
Learn the basics of sustainable development that anyone could use in the Environmental Gamechanger course from Wageningen University & Research.
No training in sustainability as applied to organizations would be complete without understanding the circular economy. Take this course to learn about the dangers of the linear economic model and benefits of the circular model with this free online course.
Month 5: How to Communicate Climate Change (Marketing, Communications, Sales)
Surprise! There is a shortage of really great marketing, sales and business development talent in the climate sector. Most skills professionals are working with other internet retailers or SAAS companies. But the skills of communication, influence, and persuasion are crucial to spreading the word and getting buy-in from others for climate solutions.
Skills to Master:
Marketing & Growth:
To begin learning marketing basics, take Acadium’s free mini courses building real projects.
Finally, learn how these skills are applied towards climate problems by understanding climate skeptics and how to communicate with them, and how to communicate scientific findings that are accessible and compelling to all target audiences in the Professional Certificate in Environmental Management for Sustainability from University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science & University System of Maryland.
Learn how to create an inbound sales process and increase rep productivity with the sales training program from Hubspot Academy.
Month 6: How to Build Teams for Climate Change (Human Resources, Recruiting, and Administration)
Every climate tech startup needs help with their recruitment. Unlike software engineering or data science, it’s not hard to learn how to become a great recruiter and you don’t need a specialized or competitive degree to do it well. It’s 90% soft skills (like critical thinking, reading/writing, talking to people, and creativity), and 10% copy/paste. If you are someone who loves to talk to people, or if you majored in psychology and are really not sure what your career future looks like, recruitment could be calling your name.
Skills to Master:
Recruiting & Team-Building:
Learn to become a better manager of people. Develop strategies and skills for hiring, managing performance, and rewarding employees in the Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization from the University of Minnesota. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Learn how to develop a strategic plan to attract, recruit and retain employees at every level with the Hiring Practices course from University of California.
Learn how to create a hiring and onboarding system using ClickUp in this free guided project.
Explore how to inspire and motivate individuals, manage talent, influence without authority, and lead teams with the Leading People and Teams Specialization from the University of Michigan. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Month 7: How to Design for Climate Change (Climate Designer)
Designers create work that influences culture and reflects the culture they live in. By learning the skills of design thinking, you can begin creating climate solutions and products that serve both the user and the global community.
Skills to Master:
Project management:
Creating any solution for climate change is going to require project management skills. Begin gaining those skills in the project management fundamentals from IBM.
Ready to sharpen those skills for the professional workplace? Take the Google Project Management: Professional Certificate. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Design Thinking:
First, understand what design thinking is and why it is important with this webinar and this webinar from Stanford University. Then explore how it could be applied to climate in the Climate Designers community.
Ready to learn the applicable skills of design thinking? Take the MicroMasters® Program in Design Thinking from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Finally, understand how design thinking can be applied to social sectors like climate change in this course from the University of Virginia and this course from Waikato Institute of Technology.
UX & Product Design:
Learn the skills a junior product designer needs, starting from the basics, the principles and elements of design, taking a comprehensive tour through methodologies and proper product planning and management, research, interaction and information design, and ending with tracking metrics and next iterations.
Learn how to design user experiences and products from Google in their UX Design Professional Certificate&Product Design course. Remember, you can click through to each course and enroll for free by “auditing” them.
Month 8: How to Build Climate Products
Explore the world of Climate Tech, understand the technologies and how they can be used to help fight climate change. Gain skills to create your own code and build your own solutions or help build existing solutions.
Skills to Master:
Software Engineering & Development:
Learn about some of the cutting edge technology that could be used for building climate solutions in IBM’s free technology skill courses.
Although these are paid courses, they are two of the best resources that are affordable and based on mastery rather than an expensive bootcamp. Try out The Complete Web Developer in 2022 from Zero to Mastery or Core Curriculum from Launch School.
Month 9: How to Create and Advocate Climate Policy
If you have an eye for policy and politics, you could help analyze and lead the immense work being done in climate policy. Learn to examine the multiple systems at work in world and how to build policies that can address and inform those systems.
Skills to Master:
Policy Analysis:
Solutions to climate change are not going to happen without addressing the policies being created. Learn to analyze Green Fiscal Policy, Carbon Taxation, and Health from the UN.
Understand China’s perspectives, policies, actions and effects on global climate changes to the international community with this course from Tsinghua University.
Political Leadership:
Learn the concept of indicators to support policymaking for an Inclusive Green Economy with this introductory course and advanced course from the UN.
Further explore the risks and opportunities that climate change presents to financial markets with this course from the Imperial College of London.
Learn how to use the National Adaptation Plan process in order to prepare countries for addressing climate risk in the medium term with this course from the UN.
Finally, take the Climate Change, Peace and Security: Understanding Climate-Related Security Risks Through an Integrated Lens course from the UN.
Month 10: How to be an Climate Change Leader or Founder
Have an idea to solve the climate crisis? Use this portion of the learning guide to help you learn what it takes to become a climate leader or founder and start a company.
Skills to Master:
Becoming a Climate Tech Founder:
The best training you will get as a founder is by being in the trenches of building a startup. However there are some fellowships and schools that can help along the way. I recommend starting with Y Combinator’s Startup School.
To begin exploring the climate tech space, I recommend looking at the curated resources and community of people in the Climate Founders and Startup Basecamp.
You can also try On Deck Founders if you’re exploring starting a company and even get support with $25,000. If you’re ready to go all in on your startup and want to raise capital, try their ODX program where they invest $125,000 for 7% in your idea or company and support you with an intimate accelerator.
Conclusion
This learning guide will give you a comprehensive crash course into climate change in the most efficient way possible. By focusing on the things that matter, it makes learning fun. But it doesn’t end here. Learning never stops. Our first goal is to help you get started in climate change as soon as possible so you keep learning in the real world.
The real growth happens when you start working on real projects with real teams. That’s why I strongly believe that you want your initial ‘study’ period to be as short as possible. And you get to avoid going into debt and increase your time in the best environment for learning: working in teams.
With this learning guide we have built the foundations for which all your other learning can be built on top of. As you begin to expand your knowledge and really master skills, your rate of learning new things will be exponential.
Make 2022 the year that you took a risk, you learned highly in-demand skill sets, you were terrified, you had new experiences, and you received new opportunities. Good luck!
Download PDF Guide (With Checklist) For Free
No pressure, but I don't want you getting mad at me for not telling you that if you want a downloadable version, you can click the button below to sign up on Plato University and get access to PDF version of this guide that includes the month by month checklist!
