With your education, you can earn anywhere from $31,200-$60,000 per year with solar engineers earning as much as $80,000. Now, that’s a good living any way you look at it while you are doing good things for the environment! However, to maximize your education, there are three things you must do.
Get Busy!
The solar sector of the renewable energy industry is one of its fastest growing areas. In fact, the Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative predicts that solar power shall be a competitive energy source for commercial electricity by 2015! As such, many solar energy job opportunities are available for professionals who possess the right kind of qualifications. Therefore, professionals must get busy with acquiring more education and more experience either from a solar school or from the field.
If you cannot secure a solar sector job, volunteering in establishments that are solar-friendly can boost your résumé. If you have spare time, learn all you can about the industry through trade journals. If you must, take the low-paying job being offered just because it provides for entry into the solar sector. The point is to get busy expanding your network, your knowledge and your experience. Eventually, you will get noticed by the top honchos of the company and the sector you want to work in.
Get Noticed!
Even when you have attained good performance marks from the solar school, you still need to get noticed by the solar industry. There are many ways to achieve this goal although you have to put your personal twist on them.
• First, you must attend industry conventions. These are venues where professionals converge to discuss the concerns and directions of the solar industry, which are also often excellent sources for employers to source out prospective employees. At the very least, you can distribute business cards and résumés to the people who matter in the industry.
• Second, you must build a good reputation within the industry. At present, the solar sector is sufficiently small to allow for an atmosphere of almost-everybody-knows-almost-everybody to pervade. As such, good word of mouth advertising as well as official recommendations from former employers and co-workers will provide for more solar energy job opportunities.
Again, the point is to get noticed in a positive way. It will not just be your education from a prestigious solar school that matters, but your personal and professional track record will matter, too!
Get Updated!
As usually happens, fast growth means fast obsolescence and fast turnover. As such, the solar industry is always on the lookout for newer, bigger and better technologies and applications.
In turn, the professionals must be constantly updated on these new technologies. It is a challenge that creates new business opportunities. It is fast growth that requires new knowledge. In short, the more you know of the latest in solar technologies and events, the more opportunities you have to maximize your solar school education!
Truly, solar education must be maximized not only for the sake of financial stability and career advancement but because it paves the way for a brighter and cleaner future.