Looking for a career where you can help save the planet and be rewarded for doing it? Then ‘net zero’ is the place to be
Australia has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and this is creating new opportunities in a wide range of STEM-skilled areas.
In fact, consulting firm Deloitte is predicting decarbonisation could drive 180 million “green collar” jobs in the Asia-Pacific region by 2050, and in Australia the main focus is on jobs related to the construction, maintenance and operation of renewable power.
Net zero jobs also extend beyond the energy industry into other fields that will help us reduce carbon emissions, like agriculture, resources and transport.
To help you carve out a path to a net zero job, we’ve just released Careers with STEM: Net Zero.
In it you’ll find inspiring stories of people working in diverse careers helping Australia get to net zero.
Like UNSW renewable energy engineering alumni Stephanie Easton, who combined engineering with economics to find a career at the heart of the renewable energy industry. After becoming aware of climate change in school, and at the same time learning how energy generation works, Stephanie had one big question: why can’t it all be renewable?
Fast forward 10 years, and Stephanie now leads a team of engineers, analysts and data scientists that only work with renewable energy. For someone who loves solving interesting problems, Stephanie says it’s the dream job. “For people who are passionate and curious, it’s a really, really exciting field to work in.”
Featured on the cover of the magazine is Doha Goreishi, a UNSW engineering and commerce student who currently leads Sunswift’s alternative energy department, which is focused on integrating hydrogen into the car of the future.
Doha’s involvement in Sunswift has reaffirmed her passion for sustainability and innovation. “Finding that little niche in hydrogen has been, I would say, pretty life changing because I can definitely see myself working in that space.”
Also featured in the magazine is Sylvia Edifor, Process Engineer Lead, at startup The Hydrogen Utility. Growing up in Ghana with a love for maths and science, Sylvia always wanted a career with impact.
“I always wanted to be an engineer, a problem solver who could make a significant impact by finding solutions to the energy crises in Ghana, and alternate and clean energy for the world at large,” she says. After moving to Australia and doing her PhD at the University of Adelaide, Sylvia is now well down the path to making a difference.
Alongside her peers in the magazine is clean energy electrician Katrina Russell who came to her role at Hydro Tasmania via an electrical apprenticeship. Now a qualified electrician, she’s currently working on her second major refurbishment on a generator at Tasmania’s Poatina Power Station.
Another woman in engineering featured in the magazine is Luvha Shrestha, a student who recently completed an internship at Horizon Power, with the support of the Australian Power Institute.
Read more in the online issue, or purchase a print copy today – Careers with STEM: Net Zero is on the flipside of Careers with STEM: Engineering 2024.
Careers with STEM: Net Zero was produced with the support of the University of Adelaide, UTS, the Australian Power Institute and UNSW.
