You can save the planet faster and more easily if you’ve got the numbers that tell you what most needs to be done and when
How many animals are endangered because of climate change and what can we do about it? How fast are our forests disappearing and how well are we preserving them? Which reefs are thriving and which need special care and attention to survive?
All of these environmental questions rely on data. If you’re someone who loves digging the data, here’s the good news: you’ll be in demand for every career that uses data (think, most of ‘em). Data analysis and machine learning skills are just as needed in environmental careers as they are in traditional tech careers.
You can protect the environment and futureproof your career by working in environment + data and artificial intelligence (AI). You’ll be making a difference and opening up a world of employment opportunities for yourself. Win-win-win.
At school, you’ll need to study maths and digital technologies. But you don’t need to be top of the class – and if communication and English are your best subjects, well, they’re super important for these jobs, too. We need people who get the tech but can also communicate what the data is telling us so that we can get everyone on board the mission: saving the planet.
Skills shortlist
- Love of the environment
- Good communicator
- Teamwork (always!)
- Coding and other digital skills (can be learnt on the job!)
- Mathematics, especially statistics (but you don’t need to be an expert)
- Interested in technology
This article originally appears in Careers with STEM: Environment + Data. For more on STEM careers, subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up to our e-newsletter.
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