Career Skill Assessment

The sustainability career path no one tells you about: 1. Learn the frameworks, acronyms, and tools (EPR, SBTi, LCA, ISO…). 2. Realize most stakeholders don’t speak that language. 3. Get great at translating targets into plain English. 4. Realize people don’t care about targets, they care about trade-offs. 5. Get great at connecting impact to P&L, risk, and brand. 6. Realize decisions still happen without (or despite) the evidence. 7. Get great at influence without authority: narratives, coalitions, timing. 8. Realize org politics and incentives beat logic on most Mondays. 9. Get great at choosing leverage points and letting go of the rest. 10. Finally understand the job was about people, not spreadsheets, all along. Tools, ratings, and policies change every year. Human nature doesn’t. Sustainability is people work. Invest accordingly.

This is the most permissionless time in history. 10 years ago you needed a $100k real estate degree. Here’s what actually matters in 2025: I asked 6 top real estate executives what skills they hire for. None mentioned financial models that real estate grad programs teach. They all wanted to know one thing: do you know how to run a building? Here's why: I published a newsletter about what real estate executives think of MSRE degrees. These are people who hire every day. Jamie Hodari of Industrious said: "What's an MSRED? Too many people from these programs just learn RE finance, which takes four hours. How you run things is what matters." Here's what executives want: 1. Operations Over Analysis What Leaders Want: • Running buildings well • Making tenants happy • Filling spaces fast Real leaders want people who can run properties well. • Keeping value on site • Finance is just the start The job is about hands-on work, not just math. 2. Tech Fluency Is Key Must-Have Skills: • How tech helps property value • Where AI fits in work • When blockchain makes sense Knowing how tech helps real estate is key now. • What new tech matters • Which tools are just hype They want people who know which tech is worth using. 3. Real Assets Are Growing Beyond Old Groups: • Data centers change the game • Green rules matter • What counts as "real" is growing Real estate now means many more things than before. • Big funds look at all assets • Experts need deep know-how Today's pros must see the whole picture. 4. Stories Beat Spreadsheets The Big Surprise: • Story skills beat math skills • Your name opens doors • Good stories move money Being able to tell why a deal works beats perfect math. • Trust counts more than ever • Slides > formulas People back people they trust, not just numbers. The truth is clear: • Schools teach models • Bosses hire for street smarts • Programs push cap rates Schools teach theory, but firms need real skills. Read my full piece linked in the comments. What do you think MSRE programs miss? 

Two acquaintances of mine (Alvin Lim from Climate Bridge International and Izzat Hamzah from 3Degrees) who are experienced carbon services professionals are quoted in this Straits Times article. "For Mr Alvin Lim, chief executive of local carbon project developer Climate Bridge International, the challenge goes beyond qualifications. He looks for three things in a potential hire: First, the person needs to demonstrate interest in the carbon markets by reading avidly, taking courses and doing internships. This will be reflected in the depth of knowledge, including a good grasp of project types, UN rules on carbon trading, and carbon market policies in other countries. Second, the person must be intellectually curious, he said. It is the third trait that Mr Lim has been struggling to find in local job-seekers after months of interviews – the grit and willingness to work in remote countries to oversee and monitor carbon projects. Most of the projects Singapore is expected to approve are likely to be hosted in the Global South, which includes countries in Latin America, Africa and South-east Asia. “Some people see this as an adventure and others see this as a hardship trip. What if I tell them: ‘Can you please go to Ghana and live there for a month and help us monitor the project?’ And what if you need to travel 25 per cent of the year? “And this is not even the capital of Ghana, it could be two hours away in the middle of nowhere,” Mr Lim said. “We are looking for candidates with grit and the ability to be resourceful in finding solutions, especially when operating in unfamiliar environments with limited support.” Mr Izzat Hamzah from global climate solutions provider 3Degrees believes that sustainability is less of a domain and more of a lens – a perspective that someone aspiring to join the climate space should adopt. It is about having core expertise, whether in economics, law, engineering or computer science, and applying those skills in sustainability, he said. A sustainability professional should be a “Jack of all trades, a master of some”, said the Asia-Pacific lead for trading and origination of environmental commodities. “When folks ask how they can build a career in sustainability, they miss the point. The real question is: ‘How do I develop deep expertise in my current profession – be it law or engineering – and then gear it to sustainability?”" https://lnkd.in/gQ_ug7kz

Sustainability career experts and job seekers say landing a new job in the current economy — or making yourself more valuable to your current employer — comes down to one big thing #corporatesustainability professionals have been talking up for years: The ability to link emissions reductions and other environmental initiatives to business value creation. “Position ESG as a strategic enabler, not a compliance function,” said Pamela Gill Alabaster, who left her position this month as global head of ESG and sustainability for Tylenol maker Kenvue. The person now leading sustainability at Kenvue, for example, is part of the company’s research and development organization. Other suggestions: Be selective - “You could be following the perfect playbook, but you need to be attuned to what the organization is really looking for,” said Trish Kenlon, founder of Sustainable Career Pathways, pointing to research on six archetypes that typically shape how corporations govern ESG and sustainability.   Focus on what’s material - “Does the sustainability team pay for itself through the cost-savings initiatives the team has identified, led or operationalized?” asked J.R. Siegel, vice president of sustainability for software company Worldly. “De-risking is equally important, but it's harder to put a financial number on that work. Empower other business leaders - “Sustainability professionals just spent the past few years understanding every minute detail of the business to repurpose that data for reporting,” said author Matthew Sekol, a Microsoft “sustainability black belt” who helps advise the company’s customers. “Don't squander the opportunity for improvements and innovations that you are sitting on.   Create a ‘brand’ book - “Every time you complete a project, deliver something on time or support a business win, take note of it and make sure your leadership team knows about it,” said Ashley Fahey, former senior manager of global product sustainability at Kohler, who left the company in May. “Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.” More career advice: https://lnkd.in/eVGN2qVJ Desta A. Raines Ellen Weinreb

According to the LinkedIn 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, green talent is growing 3.4 times faster than overall talent demand. Yet only 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥. This gap is reshaping what the future of work looks like. Between 2020 and 2024, global green talent grew by 27 percent, while India grew even faster at 32 percent. Green job postings on LinkedIn increased by 22 percent last year. Sectors like renewable energy and construction now show 40 percent higher demand for green skilled professionals, and finance and consulting have seen a 26 percent surge in ESG and sustainability related roles. Sustainability is no longer a specialised domain. It is becoming a foundational capability across industries. In Asia Pacific, where green upskilling demand is rising the fastest worldwide, India is among the top markets where the gap between green skills demand and supply is widening at the quickest pace. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐨𝐛. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲. From client work and observing teams, one pattern is consistent. Professionals who can translate sustainability into everyday decision making get invited into different conversations. Their work becomes strategic rather than transactional. 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 Sustainability strategy Environmental management Circular economy thinking Carbon accounting Renewable energy systems ESG reporting Climate risk assessment People who start using language like “we optimise for resource efficiency” or “we evaluate material impact before execution” begin to stand out. They signal readiness for a future that is already here. Sustainability is becoming a marker of credibility, not a job title. 𝐀 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 Relevance in the coming decade will belong to those who embed green thinking into their current roles long before they apply for a green job. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲? Source: LinkedIn Green Skills Report 2025 #LinkedInGreenSkills #COP30 #FutureOfWork #CareerGrowth #Sustainability #GreenSkills #GreenerTogether #LinkedInNewsIndia

Here are three key pieces of advice for those beginning their careers in AI and Sustainability (drawn from my two decades of experience) ... 1. Master the fundamentals first In both AI and sustainability, foundational literacy is non-negotiable. Learn basic coding, critical thinking, understand materiality assessments, scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, as well as regulatory frameworks such as ... > the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) > Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) > Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) > the GHG Protocol 2. Invest in yourself The most sustainable asset in your career will always be you. Learn to learn. Attend quality and often free online training, join conferences, pick up general or specialized ESG certifications. Keep up with the latest thinking. Some notable annual events on climate action, social and environmental stewardship are … 📍Climate Week NYC 📍COP 30, United Nations Climate Change Conference  📍World Economic Forum (WEF), Davos Some of the most storied AI & ML Conferences include ... - NeurIPS, Neural Information Processing Systems - a focus on neural networks https://nips.cc - [ICML] Int'l Conference on Machine Learning, International Conference on Machine Learning - is focused on machine learning in general https://icml.cc - ICLR, International Conference on Learning Representations - with deep learning or learning representations as a thrust area https://iclr.cc 3. Seek interdisciplinary exposure The most valuable roles in the future may well be the emerging are "Sustainable AI Engineers" who understand both ML algorithms and environmental systems. And here's one important insight that’s often overlooked … Reach out to industry mentors who might be happy to guide you on your learning and experimentation journey. Their guidance can accelerate both your learning and impact. I hope that this serves as a useful starting point. Feel free to tag someone who might benefit from this advice! #Career #AI #Sustainability

The Trojan Horse approach for sustainability careers. Most sustainability professionals don't start in sustainability roles. They begin elsewhere and strategically integrate their environmental expertise into core business functions. They understand that companies are not hiring sustainability experts. They are hiring experts who think sustainably. They master essential business capabilities first, then embed sustainability thinking throughout their work. This strategic integration creates professionals who speak the language of business while advancing environmental goals, across multiple business functions. Financial Services: Analysts and bankers are incorporating climate risk modeling into investment decisions and developing innovative green financing products. Operations Management: Engineers are implementing waste reduction and circular economy principles and designs into manufacturing processes. Technology Development: Software developers are building ESG data platforms and creating automated systems for carbon tracking and reporting. Strategic Planning: Business strategists are embedding long-term environmental considerations into corporate planning frameworks. Marketing and Branding: Marketers are developing purpose-driven and sustainable brands, and focusing on stakeholder engagement and transparency. The professionals advancing in the sustainability market are those who have established credibility in core business areas while developing deep environmental expertise. This combination enables them to influence decision-making from positions of established trust and competence.

Core Skills & Careers 2030: What Do We Need to Prepare For? The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report paints a fascinating picture of how work will evolve by 2030. One thing is crystal clear: it’s not just about what you know anymore, but about how you think, adapt, and apply knowledge across contexts. Look at the framework: ⚒️Emerging Skills : networks & cybersecurity, environmental stewardship, design thinking. ⚒️Core Skills of 2030 : AI & big data, analytical thinking, creativity, leadership, resilience, empathy. ⚒️Steady Skills : attention to detail, service orientation, operations. ⚒️Out-of-focus Skills : manual dexterity, rote math, simple programming. 💡 Translation? The future is human + tech + adaptability. 🔑 The Skills Employers Will Pay For 1. AI + Big Data Fluency • Every career — finance, healthcare, marketing, sustainability — will need professionals who can interpret, not just operate AI. • Careers: Data-driven strategists, AI ethicists, business analysts, digital product leaders. 2. Creative & Analytical Thinking • When algorithms automate the “easy thinking,” value shifts to solving ambiguous, complex problems. • Careers: Innovation consultants, product designers, growth strategists, research scientists. 3. Leadership & Social Influence • The hybrid workplace needs leaders who can influence without authority, build culture across geographies, and manage change. • Careers: Organizational development leaders, change managers, startup founders. 4. Resilience, Flexibility & Agility • Career paths will no longer be straight lines but zigzags. Those who thrive will be quick to pivot, reskill, and reinvent. • Careers: Portfolio professionals, gig leaders, adaptive entrepreneurs. 5. Systems Thinking & Sustainability • Businesses will be evaluated not just on profit, but on impact. Thinking in terms of ecosystems is a career superpower. • Careers: ESG specialists, policy analysts, systems designers. 🧭 How Do You Prepare for This Future? 🧰Invest in Cognitive Agility → Focus less on memorization, more on problem-solving frameworks. 🧰Build Digital Fluency → AI, automation, cybersecurity, data literacy — not optional. 🧰Develop Human-Centric Skills → Empathy, influence, collaboration will be your competitive edge. 🧰Stay Perpetually Curious → “Learnability” may soon be more important than degrees. 🧰Think in Careers 2.0 → Instead of one career identity, prepare for career portfolios. You might be a consultant, creator, and strategist — all in one decade. 🌍 The Big Shift By 2030, careers won’t be chosen only by industry (finance, healthcare, tech). They’ll be shaped by skills ecosystems. Employers will ask: • Can you analyze and adapt? • Can you lead humans and leverage machines? • Can you sustain yourself through reinvention? Those who master these core skills will not just “fit” into future careers — they’ll create them. #careers #futureofwork #careerstrategy #growthmindset #upskill

Please stop chasing ESG careers without real specialization. I see too many people entering sustainability without direction. In 2026 interest alone will not build careers. Companies no longer need awareness only. They need specialists who can actually deliver. Do this instead: • Pick one sustainability vertical and commit deeply. • Learn how theory becomes real business decisions. • Track regulations like GRI ISSB CSRD closely. • Get hands on experience even behind scenes. • Share insights so expertise becomes visible. There are many sustainability verticals to explore deeply: • Climate risk and adaptation. • Sustainable finance and banking integration. • Circular economy and resource efficiency. • Sustainable supply chains and human rights. • Renewable energy and decarbonisation. • Biodiversity and nature protection. • Sustainability reporting and ESG frameworks. • Social sustainability and workforce wellbeing. • Policy governance and regulatory systems. Failure happens when people stay broad not skilled. Depth creates trust relevance and long term careers. Choose your lane and master it fully. #esg #sustainability #esgcareers #sustainabilitycareers #leadership #futureofwork #climaterisk #sustainablefinance #circulareconomy #supplychains #decarbonisation #biodiversity #esgreporting #socialsustainability #governance #policy #careergrowth #professionaldevelopment #expertise

How to Prepare for a Career in Sustainability & ESG (Courses & Certifications Guide). “How do I prepare myself for a career in sustainability and ESG?” It’s one of the most common questions from students and career switchers. The good news is: You don’t need to learn everything. You just need to learn the right things. If you’re starting, focus on building knowledge in key areas and using accessible learning platforms. Here’s a simple roadmap: 1-Sustainability Fundamentals Understand the basics of sustainability and global impact. What to learn: Climate change Circular economy Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  Where to learn: LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy, edX, etc. 2- ESG & Sustainability Reporting This is one of the most in-demand areas. What to learn: ESG concepts Reporting frameworks (GRI, SASB, ISSB) Materiality & disclosures  Where to learn: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) (GRI Professional Certification), Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) (ESG Specialization), LinkedIn Learning, etc. 3- Energy & Carbon Management Important for climate-focused roles. What to learn: Carbon accounting basics Energy efficiency Net-zero strategies  Where to learn: Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), Udemy, IEA 4-Green Buildings & Real Estate Sustainability Highly relevant in today’s market. What to learn: Building performance Energy benchmarking- ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER Green certifications  Certifications: U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (LEED Green Associate). 5-Data & Analytics (Very Important) Sustainability is data-driven. What to learn: Excel, Power BI, R, Python, etc. Data analysis Basic visualization  Where to learn: LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and other platforms. Key Certifications to Consider GRI Professional Certification LEED Green Associate- I highly recommend students take advantage of the student price discount ESG Certificates (CFI, CFA ESG optional advanced) Important Reminder! Courses and certifications help, but what truly sets you apart is: How you apply what you learn. #SustainabilityCareers #ESG #CareerDevelopment #ClimateCareers #Learning