Today, Assembly Speaker John Perez and State Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg shared a new plan that would bring tons of new energy jobs to California, according to the Sacramental Business Journal. These types of jobs aren’t just coming to California, however. Across the country, clean energy and renewable energy jobs are becoming more and more readily available – and many of them are extremely high-paying.

How can you snag one of the energy jobs coming to the United States? Here are three tips for finding green jobs:

• Get educated!

Most energy jobs do require you to have some form of education. Some jobs only require an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree, while other positions require an advanced degree. Check out what programs are available at your local colleges and remember – you might be eligible for college scholarships and grants to pay for your education.

• Stay up to date with current energy information.

Take the initiative to read up what’s going on with clean/renewable energy in your state and in the entire world. If you do get a job interview for an energy position in your area, it helps to be able to intelligently talk about what is going on in the news and how it effects your community and company with which you seek a job.

• Work in the energy field if possible.

Your community might have energy-related jobs available right now if you think outside of the box. For example, you could begin working as an electrician today, which will prepare you for installing solar panels tomorrow. Lots of jobs in HVAC, IT, and other industries could lead to energy-related jobs in the future, and they look great on your resume in the meantime.

Green jobs are hot and getting hotter. The Obama administration recently committed $20 million to develop offshore wind energy and is now giving another $1.85 billion to build solar plants around the U.S.

Of that large sum, $1.45 billion will be given to the Arizona plant, Abengoa Solara, which will put the money toward powering some 70,000 homes. This work will create some 1,600 solar energy jobs. The other $400 million will be allocated to Abound Solar Manufacturing.

Coming on the wake of the BP oil spill disaster, this renewed commitment to alternative energy offers President Obama the opportunity to put the good news spotlight on the nation’s energy crisis — both for the environment and the economy:

The administration is accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy and doubling our use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power — steps that have the potential to create whole new industries and hundreds of thousands of new jobs in America.

If you want to get your start in the green job market, check out some of these past posts from the JobMonkey on this rapidly expanding career field:

• The Greening of the Job Market
• College Students Flocking to Green Degrees
• Stimulus Bill Green Jobs
• Overview of Green Collar Jobs

Are you looking for job in the growing green industry? Do you think this newest announcement from the Obama administration will impact your ability to find a job this year?

Workers in green collar jobs are in high demand, and as as renewable energy and environmental issues continue to affect nearly every industry, this job market will only continue to grow. Starting on July 7, you can be among the first students at the newly designed Ecotech Institute.

Based in Aurora, Colorado, this is the nation’s very first college to focus solely on renewable energy so students are fully prepared to find green collar jobs.

According to Glenn Wilson, the academic dean at this school, Ecotech Institute provides students with two valuable things: marketable career skills that allow them to find substantial jobs in this industry and a sense of pride in their work, as they’ll enter jobs where their work really makes a difference.You be able to find green collar jobs after an education at this college, which will have both degree and certificate programs.

Eventually, Ecotech Institute in Colorado will be able to accept between 700 and 1,200 students, but the parent company, The Education Corporation of America, has big plans to expand across the country. You could see an Ecotech Institute School pop up near you in the coming years.

If you don’t live near Colorado and want to work a green collar job right now, don’t worry; there are well over 100 programs in the United States alone that offer students an environmentally-friendly education. You can check out the JobMonkey list of green college programs for more information about all of your options.

The “go green” industry isn’t going anywhere. From solar energy research to environmental building to ecotourism, there’s no lack of job choices you can consider, and the best way to get started is to go to school to learn more about your green-related interests. In a competitive job market, having a degree will help you secure the most lucrative positions available. You can read more about the Ecotech Institute from The Denver Post.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that the month of March saw the biggest boost in new job creation in over three years. 162,000 new positions were created, with just under one-quarter of them coming from temporary government jobs, such as working for the Census Bureau.

So where are the rest of these jobs — and the hundreds of thousands more that analysts are predicting to be created over the coming months? Here’s a look at some of the hottest up-and-coming career fields:

1) Green Jobs
Did you know that the green industries currently account for 8.5 million American jobs? According to the United States Conference of Mayors, green jobs are one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. They predict the creation of 4.2 million new green jobs by the end of the decade, with as many as 12 new green occupations being created. To learn more, check out the JobMonkey section on Green Careers.

2) Health Care
Half of the thirty fastest growing careers will be in health care, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationwide nursing shortages and the rapidly aging “Baby Boomer” population have put major pressure on U.S. cities to recruit and hire trained nurses, physician’s assistants, physical and occupational therapists, home health aides and medical record technicians. To learn more, check out the JobMonkey section on Jobs for RNs.

3) Education
2.8 million new teachers will be needed over the next eight years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. An aging teaching population, coupled with population booms in certain urban areas, has led to an increasing shortage in school districts around the country. Key subject areas include science, math, foreign languages, and Teaching English as a Second Language. To learn more, check out the JobMonkey section on School Teacher & Education Jobs.

While these three fields are especially hot, a changing economy will produce openings in nearly every sector. If you have you heart set on becoming a radio DJ, designing video games, or fighting forest fires, this is a good time to follow your dreams (and to visit the JobMonkey for information on each of these areas — and more)!

In President Obama’s first State of the Union address last night, he waxed on for 70-some minutes about the economy, the housing crisis, the health care reform (meltdown) and Iraq and Afghanistan.

But amidst those important issues, his top priority for the coming year was clear: Job creation.

Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that’s why I’m calling for a new jobs bill tonight.

Recognizing that America’s businesses are the “true engine” for job creation, President Obama asserted that “government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers.” To support the “sheer grit and determination” of the American entrepreneurs responsible for small businesses, Obama is proposing a $30 billion small business tax credit for businesses hiring new employees and raising wages.

He is also calling on Congress to pass some new infrastructure projects, which as readers of this blog, you might be particularly excited about:

>> There is the high-speed railroad project (which President Obama is touting today in Florida…. You can read more about railroad jobs on JobMonkey)

>> and then there are the investments in building new clean energy facilities — aka green jobs (which I’ve talked about extensively on this blog and will probably do so again in the near future)

While job creation received the most air time during President Obama’s oratory, other topics touched on included the housing crisis, banking reform, and health care.

Did you catch the State of the Union? What did you think about the President’s job creation plan?

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to find a better paying job? If you are going for the “green,” consider a green job!

Disappointed by America’s continued flagging unemployment, President Obama is pushing for new legislation that will expand government funding for clean technology jobs.

The proposal, as reported here by MSNBC, would give $2.3 billion in tax credits to companies that make clean technologies.

Even before the Obama Administration’s newest push, the United States Conference of Mayors said in 2009 that green jobs are one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. They predicted an additional 4.2 million new green jobs by the end of the decade. Not only will existing occupations be “greened”, they said, but as many as 12 new occupations will also be created as a result of the new green agenda.

Other environmental experts are even more optimistic, predicting a jump to 40 million green jobs over the next twenty years. If that prediction pans out, one of our every four American workers would be employed in a green job.

Whether the more conservative estimates are right or not, one thing is clear: The future is looking rather green.

For more on greening your job search, you might want to read my post on the development of green collar jobs and where to find green jobs. You might also like my post on green retraining programs.

Have you applied for any green energy jobs? How are those pastures truly greener? Leave me your experiences in the comments section!

Time Magazine’s feature story this week is a sobering report on double digit unemployment. The magazine asks, frighteningly, if double-digit unemployment is here to stay. Economists had long since told us that when growth returned, jobs would return. But now, top labor analysts are wondering whether this truism still rings true. Has something fundamental changed (been destroyed) in our economy?

What’s the solution? According to the Time reporter, it’s as “simple” as an employment-emergency bill, which will:

guarantee jobless workers a basic set of rights for two to three years: health care, access to retraining, subsidized mentoring for careers in high-end manufacturing or health services.

One thing I did notice was that the article once again pointed to recession-proof/growth industries as education, health care and other service industires. It’s the same areas we have been touting for months here. (Just a reminder, the JobMonkey is a great source of information on these growth careers, including our extension section on nursing jobs, teaching ESL jobs, and green jobs.)

Okay, now, politics aside (is that possible these days), what do you think? Go read the article on Time Magazine, and then share your opinions with us!

Business Week ran a fascinating article a few weeks ago about how to find a job during America’s economic recovery.

As I’ve long been harping on here at the JobMonkey, the earliest growth will be in one of four fields: health care, education, government employment, and green business. In fact, these four fields have been some of the most stable over the past 8 months of the recession, posting positive growth numbers over a number of months despite record-high layoffs in nearly every other field.

Here are some of the highlights from BWeek’s article on landing one of these “jobs of tomorrow”.

Healthcare

• New report by President’s Council of Economic Advisors says that healthcare will be largest source of U.S. job growth over the next seven years (through 2016)
• 3 million new jobs will be added annually, including hundreds of thousands of nursing job opportunities
• For students, internships at a hospital or other health-care related organization are a great way to establish some credibility; for current job-seekers, a volunteer position is a great way to augment your resume and get your foot in the door.

Education

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is set to invest $90 billion in education, with half going to local school districts
• Students can gain classroom experience by working as a teacher’s aide or substitute teacher — neither of which require a college degree
• Seniors and current job-seekers should consider Teach for America

Green Collar Jobs

• Job growth within the green collar job industry is expected to exceed 50% by 2016 — four times the growth for all other sectors combined (yes, combined!)
• Billions in federal dollars being invested in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy research
• For students, industry-specific internships demonstrate genuine interest in the field

Federal Government Jobs

• Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees are expected to retire over the next five years
• Stimulus Plan will add 200,000 additional employees at Social Security Administration, the Veterans Affairs Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Defense Department and more
• Federal government jobs cover a range of 900 different occupations

Be sure to check out the rest of the Business Week article here. It really is a wealth of advice for landing a job in these turbulent times.

If you are interested in earning green by going green, there is good news for you, according to a recent USA TODAY article: Students can choose from a variety of new “green” degree programs. The growth of the green collar job sector has led a number of colleges and universities to incorporate sustainability into their course offerings.

David Soto of The Princeton Review says student interest is driving colleges to create programs that offer training in sustainability. Two-thirds of students surveyed for the company’s recent “College Hopes and Worries” survey said a college’s “environmental commitment” would be a factor in where they applied.

According to the article, Arizona State University now has a School of Sustainability, which graduated its first class this past May. The School offers Bachelors of Arts, Bachelors of Science and Masters degrees, all of which take an interdisciplinary approach, blending science, economics, social studies and more.

Other schools, such as Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, are expanding their core requirements to include at least one class related to the environment. And at community colleges, such as Kalamazoo Valley, students are being trained for green collar jobs like installing and operating wind turbines.

Other popular green degree programs include:

• BA and BS in Sustainability

• MBA focused on operating sustainable businesses

• Combined MBA and MA in Environmental Studies

• Agricultural Technology with concentration in sustainable design

The Philadelphia Bulletin is reporting that five new green projects, expected to yield 155 Pennsylvania jobs, are kicking off thanks to funding from the Stimulus Bill. Less than 200 jobs may seem like a drop in the bucket of the millions of people unemployed and underemployed. And it is.

But the story in this niche newspaper more than likely represents initiatives being duplicated in cities and towns across America. Plus, as the article reports, the funding from the federal government is leveraging private spending — which ultimately will net a lot more job creation in the green field.

Are you interested in pursuing a new career in the green collar field? Check out JobMonkey’s section on Green Jobs.