Navigating Layoffs and Transitioning to Climate Work

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙋𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙩 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙? Yesterday’s post focused on job leads and resources. Today, let’s talk about you. This is about how to pivot, not just react. Let’s get real: Losing your role at the EPA or a mission-driven org isn’t just a career hiccup; it’s a gut punch. But here’s the raw truth: Your impact isn’t tied to a badge or a title. I’ve watched colleagues turn layoffs into launching pads (yes, even in this messy climate). Here’s how to pivot without losing your purpose: 1. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 "𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞" 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 "𝐀𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲" 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 Stop saying, “I only did permitting/compliance/fieldwork.” Example: Your EPA regulatory expertise? Private firms salivate for that. They need people who can navigate NEPA reviews like a second language. e.g., a friend reframed “enforcement officer” into “risk mitigation strategist”. 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧: 𝙒𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨-𝙤𝙣-𝙩𝙝𝙚-𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 2. 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 (𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞!) The private sector isn’t the enemy. Utilities need pros who understand water equity and infrastructure gaps. NGOs don’t care if you’re ex-EPA—they care that you can fight for clean water in courtrooms and boardrooms. State roles are hiring like crazy for climate resilience. Pro tip: Use ECO-USA.net to find hyper-local gigs where your federal experience = instant credibility. 3. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 Join LinkedIn groups like “Environmental Consulting Network” and “Sustainable Jobs.” Attend industry webinars (many are free via ACS, AWMA, WEF). Find mentors outside EPA. If you only network with former colleagues, your search stays too narrow. Forget LinkedIn spam. Do this instead: Slide into the DMs of NEIWPCC or NAEP webinar speakers. Say: “Your talk on PFAS regs resonated. I’m pivoting from federal work—any advice?” (Works 10x better than “Looking for jobs!”) Join WEF’s “Young Professionals” Slack. They’re 24/7 hype squads for water nerds. 4. 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 It’s okay to grieve. But: Your “why” still matters.  You don’t need another degree, but micro-credentials & certifications can boost your resume. Certified Environmental Professional (CEP) GIS for Environmental Applications Project Management (PMP) Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻: Rewrite your LinkedIn headline: “EPA Alum | Bridging Regulation + Innovation in Water Equity” Pick 3 firms from the previous post. Research their projects, then email a manager: “I helped streamline EPA permitting for [X]—can I share insights on your Y project?” #Environmentaljobs #PivotWithPurpose #MissionDrivenHustle

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱. So many solutions, so many paths. I made plenty of mistakes before I found my niche. If I could go back, here’s what I wish I knew: 🔬 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀. I started with books like ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster’ by Bill Gates and Speed&Scale by John Doerr. These books were helpful, but were very tech and VC-centered perspectives. Project Regeneration’s Cascade of Solutions was ultimately a better, more objective, and comprehensive resource. 📕 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. Work on Climate’s #i-got-a-job channel is full of successful climate transition journeys by engineers, designers, marketers, PhD candidates, and more. 👋 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. Terra was mine, but My Climate Journey (MCJ), Work on Climate, or Job Search Councils are great options. 😡 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. What do you want to protect from climate change? Who do you want to build for? What pisses you off? Your answers can point you to your niche. ⚓ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲. If possible, keep your role & location the same while switching to climate—it makes the transition easier. 🚗 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀: come up with 2-3 ideas for where you might fit. This could be a climate solution (residential solar), a type of organization (large environmental nonprofit), or even a way to effect change in your current role. Use networking, side projects, or small actions to validate your fit. 🤝 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲: The Open Door Climate directory is full of folks happy to chat. After many twists & turns, I focused on software product management roles at climate tech startups where business and climate incentives were aligned. This led me to organizations like food waste and renewable energy, and away from areas like carbon removal. What climate niches are you interested in? How are you finding where you fit?

Starting a Career in Climate feels like being lost in the desert. To find water, you must first ignore everyone telling you this 👇 → If you try hard enough, it’ll work. → Just apply for more jobs → It’s a numbers game. → Next week is better. Do this instead 👇 1️⃣ Fundamentals First Look at the entire climate economy. Pick two sub-sectors. 2️⃣ Find your Transferable Skills Most people completely underestimate their professional skills. Write down the answer to: “What am I really good at and why?” 3️⃣ Find your Pitch Find somebody doing your “future” job in a climate company. Ask them how they do their job. Learn the language of a climate company in your target sector. And then use that intel to refine your pitch. 4️⃣ Think Skills-Sector Fit. Not Impact. Everyone wants to work on something with a huge CO2 impact. BUT Don’t re-invent yourself so you can work in a “big impact” sector. Go where your skills fit best. Because the best impact is the impact that happens. Not the impact you keep chasing but never materializes. Use this list to find water in the desert. And make yourself successful 🙌 ---- PS. I’m Marco Morawec. I up-skilled 1,000s of people to transition into new careers. I’m doing the same for Climate now. 👉 Follow me ( Marco Morawec) and my company Climate Drift for Stories + Strategies + Resources to launch your Climate Career.