I only had a couple months to party with my friends and our diplomas before I drove into the sweaty south to search for a solution to my college debt. After a pleasant interview process I was awarded a position as a Data Analyst at a renewable energy company. The company owns and operates wind turbine generator fields in many states around the country. The company headquarters, where I work, is in a cosmopolitan and skyscrapered downtown, complete with beautiful underground tunnels of food courts, where stampedes of corporate employees speed through lunch.
Aside from the scenery, I couldn't imagine a better fitting job for myself. The other Data Analysts and I are responsible for validating the hypotheses of the engineers. These hypotheses concern the performance of the diverse multitude of wind turbine generators which constitute our parks. This validation requires a fair amount of creative code writing and mathematics, so my team and I are encouraged to continue learning and applying new technologies everyday. I no longer fear the fabled mental stagnation that accompanies the 'real-world' working lifestyle. My job has continued learning as a job requirement, something I consider to be my greatest job benefit.
The office has the youthful air of intellectual fascination. Nearly all of my co-workers are a few years older, but that fact does not divide up the workplace socially. My new co-workers have warmly welcomed me into a brand new state and culture. I've been introduced to the city's free outdoor theater performances, pub trivias, and monthly critical-mass bike rides. The bike rides are imperative because the food here is, lets say, hefty?
What makes all of my co-workers easy to get along with is our shared commitment to renewable energy. Each long day, each internal efficiency meeting, and each technical explanation is a part of proper planetary stewardship, and I've never felt more comfortable inside of such a large company. With the simple goal of paying off college debt I've smoothly transitioned to the working world, and had no trouble finding the purpose to do my very best.
This month, challenge a neighbor to GOOD's energy smackdown. Find a neighbor with a household of roughly the same square footage and see who can trim their power bill the most. Throughout February, we'll share ideas and resources for shrinking your household carbon footprint, so join the conversation at good.is/energy.
original image (cc) flickr user cliving
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