Green Degrees for Green Careers: Educational Profiles of Leaders in the Cleantech Industry

Green degrees. Green jobs. These terms are on the tip of everyone's tongue these days. Everyone from President Obama to your high school chemistry teacher thinks it's a great time to get involved in the Green Industry and you couldn't agree more. But, as a prospective college student, you might wonder how to get started on the path to a green career. Are there special green degrees that help someone land a green job? Can you only get ahead in the Green Industry with an environmental science or environmental engineering degree?

To help answer these questions and start you on the road to becoming the Green Bill Gates, we've profiled eight executives from companies at the forefront of clean technology and green services. What you'll see is that no single type of green degree exists, but rather a wide range of paths that can lead to the same green destination.

The Green Degrees of Cleantech and Green Services Leaders

Green Industry Leader	Degrees & Academic Positions
Elon Musk	B.S. Economics & Physics, University of Pennsylvania
CEO, Tesla Motors

Henrik Fisker	B.F.A. Transportation Design, Art Center College of Design
CEO, Fisker Automotive

Charles Ferer	B.A. Economics, University of Puget Sound
Chief Financial Officer, SolarCity	M.B.A. in Finance, Indiana University

David Vieau	B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Syracuse University
CEO, A123Systems

Ron Lloyd	B.S. Engineering, Harvey Mudd College
Chief Operating Officer, Fat Spaniel Technologies	M.S. Environmental Science and Engineering, Stanford University

Martin Roscheisen	M.S. Computer Science, Munich Technical University and Stanford University
CEO, Nanosolar	Ph.D. Computer Science, Stanford University

Dan Steere	A.B. Computer Science, Harvard University
CEO, GreenRoad	M.B.A., Stanford University Graduate School of Business

Jon Gay	B.S. Engineering, Harvey Mudd College
Chief Technology Officer, Greenbox Technology

Elon Musk, Tesla Motors

Elon Musk is a serial entrepreneur and a highly visible leader in the cleantech movement. Prior to becoming involved in green technology, Musk founded the hugely-successful PayPal. Currently, he heads up Tesla Motors, an exciting company committed to bringing electric cars into the automotive mainstream. He is also Chairman of and an investor in SolarCity, a residential and commercial solar cell installation company. His educational background includes bachelor's degrees in physics and business. This mixture of science and business is very appropriate for green careers, which often involve technology that must be both scientifically and commercially viable.

Henrik Fisker, Fisker Automotive

Henrik Fisker has designed some of the world's most iconic sports cars, including the Aston Martin's DB9 and the BMW Z-8. Now, he is turning his talents to creating plug-in hybrid cars for the high-end sports car market. Fisker came into the automotive industry through his bachelor's degree at the Art Center College of Design, which offers a program in transportation design. Today, Fisker sees opportunity in creating energy-efficient sports cars with no compromise in styling and features.

Charles Ferer, Solar City

Charles Ferer of SolarCity is proof that even more traditional backgrounds can lead to a green career. Because many green businesses are in fields where the technology markets are still evolving, financing has become a crucial part of helping these companies gain a sustainable foothold. With a B.A. in Economics from the University of Puget Sound and an M.B.A. in finance from Indiana University, Ferer has been well prepared. Now, he has turned that background into a green career by helping SolarCity with its mission to reduce the environmental impact of energy production through the installation of solar energy systems.

David Vieau, A123Systems

David Vieau demonstrates that a traditional engineering degree can be a green degree, as well. Vieau earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University. Now, the self-made CEO uses his talents as president of A123Systems, which supplies high-power lithium ion batteries to green products, such as hybrid and electric cars. These green batteries can be used as an alternative to power sources that produce greater pollution and are not as sustainable.

Ron Lloyd, Fat Spaniel Technologies

Ron Lloyd has an easily identifiable green degree in his M.S. in environmental engineering and science from Stanford University. He also has a B.S. in engineering from Harvey Mudd College. As COO of Fat Spaniel Technologies, he applies his skills toward helping the firm provide monitoring and reporting services for the renewable energy industry.

Martin Roscheisen, Nanosolar

Martin Roscheisen is another executive who turned engineering into a green degree. He has a master's degree from Munich Technical University, and a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University. He founded Nanosolar with the goal of using solar energy to reduce the load on the nation's overworked energy grids.

Dan Steere, GreenRoad

Dan Steere, CEO of GreenRoad, started out in the computer field with an A.B. in computer science from Harvard University. He later complemented that technical background with an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Today, he uses that mix of skills to advance GreenRoad's mission to create in-vehicle monitoring devices that help drivers operate more safely and fuel-efficiently.

Jon Gay, Greenbox Technology

Jon Gay earned a B.S. in engineering from Harvey Mudd College and helped create the hugely popular Flash Internet multi-media player before going green. Today, as chief technology officer and one of the founders of Greenbox Technology, he is working to create interactive energy management systems that help households reduce their energy consumption.

So what is a green degree? These green industry leaders show that it’s not the name of a degree, but what you do with it. A green degree might be something obvious like environmental science, but it can just as easily be a green M.B.A. or a mechanical engineering degree. The common denominator, however, is education – without honing their skills in and out of the classroom, these leaders could not have had the impact we see today. Keep this in mind as you explore the opportunities that are out there at CampusCorner.