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People join the WorkforClimate Academy for all sorts of reasons, but for marketing manager Jennifer, it came down to one thing: curiosity.
“I signed up with a curious mind,” she says. “I had all these thoughts bubbling in my head, and I needed to do something about them.”
Jennifer didn’t have any previous experience in sustainability, procurement, or climate science, but that didn’t really matter. What she did have was a set of professional skills – communication, marketing, social media – and a willingness to learn.
Still, she says that lack of technical knowledge made the leap slightly scary.
“I went in with no experience; I was totally fresh,” she laughs. “In the first lesson we all introduced ourselves, and many of the participants had a sustainability background of some sort. ButI came to this realisation: no-one has all the answers. We’re all just here to learn and get better. And that was reassuring.”
As a marketing manager for a global company whose sustainability team was based oversees, Jennifer was finding it hard to get involved in climate action in Australia.
Fortunately, the WorkforClimate Academy helped Jennifer realise there was another way – “a third way”, as she puts it. You can work for climate from within your organisation, you can quit, or you can use your professional skills elsewhere. And that’s exactly what she did.
“The whole course was inspirational, but the biggest takeaway for me was about understanding all the different pathways and opportunities,” she says. “The sustainability space is huge, and there are so many areas you could be working in. Before you can identify where to get involved, you need to do some reflection: what are my interests? What’s my skillset? How can I contribute? The Academy can help you get to know yourself better.”
"No-one has all the answers. We’re all just here to learn and get better."
For Jennifer, the climate journey is as much about self-discovery as external change.
Inspired by the Academy, Jennifer offered her services to several not-for-profits, landing pro-bono consultancy work with a couple of leading NGOs in the climate and wildlife protection space. Now she supports the climate cause with marketing planning and execution in her spare time.
“The WorkforClimate Academy was the perfect first step,” she says. “One action leads to another, so this is where I am at the moment. I can support other organisations on weekends and in the evening. I have that time, so I can put it to good use!”
For Jennifer, it’s all about the bigger picture. “I did this course because I believed it was important. And I’m glad I did,” she says. “The discussions, the expert speakers, the toolbox they give you – you learn a lot. Meeting people from different backgrounds, different organisations and with different skillsets ultimately pursuing the same goal makes you feel connected to something bigger.”
*Jennifer requested her name be changed to protect her identity.
Want to learn more? Check out our WorkforClimateAcademy – an online course for changemakers who want to increase their climate impact by advancing corporate climate action.
