Introduction
In our prior blog post, we highlighted two of the most common paths in Solar Sales and Solar Installation for you to enter the workforce without direct prior experience. Solar Sales is a dynamic and customer focused role that can give you a comprehensive understanding of the solar market. There are plenty of junior roles available if you are customer-focused and excited to learn how to sell the technology. Solar Installers gain a hands-on understanding of what it takes to bring a solar project to life. While some of these roles require prior construction experience or OSHA certifications, many employers are willing to help with training.
However, Sales and Installation are not the only paths to begin your solar career. Below we’ll highlight other opportunities dependent on your skillset and desires of what job you’re looking for. As a reminder, you can easily browse all listed entry-level jobs in Solar on our job board here.
Solar Project Development Entry-level Roles
You can check out detailed information on what it means to be a project developer on our careers page. These roles are typically for experienced professionals that have been working in solar for years and have a comprehensive understanding of the technology, market, politics & legislation, and real estate development. However, larger employers like Recurrent Energy may create internships or apprenticeship jobs to help support a more senior employee’s workload. There are also opportunities like solar jobs focused on community outreach, which will rely on you engaging and getting feedback from the community on proposed projects.
These roles certainly require excitement and a demonstrated interest in the solar industry. They will also typically require a college degree or that you are working towards completing a college degree.
Tips for finding an entry-level Project Development Jobs
Search early in the year: January-March is when most larger employers are posting internship and apprenticeship positions. Keep track of the largest employers in your area (or where you’re willing to move). While opportunities pop up throughout the year, this will be the best time to find that first job. You can easily search for entry-level Project Development roles on our job board here.
Talk to a Project Developer to learn the day-to-day: Use your network to connect with a project developer. Beyond understanding the basics of the job which you can do online, ask them about their latest project and the challenges and opportunities they see for solar. And who knows… these conversations can often lead to you being top of mind if the developer is looking for additional support.
Understand the nuances between Residential, Commercial, and Utility: Most developers focus on Commercial and Industrial (C&I) or Utility projects as they require complexity. Study a few of the largest projects in the United State (e.g. the Solar Star farm in California) to understand what it took to bring the project online. There is a lot of coordination across many stakeholders.
Solar Technician Entry-Level Jobs
Technicians are responsible for ensuring that solar grids are operational and performant. You can read more about Residential Technicians or Commercial/Utility Technicians on our careers site. Technicians will be increasingly needed as more projects come online and employers need to maintain performance and troubleshoot any issues
Similar to entry-level Project Development jobs, most Technicians require prior experience and/or formal training, but larger employers are investing in developing their workforce. For example, employers like Spark Power are looking to hire and train Technicians for many of their utility sites. While being a certified Journeyman is noted as an asset, it is not a hard requirement for the job. Other national employers like AES may offer Solar Technician Apprentice positions. These jobs may start with basic, but critical duties like cleaning and troubleshooting any panels. However, you’ll have the opportunity to learn on the job to continue growing.
Tips for finding an entry-level Project Development Jobs
Network to find a referral: The job market is competitive today and these roles may have hundreds of applicants. Without direct experience in Solar, you won’t have an application that stands out. If you can find someone at the prospective employer and in the role that you’re interested in, reach out to them to see if they can refer you to their position (and first use it as an opportunity to learn more about the job!). This will give you a much better chance of landing an interview vs. relying on a recruiter scanning through your application and moving you onto the next phase.
Learn what a technician does day-to-day: Read up on resources we’ve linked to understand the day-to-day of a technician. What can go wrong in a solar installation and what steps does a technician take to prevent it from happening? How does a technician quickly resolve any issues?
Stay up-to-date on latest jobs: Stay up to date on the latest technician jobs in your region. These jobs are posted continuously throughout the year, but if you’re looking for an entry-level job, now is a great time as employers decide on the number of interns/apprentices they are looking to hire ahead of the summer.
Solar Manufacturing Entry-Level Jobs & Internships
Manufacturing and Research & Development Jobs will generally require a 4-year degree in Engineering or a Physical Science. Employers will post internships for those currently obtaining their degree and entry-level jobs will be posted for those graduating with technical knowledge to contribute to the development of the solar and battery industries.
Solar internships are a great opportunity to test if Solar is the right career path for you. Again, larger employers like Recurrent Energy and GAF Energy will post internships ahead of the summer. For full-time positions, employers will try to recruit directly from their interns of prior summers, or begin posting jobs later in the year.
Tips for finding an entry-level/intern positions in Solar Manufacturing
Network with your Alumni: Chances are someone from your college / university is already working in the solar industry and may be at an employer that is hiring for the summer or for a full-time position. Reach out to these alumni to learn more about how they like working in solar and what the would recommend if you’re looking to break into the industry.
Tailor your resume: With limited experience, you won’t check all the requirements on most job postings. But that’s okay - very few employers expect an entry-level applicant or intern to have comprehensive experience that is a perfect match. However, make sure you call out your most relevant experience in your resume to increase your chances of getting an interview.
Set up alerts for intern/job postings: Keep on top of new job postings by subscribing to new solar job posts. It’s also a great idea to check in every 1-2 weeks on any target employers’ career pages to see if they’ve removed a job you may have applied to (or added a new one that hasn’t been published broadly yet).
Solar Marketing Entry-Level Jobs
Solar marketing is a close partner to Sales to help those teams generate awareness and pipeline about solar panel offerings. There are few entry-level marekting jobs today, as many employers hire junior Sales Representatives to manage personal outreach to prospective buyers. However, you will find posted positions for some employers like “Lead Generator” (providing Sales with interesting buyers), “Community Outreach” (informing the community about benefits of solar), and “Event Marketing” (helping organize events bringing together industry professionals and potential buyers).
Given there are fewer entry-level marketing jobs in Solar, our main tip is to keep a targeted search of potential opportunities near you. You may also offer to help out a local employer with part-time support to get hands-on experience in order to apply to any mid-level roles in the future.
Get into the industry and keep growing!
We’ve highlighted four additional entry points for you to consider if you are looking to break into solar. Manufacturing jobs will typically require a formal 4-year degree, but other options will be accessible depending on your enthusiasm to learn and invest in developing new skills. Regardless of your entry point into the industry, solar is going to provide a meaningful career in the longer term as you continue learning and building expertise in a massively growing industry.
Comments