Power
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Students: Discover
Energy Careers
Energy powers everything around you — your phone, your music, your ride, your future. Now the energy industry needs the next generation to fuel it forward.
You don’t need your whole life planned out. But if you’re looking for a career with purpose, good pay, and real impact, energy is a smart place to start. From renewable energy and cybersecurity to skilled trades, engineering, and more, this industry is full of opportunities to build, fix, design, and innovate the systems that keep the world running.
The future of energy won’t build itself.
It needs people (ahem, students like you) who are ready to step up.
Big Opportunities.
Real Careers.
The energy industry is growing fast, and it’s wide open for you.
- More than 8.5 million Americans work in energy careers*
- Some segments in energy pay almost 20% above the median national average salary*
- 68% of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 28 would consider or recommend a career in energy**
- Gen Z and Millennials ages 18 to 44 place importance on having a career that positively impacts the environment (84% each) or the local community (78% and 81%, respectively)**
- 88% of Americans believe the energy workforce is essential to keeping the U.S. economy running**
These careers offer more than a paycheck. They offer purpose, stability, and the chance to shape the future.
Sources: *U.S. Energy & Employment Report, 2025 and **CEWD/Harris Poll
Find Your Energy Career Path
Think energy jobs are just power lines and hard hats? Think again.
There’s an energy career for the builder who’s always creating something. For the data nerd who lives in spreadsheets. For the outdoor adventurer who wants their office to be a wind farm. For the problem solver, the climate advocate, the business strategist. For you.
Not sure where to start? Explore different career paths, dig into specific jobs, and take our quiz to find where you fit.
We know what you’re thinking: does energy actually pay?
Energy careers can pay well early, and grow fast as you build skills. Examples of typical entry level salaries (select roles):
Utility Lineworker
$51,000Source: USEER (2025) Electric Power Generation
Power Plant Operator
$59,930Source: USEER (2025)
Cybersecurity Analyst
$69,660Source: BLS OEWS (2024)
Solar PV Technician
$39,070Source: USEER (2025)
Choose Your Starting Point
There isn’t just one way into the energy industry. So, which one sounds like you? Pick the path below that fits. We’ll show you where to go, and you can start exploring what’s possible.
Still Figuring It Out
No plan? No problem. Checkout the Next Generation Career Blueprint, which maps the route into energy – skilled trades or college – step by step.
You Play to Win
Teamwork. Grit. Pressure. The skills you build on the field are the same ones energy employers recruit for.
Numbers are Your Love Language
Love problem-solving, data, and figuring things out? Energy careers rely on math and analytics to power the modern grid.