An inquiry into sustainability careers, from an interview with Abhinav Jain - Trinity '23; Student who has done a sustainability-related internship
What led to you being involved in a sustainability internship?
I grew up in one of the most polluted cities in the world, Ludhiana. My father owns a textile business and from a young age, I was exposed to the harmful effects of manufacturing businesses. This made me sure about my career in the environmental sector, specifically in technologies that could be used to reduce the footprint of businesses.
What resources did you use to get into contact with your first sustainability employers?
My father's business network.
How was your internship related to sustainability? What were your responsibilities?
My internship was at a start-up called "ProKlean Technologies" that makes probiotics to shorten manufacturing processes to reduce their environmental footprint while cutting costs and increasing efficiency.
Is your major/planned major related to sustainability in any way?
Yes, although I have not declared yet, I would like to do a Program-2 in Economics, Environmental Science and Biology with the tentative question "How to introduce and scale environmental biotechnology in less-economically developed countries.
What do you recommend students should do to learn more about careers in sustainability?
The amount of money in the sector. Most people think careers in sustainability mean NGOs or low-paying positions but that's not the case. There's a lot more there that students should be exposed to so that they can pivot towards careers in sustainability. If not a fully-immersed career in sustainability, students should definitely learn about the avenues of introducing sustainability in their respective disciplines/future careers. E.g - Investing in Environmental Tech if a student is going into Finance.
What do you hope to accomplish going forward when it comes to a career in sustainability?
Running my own business that provides solutions to businesses to reduce their footprint/produces remediation technologies.