Would you give up a corporate career to tackle climate change?

It might start as a gnawing question — what if I was working in an industry that changed people’s lives? Sure, many of us do have an impact on some people’s experiences, but what about when compared with those in industries tackling the profound and complex issues of our time?

LinkedIn Australia’s Green Top Voices celebrates the leaders in environment and sustainability who have chosen a career that seeks to make the world a better place — sometimes at the expense of a corporate career. Would you make the jump?

LinkedIn Top Voice Laure Legros experienced a ‘climate awakening’ when she became a parent.

“I needed to be prepared for the day my child asks me what I was doing when the window of opportunity was still open,” she said. “I want to tell him that I showed up, and that I really did everything I could. So I pivoted my career.”

At the time, Legros was working at Google in digital advertising but she knew it was time to change. It’s no easy decision when a corporate company looks after your career, offers the resources you need to excel, as well as exciting perks and opportunities for progression. But a calling is a calling.

A self-confessed 'climate activist', Legros is now the Head of Experience for WorkforClimate, an organisation that aims to empower professionals across all sectors and seniority to address sustainability from within their organisation, and in turn create lasting change.

“The sheer scale of climate change means it’s an ‘all hands on deck’ situation,” she said. “Once I understood this, I couldn’t justify working on anything else until this problem was solved.

“Three years later, the most rewarding part of working on the green transition is the sense of purpose and alignment with my values. This feeling of alignment trumps all the perks in the world.”

Career strategist Sonja M F Passmore tells LinkedIn that working in a field you’re passionate about can be a powerful motivator.

“There’s something truly fulfilling about aligning your career with your personal values, especially when it comes to sustainability,” she said. “The green transition isn't just about the work — it's about the mission and the collective impact we can make.”

Are you thinking about making a professional switch to a green role? Around two million jobs will reportedly be required to enable Australia to hit its net zero target by 2050, according to figures from the Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy Cooperative Research Centre, while 200,000 new roles are needed to meet the 2030 target of 43% lower emissions. These roles include everything from tradies to policy advisors, project managers, investment analysts and more.

Watch LinkedIn’s video to hear more from Legros as well as fellow Top Green Voices Visakhan Vythilingam, Behyad Jafari, Kiarne Treacy, Georgia Edge and Joseph Glesta.

Do you have advice for people looking to leave a corporate career to work in a 'green' field? Share your advice in the comments below.

Interested in upskilling? This learning path, Career Essentials in Sustainable Tech by Microsoft and LinkedIn, is free until December 31.

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Want to be more creative and productive? New research by LinkedIn and Unyoked shows the value of spending time in nature, away from devices. It's called a 'tree-charge' and it starts by switching off your work phone. Read more here.

— Cayla Dengate