Get a Job

Photo: An aspiring young water scientist.

This article was published in Waterfront Daily on August 24, 2022.

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I’ve talked to many students aspiring to land jobs in the water field. I hope that they and you will find these prospects from Josh Newton to be inspiring!

Brian

Have you considered a profession in the field of water? Do not think twice, because “the world needs you”, said Joshua Newton, consultant for SIWI’s International Policy team and founder of Josh’s Water Jobs platform, in his keynote speech during World Water Week 2022. The keynote titled ‘How to land your dream job’ implores young people to “stick with this”, referring to how important the profession is.

“Stick with this [field]. We need you because this profession is important and will become increasingly important.” Joshua Newton, consultant at SIWI & Founder of Josh’s Water Jobs  

The water crisis around the globe is worsening but there is also another crisis – a shortage of water professionals. From his estimates and long experience, Newton suggests that the world will likely fall short of at least 10 million water professionals in the coming decade.    

North or South, it’s about to get worse 

Baby boomers from the Global North, like in his home country the USA, are about to retire in the next 5-10 years. In the Global South, the estimates show that there are not enough trained professionals to meet the future demand. 

According to the 2016 World Water Development report, over 2.6 billion jobs or 78% of global jobs are water dependent. This means that water will, directly or indirectly, determine our future economy and everything as we know it. 

Skills for today and tomorrow 

To stay in the profession, one needs to stay relevant. Luckily, the opportunities are abundant. Water is not just about the resource itself. In his early career Newton learned that water is about complexity, multidisciplinary, the politics, the economics, power relations and legal issues in the environment. 

One important skill that Newton emphasised, and that he looks for while hiring candidates, is a well written CV and the quality of writing.  

With this list, he sums up the skills in demand that will continue to grow in the field of water: 

• Technical  
• Negotiation and conflict resolution 
• Communications and writing  
• Programme management 
• Economics and finance 
• Multiple languages for international work 
• Language to translate within disciplines in a multidisciplinary world 

Where would one apply these skills? Newton mentions several areas in water careers that will continue to seek professionals. These include water, sanitation and hygiene, engineering, technology, wastewater, finance, insurance and corporate stewardship to name a few.   

Luck will not come banging on your door 

There are several ways to grow in the field of water. An important thing that one of Newton’s advisors told him was to ‘keep moving to create your own luck’. Exposing oneself to new things and new people can create the luck that is needed. 

He stressed the importance of putting yourself out there. Even during periods of unemployment, it is important to keep doing things, such as making a website, writing, volunteering, or learning new skills. 

“People love to give advise”, so reaching out to people is one of the great ways to form connections, another is to join youth or other networks. This could in fact be at any stage of your career. Finding a mentor – or several – sets you on a trajectory of growth. And mentorship does not have to come from seniors, one can also learn from one’s own peers. 

“Be humble and kind” to people and lastly, keep putting in all the effort needed to continue to stay in this field. Newton strongly believes that this profession is important and will only get more important.