Green Associate

Earning a credential can be the difference between getting your dream job and remaining unemployed. In a time where the economy is weak, employers have the power to dismiss resumes and applications over what may be the smallest of differences between candidates. With so many people looking for work and vying for the same jobs as you, employers have to find the subtle weaknesses and strengths among potential employees. One word on your resume can help propel you to an interview or a job.

It turns out that work history and experience are not guaranteed to get you a job. The job market is incredibly competitive, and you have to do everything you can to stand out from your competition. When an employer compares your resume with someone who is accredited, he or she will end up selecting the candidate with the certification. You may have similar work history or experience with the same kind of programs or projects, but accreditation is what employers are looking for. An accreditation or certification offers a level of credibility unmatched by any years of work history or experience. It shows that you have gone the extra mile and that your passion for the industry keeps you on the cutting edge of change. This adaptive characteristic shows employers that you are an asset to the company, no matter what obstacles may arise. Your accreditation proves that you have the knowledge to combat these challenges and find viable solutions.

You may be an architect, engineer or a project manager with many projects under your belt, but do you have your LEED accreditation? LEED is fast becoming the industry standard, thus employers will be looking for this word on your resume. Although the economy is still fairly weak, the green industry is thriving – with LEED at its focal point. Employers are looking for LEED accredited professionals to keep their companies on the cutting edge of the green building movement.

Attaining the LEED Green Associate credential is very easy. You can earn this accreditation is 30 days! All you have to do is take a LEED exam prep course, where you will learn everything you need to know to pass the LEED exam. It is recommended to enroll in a prep course, as the exam is notoriously known for its 34 percent pass-rate. Taking an exam prep course increases your chances of passing by nearly 60 percent! The sooner you become accredited, the sooner you can land that dream job. However, you don’t want to jump into it before you are ready. LEED is a recognizable and distinguishable green building standard that illustrates your knowledge and proficiency in the industry. Increase your chances of passing the exam by enrolling in a prep course and studying for about 2-3 weeks following the course.

Once you earn your LEED Green Associate credential, you can use this accreditation on your resume. Impress potential employers by communicating your proficiency and knowledge of the fast-growing, and most popular, green building rating system. Considering the process is so easy, why take the risk of losing your dream job to your accredited competition? Enroll in a LEED Green Associate exam prep course today, and you’ll be sure to top any list of candidates!

Not sure where to start with your LEED Accreditation? Green Associate is the first tier of LEED Accreditation, and is the ideal place to start no matter what your experience with LEED is. A Green Associate has the ability to demonstrate LEED certification expertise, such as knowledge of green design, construction and operations. This foundational knowledge paves the way for Green Associates who wish to specialize and take an AP (Accredited Professional) exam. This allows for more technical training that may cater to one’s career goals.  For those who wish to stay a Green Associate, opportunities are also bountiful.  Many Green Associates choose to consult on LEED projects or act as the project manager who makes sure that all aspects of LEED standards are underway, whether it is the building’s HVAC system or plumbing.

Everblue Training Institute takes students step by step through all the LEED certification standards. These standards pertain to all aspects of a building’s sustainability, which give an understanding of how all systems of a building work together to be overall significantly more sustainable than the average structure.  These array of topics are vital for Green Associate.  Whether you are an architect, engineer or just looking for a career change, Everblue Training Institute makes LEED easy to digest, applicable to all professional backgrounds and most importantly- engaging! Get everything you need to pass with Everblue, and be part of the +90% of their students who pass on their first attempt!

Nine months into the transition from LEED v2.2 to LEED v3.0, it amazes me how much of a brand name LEED AP has become.  It’s what people search for, it is an industry brand name.  The LEED Green Associate is growing but with 1/20^th the number of LEED APs, it has a long way to go to achieve it’s own brand awareness.  I personally think the USGBC should have made LEED AP the base tier and added a LEED Specialty Professional above the LEED AP.  That would have kept the LEED AP brand name and allowed the 120,000 legacy LEED APs the chance to truly upgrade their credentials – will any legacy LEED APs really take the LEED Green Associate? Probably not.

What’s done is done though.  The LEED Green Associate and LEED AP Specialty exams really is a better system.  People learn core green building concepts and LEED project process first before diving into the technical standards of a LEED rating system.  For most people, the LEED Green Associate satisfies their professional needs.  It is a national credential, it provides a conversational understanding of LEED, and it is simply a better exam.  It tests concepts and terminology vs arguably useless memorization or facts and figures that the previous exams tested.  In fact, I’m willing to bet that 90% of the currently 6000 LEED Green Associates will stop right there and never make it to a LEED AP Specialty.

So back to the branding issue.  Do you really need LEED AP?  I know that’s what most people look for but if you’re not actively involved in the design & construction of a LEED project as an Architect, Engineer, or Contractor you probably don’t need the LEED AP specialty credential.  If you just had LEED GA in your signature block, how many people would really know the difference between LEED GA and LEED AP?

Learn more about the LEED Green Associate credential by registering for an exam prep course. Take the exam and feel confident about your new knowledge of green building concepts!

Accreditation for the LEED Green Associate

If you are thinking that you want to pursue a career in any type of construction, then you are going to have to address the issue of sustainability. Green technology is becoming more mainstream. It is part of the construction industry, and it is not going away. A good place to get familiar with sustainability and construction is to become a LEED Green Associate.

LEED certification is evolving into a worldwide standard as a way to measure how well a project meets sustainability goals. So if you were planning a future in construction, the affiliating with the LEED program sooner rather than later would be well to your advantage.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation has just gone through a complete restructuring in order to position itself to be able to keep up with the lightening fast changes that are happening in the field of sustainability.

What used to be a single designation has now evolved into three tiers of expertise. The first level is the LEED Green Associate who is expected to have broad knowledge about sustainable construction design and operations. The second level breaks out into five specialties, and at this level the LEED AP+ is expected to have a deeper understanding of green building practices as they pertain to his specialty. And the third level of expertise the LEED Fellow, which has not yet been fully defined, will be the most elite and they will shape the direction and application of the LEED system, the sustainable building industry, and new green technologies.

LEED Green Associate Perfect for Just Starting Out

If you are just starting out, then the LEED Green Associate is a great credential to have because the knowledge that you will acquire for this rating is easily translated into just about any area of your life. The LEED Green Associate does not require continuing education, which is another reason that it is a good place to begin, because you can get started without being buried under ongoing obligations.

Then if your career directs you into an area where you will now need to use more in-depth information to do your job, it will be time to study for the LEED AP+ designation. So before you jump in to the LEED credential process, take a minute and think about how you will be using your new professional designation.

Before you even get started with your LEED Green Associate plans there are certain criteria that you must meet. For example, you must be able to prove that you have been professionally involved in a LEED certified project some time in the last three years. If you have not been recently involved in this type of project, then you can also make a case if you have been professionally involved with a business involved in green building.

In the absence of either of these two types of experience, you can attest to being enrolled or having completed a class that has anything to do with sustainable construction. You will need documented proof from an employer or teacher, and once this prerequisite is met, you are ready to begin preparing for your exam. You can study by yourself, online, in a classroom setting, or do a combination. There are industry approved LEED training providers like Everblue Training Institute that offer materials to suit any students study needs.

So if you are planning to go after a career in construction, it is probably a good idea to begin your accreditation process so that you can add LEED Green Associate to you list of job qualifications.