If sustainability has gone the way of rom-com movies, my undergraduate students at New York University’s Stern School of Business haven’t gotten the memo. This spring, my sustainability strategy elective was significantly oversubscribed, and the class excelled — delivering thoughtful materiality assessments and strategic advice for 10 companies across diverse sectors, while continually questioning and improving the status quo.
Yet, the job and internship markets remain challenging, and media headlines warn of entry-level roles for all fields vanishing into the jaws of artificial intelligence. Advising students to pursue sustainability reporting feels fraught amid political volatility, regulatory uncertainty and backsliding. Sustainability communication roles aren’t much easier, as companies anxiously comb disclosures for risky acronyms and loaded terms, worried about both greenwashing and greenhushing.
It’s also not lost on me that most of my students in my class are women, surrounded on campus by peers aiming for the well-trodden paths of investment banking and consulting. I want to offer them a different vision of work and success — but one that doesn’t consign talented young people to being underpaid or sidelined.
So, what exactly is my advice to the next generation?
Make sustainability an essential minor
The days of sustainability as a “standalone” capability are numbered, partly because there’s no consensus on its scope or reporting lines. Many firms created sustainability teams solely around ESG reporting, but that responsibility is shifting to chief financial officers or compliance heads. This shift inadvertently exposes companies that were only interested in box-checking and highlights those truly committed to business integration. The next phase of sustainability is all about embedding sustainability into core business decisions and processes, and that requires different thinking about everything, including careers.
The most effective CSOs are those with deep internal credibility and the ability to assemble teams with expertise tailored to their company’s material issues. In practice, this means all young people need a strong grasp of sustainability fundamentals, but can still pursue careers in finance, operations, marketing, strategy or procurement. As sustainability becomes more integrated across enterprises, it’s vital that everyone understands how it intersects with their discipline. The idea of a single “sustainability expert” was always flawed — no one can master every material topic in depth and breadth.
Experiment for a decade
My students often worry about landing the perfect first job. But, as my yoga teacher reminds me, you’re not glued to where you land. I advise new graduates to treat their first 10 years as a period of experimentation: try different roles, discover what energizes you. Do you prefer structure or variety? Is travel or people management important? Do you thrive on conversation or prefer analytical, solitary work? It’s perfectly normal not to have these answers yet. But if you don’t explore, you risk waking up at 40 in a career you never chose, trapped by bill payments and commitments. Before you pigeonhole yourself, discover what excites you — and stay open to unexpected opportunities. In this sense, your first job doesn’t matter as much as how often you are prepared to pivot until you find a fit.
Here are avenues to explore, in the Trellis 30 Under 30 rising stars in climate in 2025.
Master power dynamics and organizational change
Many sustainability professionals feel ambivalent about their roles or organizations, often entering the field hoping to be society’s voice inside the company. That’s admirable, but real change comes from having influence. Sometimes, it’s smarter to start in mainstream investing before tackling ESG products, or to innovate on sustainability by beginning in R&D. You can’t address Scope 3 emissions or workforce issues without understanding procurement incentives. And you can’t communicate sustainability effectively without strategic oversight.
Study how power operates and how decisions get made — then position yourself to be part of those decisions, using your insights to steer the organization toward the issues you care about. We need more responsible, ethical leaders, and we won’t achieve this if the most responsible, ethical people in society see power as a dirty word.
With this in mind, also be thoughtful about your own influence. Take social media seriously and understand you’re shaping a profile. Relentless curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges will get you a long way.
Find your fit in a wide ecosystem
Change requires a range of voices and perspectives. Some of us thrive as politically savvy insiders, shaping narratives and influencing leaders. Others excel as advocates, pushing for greater ambition through campaigns and critiques. Some work well bridging different disciplines: policy and business or NGOs and for-profits. Still others prefer the variety of consulting or the hands-on, operational nature of frontline roles. The point is that all these paths are valid. Try several. Which one feels most like home to you?
We are likely already past the high-water mark for the CSO as a defined position. Future roles will be more hybrid, more integrated, more senior and more dependent on internal credibility. Meanwhile, the core thinking and concepts on topics such as environmental responsibility, worker dignity and inclusion are seeping into organizations that need to attract and motivate a new generation of workers. All this means that you can take your time shaping a leadership journey that plays to your strengths and puts human judgment and skills at the center. That’s good news for us, and for the future of responsible, sustainable business.
