What does it really take to build a long, meaningful career in the environmental field, especially if your path isn’t linear?In this episode of the Green Collar Careers Podcast, I sit down with Aaron Mair, former President of the Sierra Club and a lifelong public servant whose career spans state government, public health, advocacy, and environmental leadership.Aaron shares how his background in sociology, data, and systems thinking shaped his work, why interdisciplinary skills matter more than job titles, and how coming from a family of struggle - not privilege - impacts how people access opportunity and build careers over time.We talk about:• How Aaron found his way into environmental and public service work• Why non-linear paths can lead to durable, impactful careers• The role of education, data, and systems thinking in environmental leadership• Lessons from decades in state government and nonprofit leadership• Advice for students and early-career professionals looking to break inThis conversation is for anyone interested in environmental careers, sustainability, public service, or advocacy - and for those thinking about how to build a career that doesn’t just start strong, but lasts.________________________________________Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:55 Meet Aaron Mair 01:06 Binghamton roots + early path into public service01:41 Breaking barriers: first Black president of the Sierra Club06:35 Education, systems-thinking, and “learning how to think”09:32 Getting into state service: internships, access, and momentum early on12:23 Public health + data: connecting science, society, and the issues of our time18:25 Taking big risks: suing NYS, integrity, and refusing to “sell out”29:26 “You can’t eat dollars”: capitalism vs. ecology 39:04 A broader awakening: treating Earth as “resources” and why that has to change49:29 History as a teacher: power, oppression, and what it means for today55:38 Final words & closing________________________________________🔗 Connect with Aaron & Jose!Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn! 💼 LinkedIn: /aaron-mair-554508a/Connect with Jose! 💼 LinkedIn: /jose-almanzar-esq🔗 Substack: /josealmanzar.substack dot com Linktree: linktr.ee/jalmanzar________________________________________🎵 Music Credit - Kwae: 📷 Instagram: @kwaemusic 🎨 Logo Credit - Leo: 📷 Instagram: @logic9uy_art ________________________________________About Green Collar CareersThe Green Collar Careers Podcast explores the many paths into environmental and sustainability work, what those careers actually look like, how people get started, and how they grow over time.________________________________________DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this podcast constitutes legal advice. This podcast is not attorney advertising. Nothing said in this podcast is endorsed by the podcast host, their guests, or their employers. The views expressed by the podcast host and their guests are their own and do not reflect the opinions of their employers. By listening to this podcast, the listener is not entering into an attorney-client relationship or any other relationship with the host or their guests.