Advisor at the Norwegian Environment Agency

What does your job entail?

I work on climate initiatives in the agricultural sector. This involves reading research on measures that can reduce emissions from agriculture, conducting impact assessments, evaluating barriers, potential instruments, and calculating the effectiveness of these instruments and method development. Part of the job involves calculating the emission reduction potential for these climate measures, where we largely use the modeling framework of Norway's emission accounts.

What is the most exciting aspect of your job?

For me, the most exciting part of the job is that I get to read the research and details while also working on how these measures can be brought to life. It¡¯s the combination of working with the research and details, along with being able to take a step back to see the bigger picture. There is a lot of engagement and expertise from different fields among my colleagues, so I learn an incredible amount of new things from other disciplines.

How do you apply your education in your job?

My degree in economics is very useful for the evaluations of instruments that I conduct in my job. It's a skill set that one might think is fairly general, but our field has some useful tools. Additionally, I benefit a lot from my education in terms of being confident with numbers and calculations. Writing a master's thesis in economics has been extremely helpful. Before the thesis, the assumptions were often part of the assignment text. The thesis was the first time I had to set the assumptions myself, make determinations about whether they were reasonable, and write it all out. I remember it was challenging and a bit daunting, but I find it very useful in my job.

What is a typical day at work like?

A typical day at work involves a good mix of doing calculations in Excel, reading research, writing reports, and meeting with colleagues at the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Agricultural Directorate. My tasks consist of larger projects with long deadlines and a number of assignments with shorter deadlines, so the work varies.

How did you get the job?

In connection with the internship course in my master's program, I was an intern in the Environmental Economics section at the Norwegian Environment Agency. Because I come from a farm and have worked a lot seasonally in agriculture, I was assigned to a project on climate measures in agriculture. I enjoyed it very much there, and that was when I became aware of the Norwegian Environment Agency as a relevant workplace. When I was writing my master¡¯s thesis, I applied for many different jobs at the Norwegian Environment Agency, but it was only when a temporary position opened in the Climate Department on climate and agriculture, with a job posting that called for expertise in numbers and calculations, that I got the job. After about six months, very coincidentally, a permanent position opened up in my section, which I now hold.

What is your best tip for other students aspiring to your type of job?

First and foremost, dare to apply. I remember I hadn¡¯t planned to apply for an internship because I thought I wouldn¡¯t get it anyway; fortunately, I was convinced at the last minute to apply. I think it¡¯s quite common to think that way. But remember, it's a good mix of competence, timing, and who else is applying that determines landing a job as a recent graduate. Sometimes it¡¯s a combination of competence and interest along with an economics degree that makes you stand out among the applications, so don¡¯t forget to highlight that.

(The interview was originally conducted in Norwegian and is translated into English).

Vilde won the Dare to know-award in 2024, read about it here; V?g ? vite-pris for masteroppgave om biodrivstoff og matsikkerhet