Find the right climate course for your needs- Terra vs Climatebase vs OPF vs others

2 people discussing the right sustainability course by comparing different alternatives all of whom are well rated.

“Hi, has anyone been a part of the Climatebase Fellowship? Curious about it and would like to ask a few questions if anyone has done it.”
a US based designer looking for a career in sustainability.

“I work in the carbon management and reduction space and seeking for some guidance and want to know what are some good and recognized certifications for individuals in the space of carbon management and carbon reduction? Any leads would be helpful.”
An Indian data scientist excited about upskilling his climate skills.

Questions like these are quite common amongst sustainability-enthusiasts looking to transition their passion into a climate career. It’s certainly important, because despite efforts, most climate courses aren’t exactly one size fit all solutions.

While there are several universities and private organizations providing climate courses, identifying which course/certification would be the most helpful for your journey isn’t very clear as a new entrant in the domain. One can always try asking in an online forum (Work on Climate, Reddit groups, Climate Action Tech, etc), though due to it’s repetitive nature, the enthusiasm of respondents fluctuates much over time.

In this guide, we try to create a map between different aspirations, contexts and course benefits. The primary sources of this exploration includes- several first hand accounts of course alumni, some original research, anecdotes from few online forums and information provided by the course websites.

To maintain a level of simplicity, we will be primarily focusing on a few popular courses provided by UN CC e-Learn, Terra, Climatebase, AirMiners, and Climate Drift.

 

Starting with the Why?

Given the vastness of the domain, getting distracted is very easy. As a first step, it’s always important to understand one’s own requirements/preferred outcomes before judging which course to pick. Else there’s always the danger of picking something flashier/popular which is appealing, but ultimately un-helpful to reach one’s goals.

As Mathijs Sterrenbrug (a creative director and design mentor at IxDF) shares from his Terra.do course experience-
“Try to set a personal goal(s) and do some research in advance to optimize your own learning. Make sure you have the time- and headspace to learn, as some classes can be a bit technical at the start so they require your focus.”

So, let’s start by understanding the main motivations of people who seek a climate course. Based on primary research conducted in the Work on Climate community, the following student categories and their motivations (jobs to be done) were identified-

    1. Broad explorers– usually this is someone who is still an under-graduate or a professional with some experience who’s just gotten curious about the sustainability domain. This could also contain new-parents who are worried about bringing their child to an unsustainable world.
      Yes everyone would be glad if they could make more money, but for people in this stage- the primary motivation is understanding/exploring the broadness of the climate-tech domain and figuring where can they fit.

       

      Jay Tilak (Product leader at Verizon) participated in the Terra.do’s LFA course and discovered his interests-
      “I thought Terra.do was a fantastic program and it also introduced me to my first climate community. It’s about an inch deep and a mile wide so great to baseline yourself. I still talk about it with peers of mine that are looking to learn more. I’m personally in the market for a deep dive or at least a refresh. Now I’d probably look for a deep dive on DERs and/or tying together corporate CSR and ESG efforts into a climate product portfolio.”

    2. Upskillers– these are people who have already begun working in the sustainability domain, but want to further sharpen their skills in the same domain. The primary motivation usually is around advancing oneself with the latest knowledge, seek a promotion or considering a job switch. In most cases, the primary goals to achieve are a higher level of understanding, complimented with an increased paycheck in 3-6 months.

      Evannah Jayne, Founder & CEO at Terran Industries-
      “Terra.do is great for people transitioning into the climate space, and gives you the high level info needed to help you decide which career path to take within the industry. Climatebase helps you more with the deep dive / next level info you would need for specific aspects of your career.”

       

    3. Green job seekers– people here know they want to build their career in climate. They could either be freshers straight out of college or experienced professionals who want to either transfer their existing skills or pick up new climate skills- which helps them make positive impact while earning a decent living. These people usually have an inherent understanding that careers in this domain will get more rewarding over time.

      Zachary Pitts (an operations and management expert) mentions about his Terra.do LFA experience-
      “I came into the fellowship wanting to transition my career (from startup operations/strategy in CPGs) but being uncertain of what to do or how to accomplish a career transition. I knew I was interested in helping with climate change and sustainability, particularly sustainable urban design, but beyond that I was listless and indecisive. It ended up being an incredible experience.”

      Corey Pudhorodsky (Customer Success Leader)-
      “My goal in joining the Fellowship was to find how I could apply my experience and expertise in Customer Success and Customer Experience into meaningful ClimateTech work.”

       

    4. Transitioners – folks in this category already have a climate-related job, but due to varying circumstances they are looking to switch to a different vertical within the climate-tech domain. It could be someone in the climate communications who wants to move towards corporate sustainability, or someone in ESG reporting looking to advance a career towards ESG strategy. These people usually require some guidance around managing the transition, alongside mentor’s expertise on understanding complexities on both ends. 

      Jessica Lee (a multi-faceted product designer) mentions about her Corporate Sustainability Leadership Accelerator by Terra.do experience-
      “I went in wanting to understand the broad scope of what is involved in a corporate sustainability role, and this course was able to provide all of that, plus a ton of insights into the day-to-day, and various focuses.

      I was also able to zero in on which areas were most interesting to me, and least interesting to me. I walked away with more confidence, and practical abilities I can now put into practice as a designer, or in a future role. It’s on each individual to join as little or as much as they’d like in the program.”

    5. Advanced learners– this category of learners is interested in learning things in-depth, often combining knowledge from multiple domains. Someone seeking the intersection of AI & Sustainability or using bio-mimicry techniques for carbon removal. They usually require very specific kind of expertise, cutting edge quality content, and access to advanced case studies and course material. Usually they have a clear vision for their career in the medium to long term.

      Nick Carmont– Co-Founder & CTO at Connect Earth shares about his experience with OnePointFive-
      “It’s often very hard to find climate experts in the space that can provide answers specifically on EEIO (Environmental-Extended Input-Output). The ability for us to dive deep with topic areas [with OPF] was really great-better than general sustainability consultants who cannot go as deep into environmental concepts.”

       

      Thus, to maximize the value you can get from any course, it’s extremely essential that a learner self-identifies one or maximum two of these categories to figure the right course for their needs. Else, the chances are- it might be helpful, but not to the extent one needs.


Summary Table-

Before we deep dive into understanding the nitty-gritties of parameters to judge different courses, here’s a high-level comparison table-

Course ProviderCourse NameWho is it Ideal ForCourse DurationCourse FeeWeekly Time CommitmentUSPAdditional Benefits/Perks
Terra.doClimate Change: Learning for ActionEco-conscious students, professionals looking to transition into climate tech8-12 weeks$1,500 – $2,500 (scholarships available)6-12 hoursHands-on projects and real-world applicationsLarge network of climate professionals, job board.
AirMinersAirMiners Boot UpIndividuals interested in carbon removal, early-career professionals6 weeksFree2 hours (2 meetings per week)Instructor-less. Focus on carbon removal technologies.Small batch sizes (10 people), potential job opportunities in the carbon removal sector
ClimatebaseClimatebase FellowshipMission-driven professionals, job seekers, entrepreneurs12 weeks$1,500 – $2,500 (scholarships available)6-12 hoursComprehensive curriculum covering climate solutions and career developmentAccess to exclusive job boards, mentorship, and networking events
Climate DriftClimate Career AcceleratorMid-career and executive-level job seekers8 weeks$2,000 (scholarships available)Tailored career transition supportPersonalized coaching, resume and LinkedIn profile reviews, job placement assistance
UN CC e-learnVarious (e.g., Intro to Climate Change, Climate Change: From Learning to Action)General public, professionals, studentsVaries (1.5 – 12 hours)FreeSelf-pacedFree access to high-quality educational resourcesCertificates of completion, multilingual
OnePointFive AcademyClimate and Sustainability Consultancy SkillsProfessionals looking to enhance their sustainability consultancy skills6 weeksNone specified$1,500 (scholarships available)Not specifiedHands-on sustainability training with real-world applications. Access to industry experts, supportive community, practical tools and techniques

 

It’s not the case that these platforms only provide one course each. They have a few advanced/specialized courses as well. Though to keep the guide simple and manageable, we are focusing on the most popular ones.

 

Course Reviews & Contexting

Every company has an incentive to showcase glowing reviews about their courses. Yes, having a great rating on external review sites (Trustpilot, G2, etc) shows genuine goodness, though sometimes the picture’s painted too bright. Because if you just start looking reviews on Reddit- it’s likely you will develop quite a cynical outlook. But that’s the thing with Reddit– most times it just gets too bitter.

So, here are some genuine experiences, collected from real people who granted us their permission to post their reviews without the anonymity of reddit or review sites.

 

Finding a climate job

None of the courses mentioned above come with a job guarantee. Though you can’t really blame these platforms for it. May be in a different/easier job market they might have made taller promises, but as of now that’s not the case. Still, despite the lack of a job guarantee, the experience could be really helpful-

“From a hiring perspective, I would choose someone with a Terra.do qualification, over a university degree, as it shows they are interested in learning directly into the sector, rather than just someone who may have been paying attention when they were expected to go through university as part of a ‘social expectation’.”- Evannah Jayne (CEO at Terran Industries and a Terra.do mentor)

“Getting a certificate is no guarantee for getting a job. I loved the experience and the network, but I believe these platforms can do more to help job seekers”- Marina Candela (Data Analyst at a bio-tech start-up)

“I don’t want to say that Terra doesn’t have job-placement resources. It’s just that they’re more self-directed than not.”- Brendan Wells (California based data scientist who also has been a TA at Terra)

“There was an abundance of resources and classes that help guide job seeking. It opened up a whole world I was unaware of and dramatically expanded my professional networking. You can do this at your own pace, but I recommend taking advantage of all the optional resources as soon as possible during the LFA.”- Zachary Pitts (an operations and management expert)

 

Is one course enough?

There are different opinions on this question which can only be answered by comparing the exact up to date course curriculums, though from a high-level view the sense is that the introductory level courses are largely similar. Still there is a lot of differentiation when it comes to advanced or sector-specific courses. For those not aware, sustainability solutions are divided into multiple sectors.

“I just don’t want to repeat all the general information, as that is probably quite similar per course.”
Mathijs Sterrenbrug (a creative director and design mentor at IxDF)

“If you’re in a position to do so, my recommendation would be to start with Terra.do, then do Climatebase.”
Evannah Jayne, CEO at Terran Industries and a Terra.do mentor.

“I first went with Climatebase to learn the field broadly, and then took a deeper dive with one of OPF’s specialized courses. Though in my experience- getting a certificate isn’t a guarantee for a job”.- Marina Candela (Data Analyst at a bio-tech start-up)

 

Networking benefits

At a general level, almost everyone surveyed across courses, praises the network of people they interacted with. And it’s one of the most amazing and oft-cited reason for joining these courses.

“The network is incredible and probably the most valuable part of the course.”- William Hodgess (Founder- Something)

“The community is quite strong and friendly, everybody is willing to help each other out.”- Mathijs Sterrenbrug (a creative director and design mentor at IxDF)

“Climatebase offers at least 4-5 ways to network in smaller groups weekly so you’re constantly meeting new people. They encourage fellows to share their expertise and passions with each other. It’s a great way to practice public speaking & meeting facilitation and also a nice additional way of learning during the course.”- Kate Pellegrino (Head of Operations- Pioneer)

 

Capstone Projects

Climatebase has quite an involving capstone project, Terra, Airminers and OPF don’t seem to have one (though they have a few homework assignments).

“There’s a significant portion of fellows (~30%) who are starting capstone projects that other fellows can join. It’s a great way to test a startup idea, or get more concrete experience on a resume.” – Kate Pellegrino (Head of Operations- Pioneer)

“My expectation going in was that this might be the usual short data analytics project, but in reality this was quite a detailed project with multiple students in a group. Several such groups built their MVPs or progressed significantly on a start-up idea through the Climatebase Capstone project”- Marina Candela (Data Analyst at a bio-tech start-up)

“Because I’m the type of person that learns by doing, one of the most valuable lessons I learned in taking the Climatebase courses was getting the chance to participate in the community by working on a Capstone project and figuring out how to build an MVP of a solution that is meant to be one more way we come together to help prevent climate change. By working with others to create on our own solution and getting the chance to see the solutions from peers when they presented their Capstone projects, it taught me just how much can be accomplished in even a short amount of time.”- Kaylin Gilkey (Data-Driven SEO Leader)

 

Learning Depth

The most participated courses across organizations are the entry level courses catering to a wide diversity of audience. And thus, to cater to this varied audience these courses primarily go wider rather than deeper in their coverage.

“I thought Terra.do was a fantastic program and it also introduced me to my first climate community. It’s about an inch deep and a mile wide so great to baseline yourself. Now I’d probably look for a deep dive on DERs and/or tying together corporate CSR and ESG efforts into a climate product portfolio.”- Jay Tilak (Product Leader at Verizon)

‘Climatebase has a more solutions focused curriculum with deep dives into various solution-spaces, while Terra covers more breadth’- Kate Pellegrino (Head of Operations- Pioneer)

“Terra provides a broad and nuanced overview of the challenge of climate change, the science behind it, the policy landscape, and the industry dynamics – I learned a ton! In addition to understanding the 30,000 foot view, it helped me to parse out where my professional skillset might fit.”- Jenny Salpietro– (Principal Consultant- Andiamo Advisory)

“Underscoring what I mentioned above, the quality of the presenters and panelists was world class. I got to hear several of my climate heroes speak live including Dr Jonathan Foley of Project DrawdownWilliam McDonough, and Bill McKibben. I was introduced to so many more Climate champions that I will now follow closely. What amazed me is how generous all our speakers were with offers to connect and help Fellows on their Climate journeys.”- Corey Pudhorodsky (Customer Success Leader)

 

Time Commitments & Flexibility

“Depending on where you’re from, the timeslots for live-sessions can be hard to manage due to the timezone differences given its a global audience. Having followed most of my sessions at around midnight, I had quite a few times where I had a harder time absorbing all the info, especially the more technical classes.”- Mathijs Sterrenbrug (a creative director and design mentor at IxDF)

“I just wish I had more time to experience more of the extracurricular activities. At the time I was also working a full time job and it was difficult enough to just try and keep up with the main course content.”- Kaylin Gilkey (Data-Driven SEO Leader)

“I was working full time at the same time was in the fellowship, and I had to skip a lot of sessions because of work conflicts. I wish that I had been able to participate more fully.”- Eddy Abraham (Founder- True North)

“The Climatebase staff kicks off each week with “Weekly Warm Up” messages that include announcements, news about Fellows advancing their goals, reminders about community activities, and weekly challenges. This gives everyone a chance to plan for the week ahead alongside other commitments they are balancing in addition to the Fellowship.”- Corey Pudhorodsky (Customer Success Leader)

 

Diversity focus– US-focused vs Truly global

Kate Pellegrino who participated in both Terra and Climatebase programs compares her experience about the diversity of participants-

Terra- “Very global & diverse – program is designed to accommodate a variety of time zones. More “woke” – Lots of awareness around climate justice & equity issues. More emotional support & vulnerability”.

Climatebase- “More US/EU – program centers mostly around pacific time zone. More “business-y” – Lots of startup ideas flying around and entrepreneurial spirit. Climate justice is part of the curriculum but not as central”.

“Climatebase primarily attracts people who are US based and start-up enthusiasts. It may change in the future, but that’s the current status. On the other hand OnePointFive attracts people who are more corporate-inclined”- Marina Candela (Data Analyst at a bio-tech start-up)

 

Start-ups vs corporates

As Kate experienced during the two programs about the diversity of speakers-

Terra- “~15 speakers over 12 weeks. Broader range of backgrounds – climate scientists, people involved in policy, people running climate tech companies, investors etc.”

Climatebase- “~50 speakers over 12 weeks. Most speakers are running climate tech companies or VC firms. Lots of really interesting panels.”

 

Regrets & scope for improvements

When asked most participants had 2 kinds of regrets about the program- some people with a full-time job felt the programs were quite fast paced, some others felt that there is much scope to help job-seekers even more.

“That’s my one regret about my experience. I was working full time at the same time was in the Climatebase fellowship, and I had to skip a lot of sessions because of work conflicts. I wish that I had been able to participate more fully.”- Eddy Abraham (Founder- True North)

“I believe there’s significant scope for these programs to increase the support they provide for job search. As the course had a large batch, individual attention was restricted to getting questions answered in the Q&A tabs in the live classes”- Marina Candela (Data Analyst at a bio-tech start-up)

“It was very difficult to think of an unpleasant part of the Climatebase experience – it was all so wonderful! But I just wish I had more time to experience more of the extracurricular activities. At the time I was also working a full time job and it was difficult enough to just try and keep up with the main course content.”- Kaylin Gilkey (Data-Driven SEO Leader)

“Due to the speed of the course, it was hard to dive deep into any one area. However, I find the length of the course ideal, as I was unsure of which area I wanted to pursue within corporate sustainability – so no real unpleasant experiences – only areas I wish I could have dug into more.”- Jessica Lee (a multi-faceted product designer)

“Each part was a lot to fit into one week. Meant the session were a little rushed sometimes.”- William Hodgess (Founder- Something)

 

Discounts & Scholarships-

“It’s expensive, but if you know an alum (like me), you can get a code for 20% off.”- Brendan Wells (California based data scientist who also has been a TA at Terra)

“I think you’ll be satisfied with this course. And if you’re worried about the cost, I encourage you to apply for one of the scholarships.”- Kaylin Gilkey (Data-Driven SEO Leader)

It’s kind of an open-secret that most climate-courses do offer some discounts, especially referral discounts from alumni. So, if you know anyone who has previously taken such courses do reach out to them. If not, you can contact us. Am quite sure we should be able to help 🙂

Let me know how you find it. If there’s something more you would like to add or had a different experience that you want to share with others, please feel free to reach out here