How to get a green job
Gerri answers your questions about green employment, whether to go back to college and how to negotiate with credit card companies.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Question 1. Where can I find one of these entry-level green collar jobs? - Casey, Pennsylvania
Keep in mind that green jobs are often in the same areas of employment that people already work in today.
Most jobs in green industries are in construction and manufacturing and they don't require four-year college degree. In fact, most require associate degrees or an apprenticeship program through a union.
Check out the Laborers International Union to see if there are apprenticeship programs available. Also, idealist.org has some entry-level green career job postings.
Question 2. I am considering returning to school to get a B.A. I already have two associates degree and would like know if this is a good idea? I have been unemployed for two months and I figured this would be a good time to reinvent myself at the age of 40. - Ivet
We can't knock the value of knowledge here. But before you take on additional debt, find out how much your career will pay in your area.
Go to careervoyages.gov to determine whether that would sustain your monthly college debt payments.
Question 3. I am a 25 year old college graduate and I was recently let go from my job. During that time I incurred around $5,000 dollars in credit card debt. Is there a way to suspend payments or work out a payment plan so that I don't incur late payment penalties or worse? - Chris
Since you have suffered a hardship, the best thing you can do is to let your credit card company know what happened and indicate that you may need to work out a temporary payment plan.
It's better business for companies if it works with you than spend money collecting from you. If you feel you need outside financial counseling, check of NFCC.org - that's the Web site for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. There counselors will work with you one-on-one and they'll try to negotiate payment plans with your creditors. 
