'GREEN-COLLAR' JOBS: Companies are stepping up their environmental initiatives, and that could mean one thing — a boom in "green-collar" jobs.

A recent forecast by the American Solar Energy Society found that renewable energy and energy-efficient industries were responsible for the creation of nearly 8.5 million jobs in 2006, and by 2030 that number is expected to reach 40 million.

Colleges and universities are taking notice, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a job placement consulting group. Many have introduced specialised degree programmes in eco-commerce, environmental accounting, green and social marketing, and ecological economics.

"The demand for 'green-collar' jobs is really exploding, especially as the cost of energy continues to climb," said John Challenger, the group's chief executive. "Students need to start thinking about developing skills that will give them an edge for these types of careers that did not even exist until recently."

Popular jobs include urban planners, forest tree professionals and environmental lawyers, Challenger said. There is also a growing demand for architects and engineers with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the US Green Building Council, a Washington, DC-based non-profit.

SUB-PRIME CONFESSIONS: Richard Bitner used to brag about his job — that is, before sub-prime lenders were viewed less favourably amid the credit crisis and mortgage meltdown.

Bitner, author of the recently published "Confessions of a Subprime Lender: An Insider's Tale of Greed, Fraud & Ignorance", has chronicled the rise and fall of the industry, and says that three out of every four sub-prime mortgages originated by brokers were misleading or fraudulent.