Will I be able to make a living off a horticulture degree?
mike758
10 years ago
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marcinde
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Are you handicapped and making money in horticulture?
Comments (6)I would contact the author of Square Foot Gardening and ask Mel. I'm sure he has had some contacts with those who are handicapped in some way and still make a living from it. He actually has a new book called Cash With Square Foot Gardening. So, maybe somebody out there that he knows is doing it from a wheelchair. But this is what I do know from working in the greenhouse/nursery industry. In FL, they don't hire a lot of full time employees, they hire self-contractors. Now they still get paid for whatever they do, but they aren't getting W-2's. They are responsible for their own taxes, insurance, etc. I'm going to have to do the same thing you are. Which means that for heavy lifting and such, I'm going to have to hire some self-contracted labor occassionally. I'm also going to have to be very organized so that I can use those temps when I need them on specific days instead of having them come in on a daily basis for just a short period of time. Hiring through a temp agency is expensive because temp agencies usually guarantee a full days pay even if they only work for 4 hrs. Hope that helps, Steph...See MoreClueless about a future in Horticulture
Comments (12)The biggest decision to staying in this industry is accepting a moderate level of living. Wages aren't great and typically are limited in growth from where you may find yourself starting out at. Benefits are typically limited to poor compared to any other industry, it is probably better in a public position vs private (I have only been in private). These may seem OK now at your age but there is some sound reasoning from your parents for the security that typically is inconsistently found in the Horticulture or Green Industry. Life in your later years can be quite different: health, family, children are unpredictable and the benefits needed to take care of them have a different priority later on in life. If someone is going to be in this field they need to understand that. The best advice I would have is to have a spouse/partner who is outside of this industry that has good to great benefits and use this industry job as the 'fluff' income. This can be a good secondary income industry, but inconsistent as a primary one. Budget to live solely on the other income and benefits so you can roll with the punches that happen in this industry. Trust me, the nature of what we do just makes it very cyclical with the high's and low's. Living well below your means is just the way people make it work, and find an area with low cost of living. Most of us accept we don't need to live well off, but safe neighborhoods and good schools that have cheaper housing options just don't exist in a lot of metro areas. I don't agree with some of these posts on accepting the lower levels of income just because the work may be enjoyable. That becomes more of a hobby or side passion vs making a career choice that you need to depend on to help support yourself/family. Most jobs in other industries have career positions that have certain deadlines, pressures, responsibilities and goals that we don't. That is how they provide better income levels. The companies in this industry that do work towards specific goals and financial responsibilities will typically be the ones that offer more income and benefits but people respond they are the worst to work for. That seems to be the ongoing reason why we can't break the cycle of this industry being always associated with lower or limited income potentials. And after 30+ years in this Industry, I don't think people work as hard at anything as we do, but with far less to show for it. That is another decision that you need to be able to live with in the long term. If your passion is to be a successful businessperson and have some rewards and security that come with the acquired skills and hard work needed to accomplish some form of business success, this is not the industry to be in. That may be OK for now when you are younger but it may be a regret in 15-20 years when you want to provide the most options for your own children/family members. Having two kids of my own in high school and jr high now, I am having many regrets with my career choice in this industry seeing the limited college options I can help provide for them....See MoreIdeal careers for a male with a horticultural degree?
Comments (14)Oh boy, this really is a tough subject area... First thing I wanted to state is that I never wanted to be a plumber or whatever, if that's what I wanted to be, I would have went to school for that. Second, I feel the working at McDonalds reference was a bit extreme, I know for sure I can find better than that. I did have the ability to go to college for whatever I wanted, but the two things I wanted to do is horticulture and cabinet making, which are both considered dead end career paths. Anything else I would be going to school just for money, and not every money making career will necessarily make you money either; my cousin went to college for eight years to be a lawyer, and he's 30 making minimum money as a magazine writer because he can't find a job. The issue with the way I go in the career path is that it may be heavily influenced by future lifestyle changes. Right now, I don't even have a wife and kids in mind (don't even have a girlfriend), and all I need is four wheels, clothes on back, a place to live, and food to keep me happy, I don't need a lot of fancy toys. However though, later on I may care more about supporting a family than I do my job. I may also decide later in a few years that there's a better paying industry I'm into. Right now I'm going to college completely free so it's not a huge loss if I chose to go to college for something else. However, if I stay in the field, I do have some stuff in mind. Right now, it's still early, but I've been the best in my class, and I will make deans list easily at this pace. The ideal realistic careers I want to get into are campus groundskeeper and possibly landscape/garden design. Campus groundskeeper usually doesn't pay well, but it offers great benefits like housing, healthcare, steady employment, and money towards degrees. Landscape design is similar to the cabinet industry; if you are determined to do what you do and make a name for yourself, you will be alright, otherwise though, no. I may actually have an advantage there because I am into that and do it as a hobby currently....See MoreCan I cut a 50 degree angle with miter?
Comments (2)Further though on this subject leads me to conclude that the only way to get a 50 degree is to put the clapboard into the miter saw perpendicular to the fence, thus the 40 degree off vertical would result in the wood left behind with a 50 degree angle on it, i.e., I removed a 40 degree slice out of a 90 degree orientation. Not well stated I"m sure, but not a good idea either as the clapbords are only 6" wide, not a stable platform to run a power circular saw into....See Moremike758
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