Career Paths Around the Tree of Life

Agriculture literally is the tree of life for everyone on the planet. Without agriculture, we could not support the population as it exists now. In fact, it was agriculture that enabled many countries to establish. Previously in history, hunters and gatherers or nomadic herders were the norm. Agriculture allowed populations to stay put and be able to sustain themselves and form cultural identities.

Man can not live on tech alone

We are increasingly becoming a society based on technology, and our schools are a reflection of this, focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

However, we must remember that careers in agriculture, forestry, arboriculture, horticulture, agronomy, ecology and other life sciences, will always be necessary. Whether we like it or not, we can’t exist without the natural world around us, and stewarding that by working in the agricultural and life sciences is a noble endeavor.

My path to horticulture

I speak with a lot of green industry professionals and often the way into their careers was serendipitous. Such was my own path.

I will never forget my senior year of high school, sitting next to my guidance counselor trying to decide what to take. I had been in an accelerated program and in my senior year, only needed English to graduate. She was showing me my options: Calculus, Physics, etc…

But nosey me, I was peeking at other things on her list such as horticulture, cosmetology, auto mechanics, etc. I asked her, “What about those courses?”
Her response was: “Oh, you wouldn’t want to take those, those are for the kids who aren’t going to college.”

Choose your passion

Well, little did she know my passion for plants, growing things, and nature. Much to her dismay, I told her that I wanted to take horticulture anyways.

Live your passion

I have never regretted that decision in my senior year, and in fact one of my first summer jobs was in a greenhouse that grew geraniums. Yes, I did attend college, but it seemed my side jobs were always where my heart was. I worked as a florist while attending Syracuse University and in the end, I was working more and having less and less motivation to finish college. I ended up leaving college and working, while my then husband finished his degree in engineering.

Fast forward to Extension

My path led me to starting a business and running my own garden shop for over 2o years. It was located at a Sears store, and when Sears went bankrupt and closed the store, I decided to take a job at UF/IFAS Extension Broward, as an education specialist. Now, 8 years later, I still teach commercial horticulture to the green industry.

Opportunities ripe for the picking

I am now an ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ, PPQ, FFL-CP, GI-BMP Senior Instructor, LIAF Certified, and have FDACS pesticide applicator licenses.
All this to say, that in the world of my specialty, urban horticulture, there are so many opportunities. You can choose any combination of degrees, certifications, or licenses, and there will be plenty of well paying jobs for every season of your life. I am thankful everyday that I work at Extension, teaching best management practices to the green industry.

How did we get here?

This is the first in a series about careers in the green industry. I began with myself, and in the coming weeks, I will be highlighting some of my colleagues with their stories and achievements on this path. I want to enlighten those who have never thought about this path, or who, like my guidance counselor, did not understand or respect it.

Not only for aspiring farmers

It’s important to understand, that careers in agriculture aren’t just farming related in our increasingly urbanized world.
There are myriad paths emanating from this tree of life, and we need to know what they are so that we can guide the next generation towards them.