Is there much work available in horticulture? Worth studying?

[gtarman]

Hey all...so I thought I'd just ask for people's experience in this, as this seems like an ideal place to ask.

I'm looking at getting into a new career path and was toying with the idea of horticulture due to my love of plants and gardening. But I suppose a lot of people feel that way and I have a feeling that there may not be a lot of jobs available in the industry for that reason.

So if I did a Certificate III in Horticulture...what do you reckon the job prospects would be like around a capital city? Would it be a relative waste of time and money in terms of job outcomes? If there are jobs available, what are they likely to be, and how are you likely to find them?

Anywho thanks for your thoughts/advice...I'm sure a few members here have travelled down this path before.

[obtuse]

I have been told numerous times thats its the type of job where you can make your own opportunities happen.

but you may have to work hard at it because of competition - jims mowing etc.,

i would think you may find you have some good opportunities if you are able to find niche markets.

i wonder if there is an opportunity in helping otherwise busy professionals in setting up and maintaining productive gardens. i see so many lawns at the back of peoples houses that could otherwise be fruit trees, and vegetable patches. but its lawn because thats all they have time (and patience) for.

[Nailthesnail]

I work for a horticulture company in my area, I love plants and love gardening but I don't really think there is to much money in it, for example I am doing a course for my horticulture 3 and 4 but I am not getting paid very well for it.

I love my job to a point but it's not as glamorous as you would think. The problem I have with it is you lose the bond between you and the plant when you are dealing with them on a commercial scale. It's quite tough work and very long hours but there are some benefits!

Like free plants and seedlings.

I do love my job but there probably isn't to much money in it

[obtuse]

your other point, whether its worth studying, YES. if only for your own interest and being able to grow a garden, you can learn these things on your own, but doing it in a class situation can be good, as is also good for developing connections with others of similar interests.

[gtarman]

Thanks for the input guys. Yeah I'm not so worried about whether it would be worth studying for my own personal interest - that's sort of a given, but there are also other ways to go about getting that sort of knowledge (and much more) - and to be honest my gardening skills after the last few years of practice and experience are more than sufficient for my own needs and interests. The only real reason I'd be pursuing the formal qualification would be in the hope of gaining a job in the field.

I'm not really thinking of it in terms of starting a business sort of thing - more just a traditional job. And I also have no delusions of glamour lol...it would still be a job, after all

Edited November 1, 2014 by gtarman

[bullit]

do ya hort certs 2 and 3 . this will help in many ways ie nurseryhand and other shit like landcare/langscaping for the council..

jobs these days need certs in allsorts of stuff. I went for a tree lopperz job the other day BUT I had no certs BUT I have been lopping and using chainsaws for fucken years ..

Edited November 1, 2014 by bullit

[ThunderIdeal]

bullit i think your experience would be unusual and i'm gonna disagree with your advice and say licenses, not certificates, are what employers look for. if you've got the licenses to use the gear (chainsaw, chipper) then you can do the work, maybe that employer had his reasons to ask for a certificate in aboriculture but it's a fairly unique area within horticulture and there are probably lots of things in the aboriculture certificate which are very relevant to the work.

GT you don't need to waste part of your life getting a horticulture certificate just to get employed. you could just about get a light truck license for the price of a certificate, then there's chainsaw, ACDC if you stay in queensland, first aid. if you're interested in tree work then chipper and maybe even EWP.

hort employers need people who can listen, learn and sweat, without injuring themselves or wrecking any property/equipment in the process. in most cases they'll have enough horticulture knowledge in their team already, anything you can contribute is a bonus (your input may not even be welcome).

if you want to do paving, retaining walls etc that's bona fide trade territory and as such you'll need to do certificates or a traineeship to learn the trade.

TLDR a hort employer would be mad to choose one candidate over another because they had a certificate.

[PsillyBean]

If you are after a Govt job in Hort, go the Certificate.

[bullit]

@ thunder the job role I went for required hort cert 2,3 ...... its very hard to get a job in landscaping or as a nurseryhand without these certs...

[ThunderIdeal]

try amenity horticulture (grounds and gardens) instead.

i reckon that's where the majority of the work is anyway, and it's probably the least stressful out of the lot too, as long as your boss is chilled.

anyway i might be mistaken, it's just that most of the people i've worked with are casual labourers, not qualified gardeners or even gardeners in any sense. the agencies always put all of the desirable criteria as a requirement, so if you see an agency job for council and they've got a long list for instance truck, first aid, acdc, chainsaw and cert (maybe chipper if it's with a tree crew) i'm telling you that they practically NEVER get applicants with everything.

recruiters can be pretty reasonable people, they're not all full-blown HR robots living in HR fantasy land. try telling them that you don't need a certificate to perform those roles, its not a bona fide trade role and on the first day everybody is a labourer. tell them you're more than a match for any certificate-holder.