In the era of the great resignation with many job seekers in the marketplace, there is an abundance of good careers that pay well in the green industry. These jobs have a clear path to advancement. More importantly, they improve people’s lives in readily observable ways. If you like horticulture, construction, and spending time outdoors, then a green career might be right for you. Here are some of the jobs available and what it takes to do them.
Outdoor Living Specialist
If you enjoy building things but don’t want to spend the time getting a degree in engineering, this might be the right place for you. As an apprentice, you are involved in building hardscaped areas and creating beautiful garden spaces. As you become more accomplished, you can rise to become a crew lead or foreman.
Garden Care Specialist
After a landscape is planted, this person maintains the landscape. As seasons change, you will be planting seasonal color, caring for trees and shrubs, maintaining landscape beds, and replacing dead plants. While no degree is required, an interest in horticulture and a willingness to learn is important for advancing from an apprentice to crew foreman.
Lawn Care Specialist
This individual applies fertilizer and treats for pests and diseases. They focus on the health of the turf. A Certified Commercial Applicator license is required. A certain amount of experience applying pesticides and fertilizers under the supervision of a certified commercial applicator is required, or an associate degree or higher in Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture, or Entomology. This involves passing the Core Competency test and the Certified Commercial Applicator test, usually given at the same time. Every three years, you must take a recertification class to maintain the license.
Arborist
An arborist specializes in trees. They maintain them through regular pruning, treat for diseases and pests, and recommend trees for certain places in a landscape. Arborists are certified through the International Society of Arboriculture. You will need to pass a certification test. You can only take the test after one of these occurs:
- At least three years of full-time (1,795 hours counts as one year) work under a certified arborist,
- An associate degree with at least two courses on arboriculture and two years full-time experience under a certified arborist
- A four-year degree with at least four courses in arboriculture and one year of full-time experience
- Pass an assessment based vocational program providing at least 900 hours of assessed training with a minimum focus of 90 hours directly related to arboriculture plus two years of practical fulltime experience in arboriculture
- Pass an assessment based vocational program providing at least 1,800 hours of assessed training with a minimum focus of 180 hours directly related to arboriculture plus one year of practical fulltime experience in arboriculture
- Some apprenticeship programs also work
For more information, see the International Society of Arboriculture application guide.
Project Management
This is a field supervisor position. You need to be able to wear many hats:
- Logistics of getting the right people and materials to the job site at the right time.
- Skilled in customer relations.
- Possess a good understanding of job profitability.
- Juggling labor hours and materials budgets.
- Being able to manage skilled staff.
A degree in logistics or years of experience are generally required to obtain this position.
Administration
This position is a crucial role and they have several responsibilities and keep the ship running smoothly. These professionals make sure all the bills get paid, and invoices are sent out. They do accounting, human resource management, and payroll. They also are receptionists and are often the first people potential customers talk to. Many have years of office management experience, a degree in accounting or human resources, or a combination.
Salesperson
In design/build most cases, the designer is the salesperson. They need a degree in landscape design, landscape architecture, or horticulture with classes in business and sales. They need to be able to use Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software and to be able to make sketches in the field to leave with the customer. They also need to understand the processes in construction and how to estimate the labor, equipment, and material for projects.
Marketing
This position manages the marketing strategy and budget. They build brand awareness and make sure potential customers know about the business. They cultivate qualified leads for the sales staff. This includes writing blog posts, social media management, creating and managing the website, and all channels that represent the brand.
Account Managers
This person needs a horticulture background as well as sales training. They manage maintenance contracts with commercial building management, homeowner’s associations, and other long-term commercial clients. They also make sure those contracts are renewed and point out enhancement opportunities.
C-Suite Executives
There can be several C-level positions found in the green industry. Any or all can be owners in the company. However, there are many C-level professionals that are not owners and help run green industry companies.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
The person in charge of day-to-day decisions on running the company. This person may have a business degree, a landscape architect degree, or a landscape design degree. This requires quite a bit of experience and expertise. They need to understand team building, system implementation, and financial management. The CEO shapes the vision, mission, and culture of the organization.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
This person oversees the health of the company. They develop yearly budgets, revenue forecasts, and report any problems with the finances of the company. They usually have a degree in business or economics and quite a bit of experience. The CFO can help manage the accounting department.
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
A relatively new position, this person manages the software and hardware necessary to run the business, including the customer management software, website, fleet tracking applications, GPS tracking, and integrating all of these systems. They help manage the website, SEO, and security for the company. They also help to identify and automate systems for the company to be more efficient. A computer science degree and a good understanding of business and horticultural, as well as years of experience.
Chief Recruiting Officer (CRO)
In this job market, this person can champion the effort to build awareness for the company culture and to help bring in potential candidates to join the team. This could be a growing opportunity in our industry, especially for established firms that seek great team members.
More Information
If you are interested in learning more about any of these careers, please contact Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping. We will be happy to talk about them with you. We currently have openings for many of these positions. Go to Royalcreationslandscaping/careers to fill out an application and see if you can join the Blue Crew.
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