Quora question for Vas
I’m a busy dude so I answer questions on Quora when I find the time. And when I get a good question, I find the time. Like tonight, for example. Someone asked: What should I know about landscaping? I want to be a landscaper. Let’s do this.
Plenty of work
One, where I live on the West Coast in British Columbia, there’s tons of work at the moment. Landscape companies have lots of work and not enough good, reliable workers to do it. That means new guys are getting hired at much higher pay. And, once you learn the trade, it’s virtually impossible for a good landscaper to be unemployed. If you add certifications and qualifications, you’re laughing. More on that below.
Weather
Two, anybody interested in landscaping is probably comfortable being outside in all sorts of weather conditions. You should expect to get wet, sweaty, hot and tired. The climate emergency is another problem. You can expect the odd heat wave, like the one we had in June 2021. It killed 600 people in British Columbia as temperatures ranged from 30-40 degrees Celsius for weeks; and it made outdoor work challenging. We would start a bit earlier and shut it down earlier; we took water breaks, stayed in the shade as much as possible and enjoyed the odd misting station set-up by our clients.
Skills and schooling
Three, if you want to make landscaping into a career, you will have to upgrade your skills and gain new certifications. My buddy got laid off recently and when he searched for a new job, he found plenty of opportunities. But, when it came to pay, one manager openly told him that being landscape industry certified would qualify him for better pay. And it makes sense because extra knowledge should allow you to deliver more value to your employer.
Because landscapers deal with trees all the time, I always suggest sitting the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) exam. You will need about three years of experience in landscaping, but the good news is that the exam is knowledge-based. You don’t have to work with trees fulltime, nor be an expert. Just study the manual, get certified and then keep on learning in the field.
Do you still think this is too much? We had a strata complex (multi-family) request in their contract that a certified ISA arborist and Red Seal Journeyman be present on site every week. I fit right in and made the boss look good. You can also add this kind of value.
Plants
Nobody is asking you to become a botanist from day one but, many landscapers underestimate the value of plant identification skills. You must know the basic shrub species in your state or province. It makes it easier for your foreman to hand out work.
Asking someone to prune a Euonymus alatus shrub is way more precise than just a shrub. Plus, you can expect your clients to ask questions, usually when plants aren’t doing well or require pruning.
By plants I also mean your local weeds. It’s important to know your local weeds. In one recent example, the crew left a spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) to grow because it looked like thyme. It was actually a common garden and lawn weed so I had to point it out to the workers.
Side-gigs
Once you pick up some skills, you will be able to do side-gigs. This is my favorite topic because I’m doing it. I have to do side-work to push my annual income over six figures. This blog is also a form of side-hustle. I’m getting new t-shirts and other merchandise printed; and you will find four of my e-books for sale on Amazon.
Side-gigs will drop in your lap without you even trying. Two weeks ago, I went to see a new prospective client in a rich neighborhood because his previous gardener passed away from an aneurysm. It’s sad, of course, but it’s also an opportunity and I jumped on it.
Many of my private clients are old, sick, too busy or too rich. So, I help them, and I make extra income. Chances are, you too will have to do side-gigs to make six figures.
Resources
Since this is my blog, I have to plug my own extra resources that will help you become a landscape professional faster. My four e-books available on Amazon are super cheap and, I believe, they will provide you with great additional information.
New landscapers always start with lawn care, and they make the same rookie mistakes, season after season. You don’t have to. Just take my online course on Lawn Care Mastery 101. It can be done in a few hours, and it will instantly upgrade your resume with a new course. If you are short on cash, contact me and I will send you a discount code.
About Red Seal Vas
Perhaps my story will inspire you, who knows. Briefly, I started landscaping in 2000, at a large corporate sweatshop. The training was great but the pay not so much. I did their in-house seminars, became a supervisor with my own site portfolio and then I bailed.
My next employer paid for my ISA and landscape industry certified certifications, and then, I got a chance to work for a municipal parks department. It was there, in 2014, that I had my best-ever work season. 2014 was also the year I challenged the Red Seal journeyman horticulturist exam and passed! This was a huge boost to my career and confidence because the exam tests your knowledge and experience. Once you accumulate roughly 7,000 hours, definitely take a stab at this exam or, get your employer to sponsor you as an apprentice for four years.
Alas, the fun didn’t last at the city. It was a temporary fulltime position and by then, I had two little kids at home.
So, I moved to my current day job employer where I work as a roaming working manager. And when I have the required energy, I service private clients. When something interesting happens, I blog about it. Then, I group the best blogs and publish them on Amazon. I also catalogue our worker’s mistakes and turn them into online courses.
With a bit of hustle, you can make easy six figures a year, just like me. Welcome to your new landscaping career!
