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
Time to make a change, how helpful is a degree?
Comments (7)I went through a similar quandry. In my case I had an Environmental Studies BA and was considering a MS in Hort with a design emphasis or a MLA degree. I interviewed half a dozen people in the field including an LA and everyone told me that field experience was more valuable than degrees unless I specifically wanted to do the types of large projects an LA degree gives one access to. In the end I did take some additional LA & Hort classes but did not go for an additional degree. In my experience clients that care about degrees are quite rare. One caveat, California is a more regulated place than Maine so regulatory considerations may force your hand (I side with Ivan Illich on this matter). I do think field experience in both garden maintenance and installation is extremely valuable for would be designers/ LAs. I have worked on projects designed by highly academically credentialed people who made a hash of it - they had good concepts but they didn't understand how the elements behaved in the real world. Rosarians are often niche specialists. If you're really good and good at promoting yourself you might make a go of it as rose expert alone. If you don't already have a strong IPM background I'd work on that....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 MoreHow do I make a 45 degree octagon template that has 3 3/4 length
Comments (6)OK. Here's how I do it. Remember an octagon is just a square with the corners cut off. So you make a square to create a pattern. I've already graphed it so I know it takes a 9" square. Fold a 9" square paper in half and then in half again so it's quarter size. Make a mark on each edge 1-7/8" from the folded edge (half of 3-3/4). Connect the two marks diagonally 45 degrees across the corner with a ruler and you should have a 3-3/4" line and when you cut it and open it up you have your octagon. I hope this makes sense....See MoreCan I pull this off and what makes it work?
Comments (33)Can you bear another set of opinions...? The keys to the look you are emulating are color discipline, symmetry, scale of pattern, and quality of finish. The three patterns in the inspiration photo are the tile pattern of the rug, the rough fiber of the chairs, and the tufting on the sofa. Everything else is smooth (the painted table, the velvet pillows, the lacquered lampshades, the simple bases). The rug brings the grid of the windows to the floor without copying it, and its mossy gray-green color looks natural, like a forest floor, while the tile pattern is reminiscent of old Portugese or Dutch tiles. The green pillows are the only other color besides taupe, cream, black, and white, so take care when you choose your rug to stay within a disciplined color palette. You can also see that the scale of the pattern in the rug is large, and its surface soft and plush, by comparison to the chair's rough texture and the size of the woven pattern. The fabric on the very simple sofa is also velvety and smooth, and the tufting adds depth while maintaining its strict form. The first rug you showed doesn't have any of that contrast...its pattern is small scaled, its color is very like the color of your chairs, and its texture is also rough like the chairs. What makes the inspiration room work is the contrast between the soft plushiness of the rug and the rough natural fiber of the chairs. The third rug that laurensmom posted has some of those characteristics, but may not have the softness and the plushness, which adds the sense of luxury to the scene. Most of the ones you've shown, or been shown, have none of that depth and lushness in their construction. I also think you might want to rethink the stain-vs-paint decision. The grain of the wood will add yet another texture and pattern to your mix, and won't help produce that serene, smooth, modern touch. I'm very glad you aren't opting for a natural top and painted base...that would give you a country kitchen look that is nothing like your inspiration picture. Keep looking at your inspiration picture, and analyzing every aspect. Then you'll be able to incorporate all the elements that make that very sophisticated but relaxed and hospitable space work for you....See Moremike758
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