Landscape design does NOT require a bachelor's degree - Landscape Architecture does. There is a difference, primarily in the scope of work one is qualified for but unless you are primarily interested in large commercial or municipal projects (pretty much just the purview of licensed LA's), the distinctions are insignificant. Residential landscape design is easily addressed by someone with an AA in Landscape Design or even a certificate from a qualified online course. Many colleges that offer hort degrees will offer some sort of landscape design degree as well.

Income levels between licensed LA's and landscape designers can vary as well - working larger projects can certainly carry larger price tags - but it is quite possible to make a decent living as a practicing landscape/garden designer as well. I've been doing so for the last 20 or so years!!

You may find additional informative threads on this topic on both this and the Landscape Design forum........just do a search through the archives. One thought to keep in mind if following this career path - formal, in-class education is great but hands-on training/apprenticing with a practicing designer (or design-build firm) is equally invaluable and will take you much further faster than just book learning :-))

Couple of other more lucrative horticultural careers are plant brokers or wholesale grower sales reps. Really gotta know your plants for these..........

I don't want to be a downer, but I got a 4 yr Hort Sciences degree and after a year, i went back and got a MS in Computer Sciences, as I couldn't find work. Bear in mind, this was 30ish years ago now.

Fry cook at McD's. I know folks with a 6 year degree that couldn't make a real living. Get into an apprentice plumbers or electricians job. You can make money while you learn & always be in demand.

You are thinking ahead, which is fantastic.

What are you really good at in the horticultural field? Do you have design skill but are also a good listener? (garden design) Can you get any seed to germinate and grow, any cutting to root? (pure horticulture--working for a commercial grower) Are you really organized and able to run a project and manage and motivate a crew of workers? (maintenance, construction) Are you a good talker and convincer? Do you like to travel or remain in one place? (sales) Use your educational time to figure out exactly what specific skills you are good at, (which is hopefully also what you like to do), and that will help narrow down what will be best for you. Professionals here move from one field to another using the skills they learn along the way--a person I talked to the other day started in estate maintenance, used that knowledge to move into garden design, made connections and professional relationships with growers and then managed a grower's fields for a while, finally retired and is now working at an upscale garden-center retail part time and giving lectures to stay involved in the industry.

Location may be a big factor :-)) On the west coast, horticulture in general is a pretty strong area. Lots of wholesale growers, 100's of retail nurseries and garden centers and "landscaping" - both lawn/yard maintenance, design installation and construction and design itself - is a very active field.

How well you succeed in any course of study has a lot to do with what you put into it. And horticulture in general lends itself to a high degree of self-employment if that is a direction you choose to go. I can't speak to any other part of the country but if you can't make a comfortable - not plush - living out of horticulture in the PNW with the proper training and experience, you just aren't trying very hard.

Plumbing skills would see you in good stead in the agricultural field as well, as some posts on this website have shown, so be open minded about what other skills you may want beyond the three year program.

There are also conservatories, and I believe some of those offer research opportunities, or could.

I think that location is probably very important. My four year degree landed me some very excellent positions over the course of my career, none of which could have materialised unless I had been living and working along the coastal area between Charleston and Savannah, including Hilton Head.

I diversified, however, and revamped my career goals frequently....and never stopped learning. By 40, I was able to start my own consulting and design business, conducted training and educational programs for landscaping companies and arborists, taught several different courses at the local community college, and much more. I also traveled several times a year speaking at industry conferences and conventions.

I stayed busy from dawn 'til dark-thirty, as they say, and loved every single minute.

I'm not a male, but that shouldn't make a difference. I started out doing 'scut work ' fresh out of the university, but the climb up the ladder was swift and rewarding. Your success will depend on your hard work, your ability to be a go getter and leader, and perhaps by your willingness to re-locate.

It's worth noting, I think, that the only job I ever applied to was my first one. After that, the positions came to me.

In that location, well trained, educated, and experienced horticulturists were (and still are) quite common, very sought after, and well compensated.

I wish you so much luck! I think you've chosen a wonderful field, in which there are wide open possibilities.

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.

Mike, you sound so much like me...free ride scholarships, etc. It still didn't pan out...but good luck in making it do so for you.

Mike, you sound like an ideal candidate to run your own landscaping company. If you really like being outdoors, that is ideal. I have to tell you--once you know the basics, you are going to learn a LOT more on the job, than you will in class. I got a four year degree (basically working on an MRS degree for my parents) but never used it as I hated being indoors. Looked into a Landscape Arch. degree, but they wanted 4 more solid years of school--no way! was I going to sit in class 4 more years. Anyone who appreciates a hard worker (heck you could come and work for me!) will let you learn on the job and make foreman in no time.

The other stuff you listed--turf management, groundskeeper, nursery work--BORING! You'll hate it, do something you love. If you are interested in a small farm--go work for someone that runs a small organic farm and learn as you go. You'll be ready to go on your own in no time. You are like me, in that what you do every day is more important than bringing home the big paycheck. Figure out a way to do what you really love!

I know the schooling doesn't really help much compared to practical learning, but it at least gives me an upper hand on someone without it. The nice thing is like I said, half my school day is practical hands on work. We also have a mandatory summer internship between junior and senior year. I have no experience in grounds keeping, but I thought it wouldn't be boring since you have a lot to do, but maybe I'm wrong. Landscape design would be nice, and since I'm going to college for free, I will have money for equipment. The hardest part is making a name for myself in a somewhat competitive industry. I was thinking about getting a full time job somewhere else in the industry, and build up something on the side.

Mike, this is a fun coincidence. My husband also has a four year degree in horticulture. Guess what he does for a living? He's been the Director of Grounds at a small but rapidly expanding university in the south for many years...preparing to retire in a couple of years before he turns sixty.

I invite you to email me directly via 'My Page'. I'll speak with you frankly about the possibilities available to you, including salaries, benefits, etc.

The bare faced truth is that a person can earn a great living while enjoying every day. But you get out of it what you're willing to put in.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Dorie

Thanks rhizo. I think I sent you a message!

Location, location, location! Seriously though, it will varying widely based on where you live. Here in Denver, Colorado they have so much work in basically all aspects of hort.

Your best bet pay wise is going to be in either landscape design or irrigation. The money maker around here is in being an irrigation tech. They make an easy $14-15 to start here and goes way up from there. There can also be some work in irrigation design, however that typically goes hand in hand with the tech position. I also have an uncle that used to do soil surveys around here. He made good money doing that, but he had a bachelor's from CSU.

As far as the design, if it suits you, I say go for it. What about your own landscape maintenance or design company? You could be the boss and employ workers. My understanding is this can be a lucrative business to have, if done correctly.

At any rate, don't give up. I'm also in a similar program currently and it is giving me the confidence I needed to re-enter the workforce. I wish you luck in whatever you choose.