First, I disagree with all the pessimism about careers in botany. I agree that botany is a somewhat generic term that can encompass a wide range of knowledge and skill sets. But that's the great thing about a botany degree - it can send you off a number of different paths where you can gain more experience to improve your qualifications. Botany majors can work in a wide variety of jobs ranging from positions in agriculture, horticulture, plant science research, biotechnology, conservation, environmental education and others. In agriculture, botanists are in pretty high demand in lab settings with large agribusinesses like Monsanto to work in the development of seeds and other plant products. In horticulture and agriculture, botany majors can also work in field settings in the propagation and management of plants. There are also a large number of entry-level lab technician jobs working for researchers in institutional settings - primarily academic settings. And if you're willing to pursue an advanced degree, you can work as a lead researcher. There are also a lot of botany jobs doing environmental education - from entry level naturalist jobs working with camps and school groups to more advanced jobs working in a formal school or institutional setting. In conservation, botanists are in super high demand with consulting firms doing plant survey and wetland delineations to help clients get permits for construction projects. Botanists are also employed by government agencies and non-profits working to protect important ecological areas. Really, botany is a great major for working in a wide variety of industries because it involves a highly specialized knowledge set that is in demand. I agree that the pay may not be as high as engineering, medicine, or other science-based professionals. But as you move up the ladder, you can definitely earn over $100K /year - especially in the private sector but also if you have an advanced degree and you work in an academic setting or you work for a government agency. To get more information, I would recommend looking at botany job boards to see firsthand the botany jobs that are being advertised by employers. For example see botany jobs here and see more examples here. Another valuable step is to follow up with botanists in different industries to set up informational interviews. They might even let you watch them for a couple of hours on the job. This will give a you a great sense of what botanists actually do in different industries and will give you a better idea of where you would be happiest working.

In our state, you can check in the community college catalog to see what classes will be accepted by the state universities. Therefore, a student can determine exactly what will transfer and target classes for university credit only. One of our kids chose to start at the CC and the other two started at the university from which they graduated. None of mine changed their majors once they enrolled, but the youngest switched majors the day he was accepted to his first choice. I don't see the value of an AA degree for a student who plans to earn a BA or graduate degree. Just keep working for the bachelor's degree and don't get side tracked. AA degrees are helpful only for students who will not complete their bachelor's. It is easier to gain acceptance to a very selective university in this state as a junior transferring from a CC than as an incoming freshman. I think that is true everywhere. My kids developed interest in their college choices not only from tours of the campus but also from what their friends were also interested in checking out. They may have ended up at separate universities, but that interest was partially peer popularity. Check to see if the university has an online virtual tour of their school as part of your preliminary search. Some universities are located in areas with few opportunities for a student to get a job. In some of those situations, the university on-campus jobs for students are closely guarded and offered to students with registered financial needs first. If your student has high grades, athletic or musical talent, or outstanding SATs, some of the pricier private schools will offer great scholarships that will bring the cost down to the level of a state school. It is worth checking out. My DH and I did not attend a college in our state or even this area of the USA, so our fabulous state system was new to us. With our oldest, we visited in her junior year maybe 5 schools. With the next one, his major was so specialized/limited that he knew where the best schools were to apply. The last one visited campuses with friends and with high school groups. We encouraged our kids to stay within a few hours of home for the sake of their being able to just come home for the weekend when they wanted to. Two of them found weekends home quite restorative by their senior years in college when the communal living was beginning to wear thin. It was also cheaper by far to get them home for the holidays. The youngest attended graduate school and law school clear across the country, but it was our present to ourselves, as I explained it, to fly him home for holidays. He spent an entire day coming and another returning, which really ate into his study time at finals, but he made it work. Lastly, I cannot stress enough how important it is for the student to feel at home or to like the campus of his or her choice. This will be home to him or her for at least 4 years, and being happy with one's surroundings can make a potentially stressful situation a much more successful experience. These are fun and exciting times. Good luck....

I would have to get out his test reports to give all of his disabilities with the correct terms. He has fine motor skill problems which have make writing more difficult. His reading skills are much lower than normal although his comprehension is high. He has trouble with memory skills, organizational skills, attention span, you name it, he has it. He has been in what is called the "Discovery" program since 6th grade. It is run through the national institute for learning disabilities. He has had an individual learning program since 2nd grade. He has attended Discovery classes for 90 minutes, twice a week up until last year. We feel that he has been given the tools that he needs and know it is time for him to sharpen them and use them to his advantage. His discovery teacher once explained a 90 minute session for him akin to having him rum laps around the track for hours. It is physically exhausting. It is believed that the base of the brain is underdeveloped with dyslexic kids and so they focus on developing it through various mental exercises. One is called rhythmic writing which involves the student writing on a chalkboard similar shapes repeating the direction of the movements out loud. They also add verbal math problems and such. They force the students to use both sides of their brains during this exercise. It is actually quite common for dyslexic kids and kids with other learning disabilities to have higher than normal IQs. That adds to the frustration and behavioral problems because the kids have the answers in their heads but can't get them out on paper. Sometimes we test DS verbally because of his reading problems. It is quite a challenge and when this boy walks across the stage to receive his diploma I don't know that I will be able to contain myself.

Kim called me from Pittsburg tonight and we discussed the program a bit. She said she is not sure of the exact name of the program but as soon as she gets home she will bring the contract by for me to see. According to her, she can work for any company in the state, providing she is working in a field related to her degree. Like you, I mentioned that she might like to consider checking other companies to see what they could offer her, but she say's no way. While she was still attending school she had to primarily work out of the local lab here so she could be close to the school, but now that she has finished school the company has promoted her to a full lab & field service tech with a substantial pay raise. She says she much prefers to work in the field taking samples and working field analysis. On top of that she says the company she is working for has operations in all 50 states and since she is single, she is free to travel at will. She says that when she works in the field if she is more than 100 miles from home the company pays a generous mileage rate on her vehicle plus they provide nice motels and give her a daily per diem rate for expenses that is nearly equal to her salary. She says she will be in Pittsburg area for about two weeks, then she is off to Colorado and Wyoming for a couple months. OH yea, she says she got rid of that old beater pickup she was driving and now she has a Ford F-150 4x4 extended cab with all the bells and whistles, and she got that at a fleet price and financed through the company.