Qualification advice

That was quite an answer.

 

Thank you, even though it was probably sarcasm.

 

Sorry about the spelling, It is poor; I spell check on important documents; on here I didn't think it would matter.

Thank you too Loofah and Kyleleonard for defending me

I actually do have the job title of "Apprentice gardener" at my current job, but they are unwilling to pay for me to do any qualifications, partly because I have my level 3 certificate; but more likely because i'm over 19 and it will cost them money. I've asked on multiple occasions about herbicide spraying; RHS courses, not interested.

Anything I do will need to be funded by me, which makes it much more difficult.

I've been trying to get in with the National trust; but as yet nothing has come up in my area

 

I know what you mean; but I'm currently on £13,000 without a degree, It seems like so much debt and work for only £3,000 extra per year.

 

I completely agree, Horticulture is one of those careers that I considered to be more about passion and knowledge, than about a little piece of paper saying you passed a course.

My colleagues have all sorts of certificates; and several more years working experience than me; and honestly, some of them couldn't name 10 plants by botanical name; yet on paper, they look better than me and you. It's silly, they lose out on good people because of this qualification rubbish.

 

Scott, the most important piece of paper you need is your CV, don`t just write down your work experiences, add your hobbies, and what you`ve achieved with them, what your ambitions are, and how you hope to achieve them. A CV is your chance to SELL YOURSELF to prospective employers. Don`t worry about your spelling and NOBODY on here is trying to belittle you. We are here to help. fullstop.

 

A lad I know works for a landscaping firm. He has no qualifications at all.

Another lad I know was what can only be described as an antisocial, lazy, dropout thug when we were at school. He too has no qualifications as all. He has ran his own successful landscaping firm for about 10 years now.

A friend of the mother-in-law has an extensive gardening round (not quite head gardener of a large country estate but he makes a good living doing what he enjoys). He has a couple of O-levels (I'm not sure what they are, I think the 'O' stands for Old ).

That's not to say that qualifications are worthless. They are important. But they are just another tool in the box.

Its like when you dig your garden. If you could buy a good spade for £30 that does the job well, or for about £30,000 you could buy a slightly better spade with a more comfortable handle and a better quality of varnish on the shaft, and it was going to take you four or five years of hard work before you were even allowed your £30k spade, you'd never do it. Qualifications are the same. The £30 spade is like an HND or NVQ Level 4 Diploma. It shows you've put the effort in and that you're interested. The £30,000 spade is like a degree. It also shows that you're willing to put the effort and that you're interested, it just costs a hell of a lot more.

 

Reading how Fred Loads made his way up to be Head Gardener might be a revelation to some people these days.

And on the spelling front, I've seen a CV headed "Curriculum Vities" , probably due to be knocked out during the applicant's tea break

 

Kyle, why is it that when I see your avatar and read your posts, the name Progard springs to mind?

 

Haha!

 

Thank you for the CV advice, I'll make sure to do that

 

Scott, I`ll let you into a little secret, I have been gardening for 40 years. The only qualification I have is NVQ level 2, Which I got in 1992. You do the maths.

 

Just to add .... if you want to investigate it, the RHS do distance learning courses. Yes, you'd have to fund it yourself, but I've just done a very quick Google and, as an example, the RHS Level 3 Garden Planning, Construction and Planting is £395 and you do get a certificate at the end of it.

I agree with JWK, go for the qualifications whilst you're young, but whether it's a degree or anything else, make sure it's a qualification that's actually relevant and useful - not just 'a piece of paper'. Digressing for a moment, a relative of mine is an Illustrator (working on military vehicles and equipment for the MoD), conducting recent interviews, the degrees offered by some candidates ranged from Beach Management, through Social Anthropology to Zoology .... just what you need to be an MoD Illustrator!!

Even if 'you' (and I use the term loosely) are of the opinion that degrees are 'handed out like sweets' or that they don't make much difference, it is true, even in the current economic climate (and is particularly relevant to people just starting their careers), that degree holders do actually finish up earning considerably more over the term of their working lives than non-degree holders. Whatever anyone may think of them, if having one is the only way to get where you want to be then, sometimes, you just have to 'swallow your principles' and do the same.