Become a landscaper

You love the great outdoors, love getting your hands dirty, and just happen to have a green thumb to boot, so naturally your thoughts turn to finding a job in landscaping.

Not everyone recognizes what they ought to be doing in life, and even fewer get the chance to pursue it when they do. If you really believe landscaping is your future, then you owe it to yourself to find out for sure.

Before you make the commitment to enroll in landscaping school, it may best to try a landscaping job first to see how it fits. Landscaping can be a very physical job, with long hours spent outdoors. You'll sweat it out in the summer, and live a little lean if your region has significant winters.

You'll also have to learn how to get along with many types of personalities, not just on the landscaping crew, but potential landscape clients as well. You'll need to master the art of self control in order to present a professional impression, and be able to apply yourself in order to follow through on your landscaping commitments in a timely manner. Some of your landscaping clients may be difficult to impossible to please, but you'll need to keep your frustration under your hat, and keep working to carry out the best possible landscape plan for their needs.

If you think you still want to try a career in landscaping after considering all this, then it's time to start looking for a landscape job. Now, how do you go about it?

Your first option may be the cold call. This involves opening your phone book, turning to the landscape section and systematically calling each landscape company to find out who's hiring and who's not. You're probably going to find that most landscape companies hire their crews primarily in the early spring, and begin laying excess workers off during the fall, so it's best to begin your search for a landscape job as soon as the first breath of spring comes along.

If you're not as concerned with locating every possible landscape, then perhaps the want ads are a better place to begin your search for landscape employment. You'll save time that might be wasted with the cold call method.

Go ahead and either call the landscape companies or go see them in person if that is what their want ad directs you to do. Realize though, that if you are applying for your landscape job in person, you're going to want to make a good first impression. Here's a few tips.

Show up for your landscape job interview clean. This means a clean person as well as clean clothing. A decent pair of landscaping work boots will give the impression that you are prepared to start landscaping immediately. Avoid that favorite heavy metal T-shirt, or top with the offensive slogan. No landscape company wants to hire an individual who may cause controversy with their landscape clients.

Be well spoken and be sure to let your enthusiasm for landscaping shine through, and chances are you'll find yourself well on your way to your first job in landscaping. If you find that landscaping is truly your passion, you may even want to consider investing in the education to become a qualified landscape designer, or landscape architect.

Who knows, perhaps one day you'll have your own landscape firm?