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Landscapers


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Employment Prospects

Employers

There are more than 1.3 million grounds maintenance workers in the United States. Landscapers are employed by golf courses, lawn-service companies, greenhouses, nurseries, botanical gardens, public parks, as well as malls, hotels, and motels . Many people in this field start their own businesses.

Starting Out

Summer or part-time jobs in landscaping companies often lead to full-time employment with the same employer. Those who enroll in a college or other training programs can receive help in finding work from the school's career services office. In addition, directly applying to botanical gardens, nurseries, or golf courses is common practice. Jobs may also be listed on employment Web sites and in newspaper want ads. Most landscaping and related companies provide on-the-job training for entry-level personnel.

Advancement Prospects

In general, landscapers can expect to advance as they gain experience and additional educational training. For example, a greenskeeper with a high school diploma usually must have at least some college training to become a greens superintendent. It is also possible to go into a related field, such as selling equipment used in maintaining lawns and other natural areas.

In some instances, skilled landscapers with years of experience may start their own consulting or contracting business.

Tips for Entry

Visit the following Web sites for job listings: https://sma.mcjobboard.net/jobs and https://careers.gcsaa.org.

Talk to landscapers about their careers and ask them about how they got started in their work.

Find home-study programs and other resources on the tree care industry on the Tree Care Industry Association's Web site, http://www.tcia.org.

Read the Tree Care Industry Magazine (https://tcimag.tcia.org/category/current-issue) to learn more about the field.