Job Search: Landscaper

The job I researched was a landscaper, which is someone who arranges features of the landscape attractively.  A landscaper maintains the ground by planting trees and bushes.  They fertilize plants and mow the lawn as well.  A landscaper works outside at people's homes or at business areas.  Since they work outside they never know what the weather is going to be like and the conditions can get kind of bad.  A landscaper's work can be very difficult and requires a lot of heavy lifting and bending multiple times a day.

There are no formal education requirements for most positions in the landscaping field, and most of them are just trained in on the job.  A landscaper that works in residential areas normally goes through a quick training session where they learn the basics before performing a task.  Other places of work require additional skills and knowledge before being put on the job.

If a landscaper decides to use pesticides they usually have to have a license and to become licensed you are required to complete an exam that explains how to safely use and dispose of insecticides.  This training can be done through a class or done on the job.

A landscaper should be physically fit and able to move around for long periods of time due to the conditions of their job. Currently, on average, a landscapers makes around $30,000.  The are about 1,200,000 landscapers in the United States and the amount of job openings a year is a little over 35,000.  A landscaping job is not excepted to see a lot of growth within the next 10 years.

I would personally not mind being a landscaper because I like the outdoors a lot and I also like designing yard projects. It wouldn't be my first choice for a job though because you have to work long hours and you get very tired.