Bit of advice please! (career related)

[Ouya Mellsa]

Hi Chris.

It was me who posted about my RHS success. The course has recently changed which gives you 2 certificates instead of one, or you can just choose the route that interests you more.

My background: I'm 29 and had endless dead end jobs. I'm self-employed at the moment working on behalf of an 'odd' company. If I was to tell you how much I earn a week.....you'd say I was mad. And I must be. But, I'm not living like it any longer.

I have been offered a place at a HE college to study hort at HND level, with the opportunity to do a top-up year to get a full BSc. I'm going for it- especially since the fees are rising next year. My hope is that I'll develop extensive knowledge and find relevant employment at the end. If not, I know I'll have spent 2 years alongside like-minded plant-a-holics and gained enough knowledge to (at the very least) set up my own gardening business or, ideally, meet a fellow student and set up a nursery (which is my dream).

So, it is possible to change a career and change your life. I severely lack confidence and have had many other problems in the past decade which have prevented me from doing this course years back. It is just a case of taking a calculated risk.

Good luck. And if you need any tips or advice on the RHS stuff.....PM me.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I was a contracts manager for a national company working on contracts with a value of any where between 2 to 5 million, company car, credit card the whole works and it was great till I hit 40. I then went into a partnership for 5 years which failed and I lost most of my money.

Before promotion I was trade trained so went into my shed, cleaned of my tools and set up for myself. Best decision I ever made I now have a client base of nice people both private and commercial. I say nice people because if you are an aggravating bu--er I put my tools in the box and walk away, if we have mutual respect I will bend over backwards to help.

I can only really offer one piece of solid advice discuss anything and everything with your lady when making life changing decision's you both need to agree.

Apart from that go for it or you will spend the rest of your life wondering if only.

Good luck Colin

[Two_Sheds]

I don't know what sort of gardening you want to do Chris, but the big money is in design, not in planting & tidying.

If you're happy to do planting & tidying, mowing etc, an old boy up my site gets £8 an hour: I do it for the school for free.
Would you be able to tout yourself about at weekends & evenings, to start building up your business and to decide if it's really worth giving up your salary for

[Ouya Mellsa]

Designing is where the dosh is but it is so hard to get established in that market, IMO.

[chris]

I have toyed with the idea of design, I don't know - maybe in with landscaping or something. Hell, right now I'd mow grass verges

[Bramble_killer]

Go for it, you sound like you've already left the place!! Just make sure the wife understands and supports your decision.

[Glutton4...]

PM on it's way.

[buzzingtalk]

£8 an hour!! That's a significant pay rise for me, for a job I'd enjoy twice as much and it would be half the work (believe me!)

How can you get on to these sort of jobs? I would cut grass and weed all day for £8 an hour!

[endymion]

If you're happy to do planting & tidying, mowing etc, an old boy up my site gets £8 an hour:

Wow! Round here the going rate is upwards of £15/hour, probably because there are quite a few retired people and gardeners are in great demand.

[Two_Sheds]

How can you get on to these sort of jobs? I would cut grass and weed all day for £8 an hour!

You just make some flyers and put them through the letterboxes of houses with tatty gardens.

[smallblueplanet]

I see Jekka's Herbs has some vacancies!

Welcome to Jekka's Herb Farm | Recruitment

[chris]

Sounds great, shame it's not more local heh.. Just looking into signing up for the courses now!

[Ouya Mellsa]

Going rate is around £10 per hour here, but remember to factor in petrol and other costs......

[Potstubsdustbins]

No one can be self employed make a decent living, carry all the expense's involved and charge £10 per hour, just can't be done.

By the time you factor in transport costs, tooling, phone, insurance etc, you would be left with less than the minimum wage.

Colin

[buzzingtalk]

What about if you take it from the point of view that you would have a phone anyway, as well as tools (for your own garden - obviously you'd need to add to it) and a car? Only costs I can think of are petrol, any work insurance you need and extra tools when needed. either way if I was going to go self employed (would love to, but need some experience first) I'd need to buy a car first.