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If you are trying to figure out what to do with your life from a professional stand-point, you are not alone. Choosing a career path is one of the most difficult decisions you will ever have to make. Friends and family often suggest careers that will support you well. Society tells you to do something you can be proud of. And of course, the old adage tells you to do what you love so you never have to “work” a day in your life. So how do you take all of that advice and turn it into something that promises to provide a meaningful career opportunity? The best advice is probably in the midst of all of that counsel but the first place to start in identifying your best career match is to look for clues around you about your lifestyle, interests, and passions.
Let’s explore some questions to help determine if a career as a landscape professional might be right for you!
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Landscape professionals are always busy! From entry level technicians to account managers and executives, there is a lot that fills each day in the green industry. Most professionals cite the importance of developing strong organizational skills for without them, they wouldn’t be successful. Whether its landscaping maintenance or designing for installation or interfacing with customers, this is an industry for people who like to actively use their hands and minds regularly.
Most landscape professionals point to their love of the outdoors as one of the strongest contributing factors for their decision to pursue a career in the industry. Most talk fondly about their love of being outside, enjoying outdoor pastimes like hunting and fishing, and the disdain they imagine of working in the confines of four walls every day. Now some industry professionals do make the office their turf. Employees who support the business side of a company – bookkeepers, marketing specialists, human resource managers and administrative personnel – support the industry from the inside.
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Landscape professionals are, by nature, problem solvers. Technicians assess plants and identify solutions for to ensure their good health. Landscape architects and designers work with customers to solve site trouble spots. Project managers, crew leaders and account managers routinely deal with unexpected situations and navigate successful outcomes. Of course, company executives and business owners use initiative to try and prevent challenges but no matter how much proactive work is done, it is not unusual to have fires that need to be put out. Personal initiative and resourcefulness are highly desired in this industry.
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While many people think the industry is all about plants, that’s only half true – the other part is about people. Personal relationships are important in this business. From working as part of a team toward project implementation to interacting with customers to best understand their needs to managing relationships with business partners, people skills are one of the most important ingredients to business success.
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Landscape professionals make a difference in people’s lives every day. They make an impact on people – creating and maintaining beautiful landscapes that allow for appreciation, reflection, and stress-reduction. Their work also benefits the environment by providing oxygen, cleaning the air, and protecting water sources. This is a good industry for people who want to make a positive impact on the world around them.
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Eichenlaub Inc. is a full service, design-build landscape construction & maintenance firm that has been providing award winning service to residences and businesses in the greater Pittsburgh area for over 4 0 years. All made possible by our incredible team.
We provide an environment where the employee can grow and benefit from working with our company. For those who decide to take the initiative to go above and beyond their basic duties; they will expand their knowledge and skills of the industry and be rewarded for doing so.