Need some Advice

[Mike Wallace]

For the past 5 years I have been working full time in an office as an IT manager. For the past year or so it has really started to wear on me. Being indoors, sitting at a desk, having very little job satisfaction is not what I want to spend my life doing. With that said, I have always had a passion for Arboriculture and landscaping in general. My plan is look for some weekend tree work, starting with some easier jobs to get some experience and see how much i like it. While doing this I will study and prep for the Arborist Exam. After that? yet to be determined. Any advice on my situation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[GLOBOTREE]

For the past 5 years I have been working full time in an office as an IT manager. For the past year or so it has really started to wear on me. Being indoors, sitting at a desk, having very little job satisfaction is not what I want to spend my life doing. With that said, I have always had a passion for Arboriculture and landscaping in general. My plan is look for some weekend tree work, starting with some easier jobs to get some experience and see how much i like it. While doing this I will study and prep for the Arborist Exam. After that? yet to be determined. Any advice on my situation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

maybe some hedge work, planting is always interesting!low overhead and requires knowledge of native species and soil conditions... spotting deadwood in mature Trees is usually an indication of a problem and something that can be addressed without harming the plant.

 

[rarefish383]

Ask some of the younger guys, things have changed a lot since I retired, but you couldn't just walk up and take the MD Tree Expert exam. I would think other states would be similar. You used to have to have a 4 year degree or 8 years in the industry to qualify to take the test. ISA certification is/was not the same as licensed, and if you were certified it didn't mean you could practice without the license. In Md you had to be insured to get your license. It's a great living, but very dangerous, small slip ups can be fatal. My cousins husband was an ex office worker that had had it with the stress. He worked for my uncle untill he could take the test, and never looked back. Good luck, Joe.

 

[lego1970]

Just a thought,

When I'm driving trucks full time and don't have any tree work lined up on the weekends, I sometimes volunteer for city, state, or federally run parks and conservation areas so I don't get to rusty doing tree work, even if it's all groundwork. You'd be amazed on how much you can learn from the old ladies doing garden work, or how knowledgefull some of the old guys are in regards to chainsaws, trees, lumber, and woodworking. You have to be a little careful about that because sometimes the wisemen, are behind the times with today's practices, but otherwise you can learn a lot from them. Once in awhile some of the other volunteers will be other tree climbers, loggers, foresters, or arborist so it's good networking as well. Most of them require basic personal protection equipment, and some type of certificate or proof of training if your going to be operating a chainsaw, but some will train you the basics and give you a little certificate. Others only use cross cutting saws and again you will get a little certificate after doing that. None of those little certificates will mean your qualified to take down a a large Oak overhanging a house, but will help make you
look a little better on a resume and may mean starting out a buck or two higher then somebody completely green. When your doing tree work full time, your normaly so beat by Friday that you won't want to even look at trees, but in your situation volunteering might be a way to get your feet wet before you give up your IT job.

Also, whether you go into nursery, landscaping, or full blown tree work, I can't emphazise enough on how important a CDL is.

 

[beowulf343]

Hey mike, i wish you success in your endeavor. However, like it has been noted above, you won't be able to just walk up and take most "arborist exams." I'd also like to note that when you have to do something for a living, you can lose your passion for it. Don't get me wrong, i love climbing trees, but when there's a couple feet of snow on the ground and is below ten degrees, it's easy to wish i had a job more like yours. Make sure you've been at the job long enough that the rose colored glasses have come off before you decide to make a career out of it. I've seen a lot of guys lose their "passion" when the mud or the snow gets deep, or it gets hot, or cold, or wet, etc.

 

[lxt]

Hey mike, i wish you success in your endeavor. However, like it has been noted above, you won't be able to just walk up and take most "arborist exams." I'd also like to note that when you have to do something for a living, you can lose your passion for it. Don't get me wrong, i love climbing trees, but when there's a couple feet of snow on the ground and is below ten degrees, it's easy to wish i had a job more like yours. Make sure you've been at the job long enough that the rose colored glasses have come off before you decide to make a career out of it. I've seen a lot of guys lose their "passion" when the mud or the snow gets deep, or it gets hot, or cold, or wet, etc.

very well said!! i would think an IT position could be enhanced with other duties, I mean you went to college?? right? Now.......you want to work outside & think Arboriculture would be fulfilling??

Tree work can become a repetitive "im sick of this" type of job too!! once you make a job of this & its not a hobby, recreation or sideline......you might find that IT position is not all that bad!! best of luck to ya....ohh btw: when you`re young this job is challenging & chest thumpin fun...............when you`re 50 this job has you needing a good joint cream, sleep & wondering why you`re still doing this?? atleast as I was told by an oldtimer!!!



LXT................

 

[old dude]

the simple things

Mike--
My first tree job I took an axe up a tree, stood on a limb and started to flail away. Homeowner fired me on the spot. then I signed on with a major tree co. and began to learn. Looking back--what I learned was the most valuable things to learn was how to use the simple things correctly to master the enterprise. Basic rope and knot skills, proper saddle and speed saw selection and use, climbing spurs and lanyard utilization as well as more recent (simple) tools that make the job soooo much easier and safer such as micro pulleys, rope placement devices such as the Sidekick or the Stein Outreach, slings and carabiners for establishing secondary lowering crotches---to say nothing about the joys of proper throw ball and slickline use. May sound like a lot but believe me---it's the little things like these that really make my day; and I climbed 32 yrs.

 

[GLOBOTREE]

Mike--
My first tree job I took an axe up a tree, stood on a limb and started to flail away. Homeowner fired me on the spot. then I signed on with a major tree co. and began to learn. Looking back--what I learned was the most valuable things to learn was how to use the simple things correctly to master the enterprise. Basic rope and knot skills, proper saddle and speed saw selection and use, climbing spurs and lanyard utilization as well as more recent (simple) tools that make the job soooo much easier and safer such as micro pulleys, rope placement devices such as the Sidekick or the Stein Outreach, slings and carabiners for establishing secondary lowering crotches---to say nothing about the joys of proper throw ball and slickline use. May sound like a lot but believe me---it's the little things like these that really make my day; and I climbed 32 yrs.

beauty!

 

[CRThomas]

info

To be in the wood business you have to be full time to make a comfortable live as you look in to the venture look at the by the season people they make enough for the next case of beer. As I sell firewood my customers know when they need what I do that I am there. Do not get bigger than what you can handle. A fellow where I live does the same thing I do and it got slow he is scrapping now to make payroll and equipment payments. I am busy because I am small and I own all my equipment out right. I have one retired part time help and I pay him cash. We are both old so we wear out about the same time. I work with a tree remover he cuts them down and cuts them into 16 inch pieces and I clean up the mess for the wood he saves money and I get free wood. I haven't started a chain saw in months only to make sure they still run. The tree cutter I work for has got nerves of steel. I show up early some times and watch him do his thing. As my friend say he needs to be checked out by a doctor. No way I would do that. So stay in your bounderey. I hope you very good luck in your journey in to the business world.

Old saying
When the house gets bigger than the barn the farm will fail.

 

[wingshot]

Mike--
My first tree job I took an axe up a tree, stood on a limb and started to flail away. Homeowner fired me on the spot. then I signed on with a major tree co. and began to learn. Looking back--what I learned was the most valuable things to learn was how to use the simple things correctly to master the enterprise. Basic rope and knot skills, proper saddle and speed saw selection and use, climbing spurs and lanyard utilization as well as more recent (simple) tools that make the job soooo much easier and safer such as micro pulleys, rope placement devices such as the Sidekick or the Stein Outreach, slings and carabiners for establishing secondary lowering crotches---to say nothing about the joys of proper throw ball and slickline use. May sound like a lot but believe me---it's the little things like these that really make my day; and I climbed 32 yrs.

This sounds like a guy I know..recent bike/deer accident, by chance? I'm a long time lurker here...first time poster.