Good plan. Make sure you keep detailed records of receipts, invoices, checks, etc (if not for tax purposes alone). It will make it significantly easier later on when you actually need to prove it in order to get your license. They are pretty big sticklers about these sort of things. A Bachelor's degree also helps, even if it's unrelated to arboriculture. If you have taken any business or mathematics courses it will help contribute to time/experience for the CSLB.
For now you might want to work as a climber for someone else and get w2's at the end of the year. It's a lot easier to prove for the CSLB and will give you more expertise working under the tutelage of a veteran arborist. It's way better than learning by trial and error!
Unfortunately however, due to the cost of worker's comp and tons of competition with illegals, climbers do not make very much compared to other parts of the country. $15 an hour is pretty good pay around Los Angeles (most climbers make less- or are illegally paid cash)- worker's comp is about 41% and payroll taxes are around an additional 10% so it makes it difficult to pay people well, especially when you are paying overtime if a day goes longer than 8 hours.
