All very true. We are a two income family. I am working on my degree and will move on when I am done.
I don't know for sure because I don't work for Purdue, but the job that is being advertised is not "the campus arborist". It is an arborist position in the grounds department. There are plenty of people upline that are "paid for what they know". What this says to me is that Purdue has acknowledged the fact that their trees require special care that can not be expected from their regular grounds staff. Something which this University does not. They are not requiring certification, and it looks like they will be paying for this person to be certified and keeping up the cert. That to me is a big opportunity for someone trying to get a start in tree care. They would provide ALL necessary equipment to do the job, no having to replace your own ropes every year and keep up your own equipment. Sounds like they have access to a bucket truck. I have worked for a University for five years and one thing that I can gaurantee is that the "liability" word scares them to death. most big or difficult jobs are contracted out for this reason. This job probably amounts to alot of routine pruning, pesticide application,planting, tree evaluations, occasionally removing a hanger, etc.
When you consider the fact the rest of the grounds crew is probably making about ten an hour, this is probably considered a "good" job. This person can go to work, do what they enjoy, and go home at the end of the day stress free. There is something to be said for that in itself. No it isn't the right job for everybody, but it also isn't a bad job. I've been self employed. I used to make 60-80 an hour driving to jobs that were ten hour round trips to work for 15 minutes and go home. It was great for a while. I don't do that anymore, my choice. Taxes, expenses, time away from home, no medical, no retirement, no free time. Life is a series of choices that we make. Every thing we desire has weight. We put it all on the scale and try to find balance.
Benefits don't put food on the table or pay the bills, but money isn't everything to everyone. You do what you need to do. I'm sure there are tons of people that applied for this job that see it as an opportunity, not an insult. This is a good start on the experience need to become a city arborist, municipal arborist, and any number of other positions on the University's dime. You're not gonna leave a 60+k job for it, but if you're the guy out there bustin your hump ten hours a day for a landscape crew that could give a s#!t what you know about trees only to be laid off three months of the year, this could be a step up. They aren't looking for an expert, just something a little more specialized than a grounds worker.
Of course this is all my opinion and thoughts. I've run the ground department here for three years now and would love to have the ability to have dedicated tree care staff. Most of my guys are making $8-$10 an hour. I fight for them on nearly a daily basis. The general idea from the University is "if you want to make more money, then take advantage of the free education and move into administration." Labor is Labor and Administrators are paid for their knowledge and experience. It isn't right, but it also isn't likely to change. That is what the private sector is for.
