Basswood
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Long island
I definitely burned out at a similar age. I was doing mostly PHC and landscape construction by 29 (I’m 33 now). I ended up moving across the country for a year, did vineyard and farm management stuff before coming back home and returning to school. Then focusing more on arboriculture.
Before I had focused more on arb work I was doing PHC/construction at the same company for over 10 years. I hit a plateau there and they didn’t want to invest in my professional development. I wanted to buy out the contracting side of the company, but they were too stuck in their ways and didn’t want to move at the same pace as me. So I moved on. You’re still new to the industry, I think feeling a plateau at 5 years isn’t all that uncommon.
I think 3 things stood out that rejuvenated my love for this and making it my career choice. Education, diversity and honesty.
Education gave me the knowledge and confidence that enabled me to move forward. I got my current job through my school. It may seem like a big undertaking to go to school and work; both financially and time wise. But if you can find a small state school with a program I assure you it’s worth the effort and cost is not that bad. My program I completed in 2 years and worked while doing it. In the grand scheme of things that’s not much time and will make you more valuable=more $$$$ long term. I quickly appreciated the knowledge I had to perform my job better, more nuanced and enjoyed using that to communicate with clients.
Diversity keeps things fresh. I started off mostly PHC and construction. That gets boring and old quick. Now I’m climbing, PHC, consulting and support in sales. One day I’ll be making treatments, then on an airspade, then a pruning job and then doing an inventory or risk assessment. It’s a lot of hats to wear, and the consulting gig is new, but it keeps things very fresh and new. Some, maybe most, are happy just climbing or PHC but you kind of sound similar to myself. So you might appreciate at least adding one new skill to the mix. It will make you stand out in the industry and very valuable if you can branch out beyond just climbing. My recommendation is PHC as it will give you a deeper knowledge of the trees you work on.
And honesty with it is super important. Is this what you really want to do long term? Not every day is going to be a big job, or an interesting job. Most days aren’t, and the company you work for may be very limited. Do you see better opportunities for other companies? Do you want to be climbing still in 10, 20, 30 years? Some guys do it, love it and are happy climbing in their 50s and 60s. But you need to be realistic and create a plan whether you’re going to climb that long or look for an exit plan to save your body.
Good job on reaching out here. I have asked similar career type questions here and just interacting with other people here is a huge help in moving forward. It’s not always easy to have an outlet to discuss things like this with likeminded people out in everyday life. Treebuzz is an excellent meeting of minds in the arb world.
Before I had focused more on arb work I was doing PHC/construction at the same company for over 10 years. I hit a plateau there and they didn’t want to invest in my professional development. I wanted to buy out the contracting side of the company, but they were too stuck in their ways and didn’t want to move at the same pace as me. So I moved on. You’re still new to the industry, I think feeling a plateau at 5 years isn’t all that uncommon.
I think 3 things stood out that rejuvenated my love for this and making it my career choice. Education, diversity and honesty.
Education gave me the knowledge and confidence that enabled me to move forward. I got my current job through my school. It may seem like a big undertaking to go to school and work; both financially and time wise. But if you can find a small state school with a program I assure you it’s worth the effort and cost is not that bad. My program I completed in 2 years and worked while doing it. In the grand scheme of things that’s not much time and will make you more valuable=more $$$$ long term. I quickly appreciated the knowledge I had to perform my job better, more nuanced and enjoyed using that to communicate with clients.
Diversity keeps things fresh. I started off mostly PHC and construction. That gets boring and old quick. Now I’m climbing, PHC, consulting and support in sales. One day I’ll be making treatments, then on an airspade, then a pruning job and then doing an inventory or risk assessment. It’s a lot of hats to wear, and the consulting gig is new, but it keeps things very fresh and new. Some, maybe most, are happy just climbing or PHC but you kind of sound similar to myself. So you might appreciate at least adding one new skill to the mix. It will make you stand out in the industry and very valuable if you can branch out beyond just climbing. My recommendation is PHC as it will give you a deeper knowledge of the trees you work on.
And honesty with it is super important. Is this what you really want to do long term? Not every day is going to be a big job, or an interesting job. Most days aren’t, and the company you work for may be very limited. Do you see better opportunities for other companies? Do you want to be climbing still in 10, 20, 30 years? Some guys do it, love it and are happy climbing in their 50s and 60s. But you need to be realistic and create a plan whether you’re going to climb that long or look for an exit plan to save your body.
Good job on reaching out here. I have asked similar career type questions here and just interacting with other people here is a huge help in moving forward. It’s not always easy to have an outlet to discuss things like this with likeminded people out in everyday life. Treebuzz is an excellent meeting of minds in the arb world.
