Photo: Kolforn (Kolforn) I'd appreciate if you could mail me (K (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Job description
The job covers a wide range of hands-on tasks, from mowing and edging lawns with power equipment to raking, mulching, planting, and pruning trees and shrubs with saws or shears, plus operating machinery like tractors, chainsaws, and snow blowers as seasons demand. Nearly all of it happens outdoors regardless of weather, on your feet, often near coworkers or the public, with regular exposure to noise and hazardous equipment that calls for standard protective gear. Dealing with frustrated property owners or passersby comes up from time to time, but most of the day is physical, varied outdoor work rather than desk work.
Pros
- Faster than average projected job growth (3.6% over the next decade)
- Large nationwide job base (158,200 positions)
- Active, outdoor work with hands-on variety rather than a desk job
Cons
- Limited upside on pay, with the top of the range under $57k
- Entirely outdoor work, exposed to whatever weather the day brings
- Regular exposure to hazardous power equipment and physically demanding labor
A typical day
The trailer is loaded at 6:45 — mowers fueled, trimmers strung, blowers checked — and the crew hits the first property while the grass is still cool. The route is choreography: one on the ride-on mower cutting clean stripes, one edging walks and beds, one trimming and blowing, a full property finished in forty minutes without anyone standing still. Mid-morning brings the skilled work customers notice: pruning shrubs to shape without shearing them lifeless, planting a fall color bed, adjusting a sprinkler zone that's been browning a corner. Lunch happens in the truck between properties. The afternoon's install job — twelve yards of mulch moved by wheelbarrow — is the workout, and the finished beds look like a magazine page. The season shapes everything: spring cleanups, summer rhythm, fall leaves, winter snow contracts. The strong finish the year outside and healthy.
Tasks at the job
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Rake, mulch, and compost leaves.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens primarily outdoors, exposed to whatever the weather is doing, and most of the day is spent on your feet, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift. Noise levels can be distracting or uncomfortable. The role involves regular exposure to hazardous equipment or conditions and contaminants, and standard protective equipment (gloves, safety glasses, and similar) is expected.
You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job.
Education necessary or common
High school diploma; some on-the-job training or apprenticeship
Licenses & certifications
- State pesticide applicator license — required for treatment work and a pay bump
- Certified irrigation technician (Irrigation Association)
- NALP Landscape Industry Certified credentials
- OSHA 10
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Horticulture or Agriculture — plants, soils, and turf science
- Biology — what makes things grow and what kills them
- Small Engine Repair or Shop — the crew's equipment stays alive in-house
- Business Math — many workers become owners; estimates and routes are math
- Environmental Science — water-wise and sustainable practices are the trend
Clubs, activities & competitions
- FFA — landscape and turf competitions and real skills
- 4-H plant science projects
- Start a neighborhood mowing route — the classic first business
- School campus beautification or garden club
- Sports field crew volunteering
First steps you can take now
- Start or join a mowing route this season — equipment can be borrowed and built up
- Learn to prune properly (one video on cuts and timing prevents years of butchery)
- Work a summer for an established landscaping company and study the business, not just the labor
- Visit a garden center weekly until you can name twenty common plants on sight
