College Degrees?

[KrayzKajun]

This may be a stupid question and i dont mean to insult anybody.

Do any of you guys have college degrees that help you in this buisness? I have an associates degree in buisness, i was wondering if maybe a degree in some sort of horticulture would help ?

[BSDeality]

I have a AD in Turfgrass Management. I took a bunch of horticulture classes to earn my degree too. Selling college based education is very helpful in distancing myself from other "as we go" educated landscapers. There is nothing wrong with it, but I like selling my education on top of my experience.

[PaperCutter]

No degree, but lots of classes. At least in design, I've found that the portfolio is what sells you, not a resume.

[YardPro]

i have a BS in biology and a minor in physics...

i get more help from in in the fact that my customers know i am college educated, and the experience gave me the tools to figure out solutions to problems that may arise....

I wish i had more business classes.

[salandscape]

I have a degree in businees communications minor in Business Admin. Helps me everyday in dealing with customers and running the day to day. Also have taken lots of addtional classes and never never stop reading. Customers I feel respond to education and in my expereince take you more seriously (also depends on the customer!), not to say that someone who didn't go to college can't run a profitable business. Education also doesn't mean that I talk down to people, helps me talk with confidence

[Husky05]

I have a bachlor degree in Landscape Contracting from Penn State University. Do you need a degree for lawn and landscaping....Hell no? But does it help? Definitely. I have that posted on everything I own. Its on my business cards, trucks, trailers, even my bobcat. Some people are very impressed with it, other people could care less, but when it comes down to jobs where I can go in and talk to people face to face it definitely helps. When a customer and I start talking, I feel that I am qualified for the job because I do know alot landscaping, plantings, enviroment, and species. Like I said it really impresses some people.

My major by the way worked in landscape design and installs. We would have these scenerios where we would go to a local house in State College PA, and talk to the homeowners and see what they would like, and basically design them a new landscape from scratch. I had to learn all kinds of plant names, from annuals, perenniels, ornmental shrubs and trees, not to much large areas of turfgass. I also had to study alot of plant disese and insects.

It was alot of learning, you definitely do not need a degree to run a successful landscaping business, but it helps. I love when people ask me what I have a degree in and I tell them Landscape Contracting, they look at me like Iam a moron, so your a professional grass cutter? Ya think what you want.

[BeautifulBlooms]

BS in Horticulture. Having plant knowledge can really help grow the business to provide other servcies. However since I went from school to the golf course and rarely looked at anything but grass I lost a lot of that important knowledge especially in techniques. However 1 season off the golf course back intot he landscape things came back to me.

[BQLC]

I paln on taking a Landscape managent class just to increase my knowledge. education is always good

[Allure]

I will be taking lots of classes at Rutgers over the next few months. Mostly related to design & bus. mgmt.

[rodfather]

Two BS of Science and a MBA

[goldenone]

Education is the Key to everything.
Experance is everything.

It just takes both to run a successfull business.

[SimonCX]

Two degree's, one in computer science and one in math and going back to get a Horticulture degree. I love it when a customer thinks he's so smart, they shut up pretty quick when they find out I have more education then they have but are doing landscaping because I like doing it. Having more education never hurts, more options in my opinion.

[Mowman99]

I have a degree in Electrical Engineering. My degree and years of experience helps my business by just knowing how to conduct myself in a professional way. It also helps with bidding using numbers and the computer to come up with the estimate. I have had a number of people tell me that my proposal's look professional. I have seen some large companies proposal's in our area that looked awful. I wonder how they ever get anything. It also helps in landscaping lighting.

[Runner]

I have an Associate degree in Criminal justice. I use bits and pieces, and most of which was what is known as "sub sequential learning".:)

[AlleganyLawnCare]

I have a degree in nursing and with 20 years as combat medic. Relationship to this field absolutely zelch. But hey it helps when I cut myself on a blade or inhale too much burning oil. lol

[Josh.S]

I plan to go for a Bachelors in Business Adminstration, even though I plan to be self employed I still feel this would work better for me than the Associate's degree. Although right now I am still uncertain about what to do.