Creating a family-friendly career in horticulture
By Daniel Fuller
Three months ago, my wife Kirstie and I had our first child, a beautiful baby boy named Jack. As any new parent will tell you, these early weeks are a profound mix of sleepless nights, heart-expanding love, and a complete redefinition of what “exhausted” truly means. Now, as I reflect on how becoming a father has reshaped my career outlook, I want to share some thoughts with my fellow horticulture industry folk.
For the first decade of my horticultural career, I was on the tools as a landscape maintenance crew leader. I would worry about my future and my ability to support a family, because the wages were quite low when compared with my friends working in construction, mining, and pretty much any other industry. The hands-on aspect of working with nature can be satisfying and even mentally healing, but it’s hard to imagine raising a family on a typical income, so Kirstie and I put off having children for a few years longer than we’d have liked.
I’ve since been lucky enough to build an unconventional role for myself that pays a bit better; as a horticultural consultant for the plant breeders Ozbreed. Most of my work now revolves around writing articles, delivering webinars, and helping the marketing team effectively communicate with the industry.
This work can be done remotely at home, and for that I’m incredibly grateful. Every lunch break, I get to hang out with Master Jack and give his mum a short break. My heart aches for all of the parents who need to leave their little cherub five days a week; these early weeks and months are precious because a baby will change so quickly and I don’t think it’s the first choice for most of us to miss these moments.
My career shift has been a game-changer for me, but as a 34-year-old man approaching middle-age, would I choose to wait if I were still working in maintenance, knowing that it means I’d need to be more frugal and wouldn’t get to spend as much time with my child?
No! I wouldn’t wait, unless I had a concrete plan to improve my financial position within a defined time frame. We all know parents who manage to make it work on a shoestring budget; it’s funny how the universe manages to provide when you put a bit of effort in.
For my industry friends and colleagues still working on the tools, their early parenthood experiences can look quite different to mine. The demands of being on-site don’t allow much flexibility for mid-day baby cuddles. If you’re lucky, one parent can pick up all of the slack, or you can use childcare, which a friend of mine working in finance does and he says it isn’t even that expensive when you account for governmental subsidies.
As a new parent, my world has simultaneously become much smaller and much larger. I don’t leave the house as much as I used to, and I take a bit longer to respond to texts from friends and family, but I now have a beautiful angel in my life that I would quite literally die for. Sure, he’s demanding but caring for him has become a joy rather than a burden.
It’s fair to say that parenthood has only sharpened my focus on where I want to go and how I want to get there. Once I’ve got a good sleep routine back, I’m thinking that I’d like to complete a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) and bring a new skill set to my consulting, as well as reaching out to more clients that need the help of a ‘horticultural expert’ (Ozbreed’s words, not mine).
But if the consulting work dries up and I need to get back on the tools one day, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this kid has shoes on his feet, food in his belly, and a smile on his face. What a relief that my life is no longer all about me!
Daniel Fuller
M: 042 6169 708
E: hello@plantsgrowhere.com
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