Slvrmple72
Addicted to ArboristSite
Okay, so here I am with ten years of slinging plastic in a warehouse and they close down the op. and move it to Pa. ( lovely state, asked my wife to marry me at McConnel's Mill state park) I have done all kinds of side jobs all my life to make ends meet and now I have an opportunity to do something I really enjoy. I want to do tree work as a fulltime venture and become a certified arborist. I am no stranger to tree work. Starting out like a lot of reckless homeowners do I bought an extension ladder and a chainsaw when we moved into our house with a lot of neglected maples in the back. Wife's uncle came over with his Poulan and 50' of 2" dia. rope. Tied a short piece of 2x 4 to it , threw it into the crotch, and up I went. He cut up the stuff as quick as I could drop it. ( At least I did collar cuts )
Years pass, experience gained, knowledge absorbed, and here I am looking for work. I have read the books, watched the dvds, bought the gear, and practiced practiced practiced. I will not lie to you and tell you I have not done work for friends and family. It seems that the more stuff you know how to do the more work finds you! All this being said, I have to get more experience and to do that I have to start all over. I want to work for a local tree company in my area but I need help in determining the good legit ones from the not so legit ones. What are good guidelines, fair wages, will they help me to learn more and gain more experience, will everything I have done on my own count for nothing or will it be considered a reasonable benchmark of my skills thus far? I know that I will be starting at step one with whomever hires me but after my first interview today I want to be able to ask the right questions and not wind up as a statistic because I chose to work for the wrong company. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Years pass, experience gained, knowledge absorbed, and here I am looking for work. I have read the books, watched the dvds, bought the gear, and practiced practiced practiced. I will not lie to you and tell you I have not done work for friends and family. It seems that the more stuff you know how to do the more work finds you! All this being said, I have to get more experience and to do that I have to start all over. I want to work for a local tree company in my area but I need help in determining the good legit ones from the not so legit ones. What are good guidelines, fair wages, will they help me to learn more and gain more experience, will everything I have done on my own count for nothing or will it be considered a reasonable benchmark of my skills thus far? I know that I will be starting at step one with whomever hires me but after my first interview today I want to be able to ask the right questions and not wind up as a statistic because I chose to work for the wrong company. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
