On 28 Aug 2003 06:06:10 GMT, (Sed5555) opined:

In no way will they allow you to go through the program if you mention it's
to
help you with your career.

Not true in Denver. We welcome those in the green industry and benefit from
their knowledge. They have the option of paying for a certificate stating that
they have sucessfully completed MG training, but cannot call themselves MG's;
or they can complete the training (paying only for supplies) and do their
volunteer hours in return. They are then MG's but can use this title only when
volunteering and not in their business.
sed5555

Not so in Texas or New York, where I went through the program in both states.
What they want are terminal volunteers. People in the hort industry barely have
time to sleep, let alone to volunteer. Now, I'm primarily talking about nursery
workers or commercial growers. From late February till the end of July I ate,
slept and worked. That was my schedule. No time to volunteer anything.

I still contend that, for furthering job possibilities in horticulture, a
course or ten at a community college is superior to anything learned at the MG
programs, no matter how great they are. In Tom's Extension, they may have a
good one. At Cornell, where I went, they had a plausible one. In Texas, well,
PU. All of it was to do the work the agent didn't want to do.