"Baz Quirk" wrote in message
om...
Rotax100uk wrote in message
ws.com...
I'm currently working in an office and the only thing that keeps me
going (maybe a little dramatic!) is the dream that one day I'll be in
a position to start my own gardening business.

I've enrolled on a City and Guilds course in garden design and
construction at a local college mainly to improve my knowledge but
also with the assumption that formal qualifications will - in my dream
- help to pull in the business. Am I wasting my time?

No, you are not wasting your time. The formal qualifications will be
immeasurably valuable to you. You will come to realise that in quite a short
time.
But.
You may find their value to be largely a more personal award.,, i.e a source
of considerable, and I do mean considerable personal satisfaction, albeit
that it wont pay the rent.
I think it was Rod who mentioned the problem that gardening rates of pay are
low because it seems to be taken that anyone can do the job. (according to
an RHS article some months back, a qualified gardener's pay = £15000 / year,
whilst a trainee gardener... £8k)
This is what you have to compete against and added to that, there are those
who do not want to know about your qualifications because it soothes their
conscience to pay less on the strength of an assumption on your lack of
qualifications.
Personally, I'd suggest to anyone to continue with the educational process,
adopt gardening as a hobby, but keep the day job, which will also have much
more kudos (no matter what it is if it's "working in an office").
The interesting thing about that 'anyone can do it' concept is how it gets
exposed as a falsehood so very often.
E.g. Mr S. resents paying pretty much anything for his gardeners labours,
but does so because he sees himself as cash rich, time poor. Anyone with
half a brain cell could do gardening, he thinks and says. In his mind, which
by contrast he sees as superior, he merits his success and really, he should
have gardeners provided by the council for free as well.
But then one day, when he does have time, he is called upon to assist an
elderly relative/neighbour with a bit of gardening because the OAP can't
afford a gardener. He refuses with profuse apologies. He would love to help,
but, oh the regret, alas, he doesn't know anything about gardening and
wouldn't even know where to begin.
(-;

Patrick