Career advice - botanical gardens
I currently work at a botanical garden in the US with a strong reputation and historical plant collection. I thought this job would be a great way to finally get some proper training from an institution, but that hasn’t been the case.
My job title is horticulturist, but it has taken me an insane amount of time (almost a year) to do work beyond pruning and weeding. I’ve tried to expand my range of work in different ways, but I’m often not given the okay. The job description was far more robust than what I’m currently being utilized for.
I’d love to know if other horticulturists working in botanical gardens have had similar experiences, and if so how do you navigate it?
Have you had any experiences with gate keeping? Old boys club vibes? Lack of feedback/structure? I currently feel there’s no real structure to “move up” and I feel frustrated at not getting to take advantage of all the knowledge and expertise.
Would love any general advice on where to look for more training, I’d love to do more education/workshops and am curious how other horticulturists or folks in botany have approached this.
Any and all advice welcome!
Thanks
- a sad kid in the dirt