hi guys, I have a couple questions as a person who is currently in an entry level cannabis cultivator position looking to advance my knowledge on all things cannabis growing. I have seen many programs pop up on the internet that provide certifications for the courses they provide on cannabis. how much weight do certifications hold compared to something like a bachelors in horticulture? I am just looking to be steered in the right direction considering school is always an investment $$.
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I have a bach in hort. Been growing commercial for almost 20 years. The degree is good for people like The reps for the nutrient companies and such. Otherwise, For me its all been based on experience. Stay working and get as much experience as possible. Learn troubleshooting. Thats a huge one everywhere Ive worked. For some reason in this business I have met so many people that are supposed professionals and who have grown for years, yet they do not know what to do for the slightest problem. The point…Do Not be a Chart feeder. Learn to actually grow,trouble shooting is the key. In college I went to Oregon State for the horticulture degree. It was nothing what I thought. Nothing on hemp or mj. It was perennials and such. I had to memorize a bullshit book of flowers. Like 500 of them. The test they showed a pic and said whats this. No book to look at or anything. I thought that was rediculous . Anyway, I didn’t learn shit in college to be honest. I liked the seed tech and soil testing classes tho. Anyway,experience is where it is at. I have no knowledge of certificates from online classes and such. If you get the correct books, and get the rite experience I think you will do well. I have several college degrees and they have not helped me anywhere. Not even for a job. Im not saying school won’t help. Anything to make you look better on a resume is good. Just not going to teach you a lot on growing this herb.
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can you elaborate on trouble shooting? Ive been working for “said” company for about a year and 6 months now. Its not that there isnt more to learn there, its more so that I want to further educate myself in the art of growing. With that being said, I would want that education to have weight to it when I apply to different places moving forward. I dont want to be a chart feeder and thats why im in search for a great program educationally.
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Absolutely. Start educating yourself on the builds. Learning the environment, the electrical wiring, hvac, co2 and o2…this is all huge knowledge. Also get in depth with educating yourself about bugs, diseases, and nutrients. You need to know what signs to look for in your plant. Leaf colors or burns, It could be nutrient deficiency, could be bug spots,the list goes on. Get into seed technology too. I have been glued to this forum since I started chatting with other seed people. Learning how to cross genetics, proper seed starting…so so so much.
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Man i wanted to go to school for this also. But i have a career. I have my ASE mechanic cert. And emmisions cert. And my welding cert. But really i make a lot more wages in sales. I can do many trades and im certified in 4. And they didnt help me get jobs either. They help in my field of work because i can sell it, and install it if i have to. And i know how it works so i can explain it properly. But after 17 yrs i prefer sales 
i wish i could have done things different and done other things in life but. Hey im comfortable in this life for now. And it sounds like your serious about where your going so skys the limit. Id say if you feel it helps then yes do it. But i also think its nice to able to say i have a degree in it also so if you have time and money jump in and do it.
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The way I see it you are already in school and they’re paying you while you learn?
Everything they gonna teach in the school (that your gonna pay big money for ) is stuff I learned from Ed rosenthal in the back of high times magazines. And then more advanced learning on forums like OG and others.
It’s the digital age man all that information is at your finger tips.
unless they’re gonna pay you for that piece of paper I wouldn’t get any certification. just my 2 cents
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I recently got some verified certificates online from edx.com, Donex University they have cannabis cultivation to extraction. History and seed to sale programs. Very informative I highly recommend them. All three for $500
Cannabis Training University wasn’t as in depth about Cultivation like I’d hoped, but did learn and got a certificate