Diploma of Permaculture - Career paths?

[DJ-Studd]

Howdy all,
I'm looking at doing some further studies. I have a history in IT and graphic design, but ultimately 'permaculture' is where my heart lays.

What career paths would be available through completion of a diploma of permaculture?
Should I study marketing/graphic design or IT, I'd not have an issue gaining a level employment to guarantee a solid income, thus allowing for development of a permaculture property. But what career paths are available with a permaculture diploma?


/OUT.

[9anda1f]

Hey DJ ...
Have you read the "Money" thread by Geoff Lawton? http://forums.permaculture.org.au/sh...ighlight=money
Much information about international consulting to various governments and the apparent lack of qualified consultants.

I think that consulting as a business is one path to fame and glory. During my PDC, Geoff and Darren also talked about forming and heading up non-profit organizations, based on government grants, where the non-profit pays you a salary. Teaching and speaking engagements can also be lucrative, although honorariums will most likely be based on experience and accomplishments.

Are you outgoing, personable, and comfortable speaking about subjects you are familiar with? I think Permaculture as a career has huge possibilities ... especially in "job satisfaction"!

[Adam]

Personally I think permaculture education courses, including the diploma, are a bit of a pyramid scheme. As much as Geoff might try to say that there are people waiting in lines for qualified consultants, that really isn't the case in reality. There are plenty of qualified permaculture designers all around the world who are struggling to make ends meet and nearly all of them supplement their income with another job. And most of the people who actually make their living from permaculture make it from TEACHING permaculture, not from design work.

So don't quit your day job in graphic design or IT anytime soon. PDCs are a worthwhile investment, but beyond that I would use other means to become more experienced. Offer to do pro-bono designs for people locally, and get input to your design online from established designers in other areas. Or find someone locally who has tons of experience and does design work at least semi-regularly, but has a shitty website and poor graphic design skills, and maybe offer to join up together as partners, and possibly form a nonprofit as 9anda1f mentioned? The biggest thing you have going for you is your skills in graphic design and IT, as these are two wonderful skills that many people lack.

[Pakanohida]

Biologist, turned Artist, turned Video Game pro making bank, turned Permaculturist & finally I am awake.

screw other jobs, learn to truly live.

There are plenty of qualified permaculture designers all around the world who are struggling to make ends meet and nearly all of them supplement their income with another job.

Then IMO, they are doing something wrong with their Permaculture. They should be able to not only make a profit, but sustain themselves, if they can't then something is wrong. A property that contains Permaculture for the residence should be able to take care of nearly every need, all needs if completely anal about it. So this says more about some of the PDC teachers then it does about Permaculture as a whole.

For example, it is no shock to anyone here that I have no love or respect for other Permaculture sites, and I can make direct links to that "place" & comments that subvert Permaculture on a daily basis in order to drive people to the site & make a profit off of the work of people like Geoff Lawton, Sepp Holzer, Holgrem and so on. Example, according to that site, "Full Canopy" gardening is something done under some squash plants. I on the other hand am in the Bill Mollison / Geoff Lawton world and I believe "Full Canopy" gardening is something you do under the canopy of a forest by managing all 7+ layers of a forest properly.

I cannot see how anyone could call teaching Permaculture a pyramid scheme. In fact, I find it some what offensive as I have been learning around the clock & at no time does my teacher take the money I paid her and sends in money to PRI, Mollison, or anyone. People do indeed wish to learn Permaculture, people are getting backing by entire towns. Your own country gives bonuses to teachers who learn Permaculture during time off to re-teach parts of it in school & to help others!

There is a couple of Permaculturalists in Iowa, they are working with the mayor, police, and everyone working on an entire town level, places in the US are putting up FREE Food Forests in public parks, I am getting the help of Librarians, townsfolk, and more with what I am doing.

I just don't see the world you do Adam, and I do not wish to either.

[Adam]

Pak, you have inferred a lot about "the way I see the world" that is incorrect. I'm sorry to offend you, but that's just my honest opinion on the matter. I still love Permaculture as much as the next guy, but I am not afraid to have a critical approach to the things I love. I think teaching Permaculture is indeed very important, but you can't ignore the fact that there is a lot more money in teaching Permaculture than practicing it. That its problematic and is something I dearly hope will change as the rest of society shifts its priorities.

[Pakanohida]

Pak, you have inferred a lot about "the way I see the world" that is incorrect. I'm sorry to offend you, but that's just my honest opinion on the matter. I still love Permaculture as much as the next guy, but I am not afraid to have a critical approach to the things I love. I think teaching Permaculture is indeed very important, but you can't ignore the fact that there is a lot more money in teaching Permaculture than practicing it. That its problematic and is something I dearly hope will change as the rest of society shifts its priorities.

Why does it have to revolve around money making? Isn't doing the right thing more important?

There is an amazing amount of people in the world who do Permaculture, or something very close to it, as a non-profit.

Lastly, I do not see that teaching makes more money then growing food. Yes, courses are expensive & deservedly so, there is a ton of information to take in and learn. However, the reward of having a permaculture property (which raises the value of a home, and surrounding homes) far out weighs monetary gains that some people, and by extension non-pri forums are all about.



Have a Happy Earth day all.

[matto]

Howdy all,
I'm looking at doing some further studies. I have a history in IT and graphic design, but ultimately 'permaculture' is where my heart lays.

What career paths would be available through completion of a diploma of permaculture?
Should I study marketing/graphic design or IT, I'd not have an issue gaining a level employment to guarantee a solid income, thus allowing for development of a permaculture property. But what career paths are available with a permaculture diploma?


/OUT.

You have an interest in broadacre design, why not focus your studies on that. Sure, you could go down the diploma path that will garuntee good structured learning. I decided to just get out and learn from different people but I have no responsibilites to a mortgage or family.

After 2 and a half years of self directed study, im creating a business plan to take to the banks and apply for a low interest small business loan to buy myself a Keyline Plow and trailor. Your computer skills would allow you to create maps for regenerative farm plans, and the Keyline plow can be used for rapid development of soil at $110/Ha and also as a ground prep for tree establishment. You will need a mounder but they should go cheaper than a new plow.

There is plenty of good teachers out there but not enough sound workers. Do what excites you most and learn from the best teachers in that area. There is plenty of opportunity to work in permaculture and meet the financial bottom line. The hardest part, for me anyway, is to get my head around working for myself, being self motivated and not waiting for someone else to do the ground work. But there is plenty of good business advice around (Nick Huggins isn't too far from you) and enough potential customers whatever your chosen path my lead you.

Good things come to those who wait, or to those who are ready to go out and get shit done!

[matto]

I've been thinking about the teachers out there and how many of them rely on it for 100% of their income. Most teachers I know of are also designers, consultants, developers and supplement their income with sharing their knowledge they have aquired over years of applied permaculture.

Milkwood permaculture- teaching, event convening and Nick does some consultancy work
Robyn Francis - primarily teaching
Geoff Lawton - more than likely more design work than teaching
Darren Doherty - design, development, teaching
Cam Wilson - Land manager at Mulloon Creek, teaching
David Arnold - High density housing project, 1 or 2 part time PDC's, permaculture calender
Purple Pear - organic vegies
David Holmgren - writing, teaching, home tours
Dave Coleman - Intentional community
Gawler Food Forest - Organic produce, teaching, tours
Adam Grubb - Very Edible Gardens

There is probably more teachers doing other work, but I think that most are getting their bread and butter from work outside teaching. Not sure if it was a condition of the Tagari Institute or whether Darren just called for all teachers to be practising to keep up to date with new strategies, just like a lot of the trade teachers for accredited certificates and diploma's.
I think you just have to find you local niche market and go for it, re-design the phonebook as Rob Hopkins said. The potential is only limited by your imagination.

[Unmutual]

I can't speak for every where else on the planet, but the US(and I think England too) is undergoing a Renaissance of the Victory Garden thing. Locally grown food, back yard veggie gardens, even back yard chickens(where allowed) are all making a big comeback. While organic gardening isn't the entirety of permaculture, it is permacultures heart and soul. I think most people can understand the concept of organic gardening, it's the rest of permaculture that is a little far out for the masses. Sure, some people will accept permaculture in its entirety once they get to understand it, but people resist change, so you have to make the change slow.

Personally speaking, I'll be retiring from my gov't job in less than 10 years at the ripe old age of 49(I see no point in giving up my job at this point). Assuming random diseases don't get me, I plan on doing something in the line of permaculture as my retirement work, be it paid, free or somewhere between. They have at least one landscaping company in my area that uses permacultural designs for edible landscaping. There is one guy in the area that makes and installs hot water solar systems. The biggest issues where permaculture could really make a difference in my area is with the reduction of electricity used for cooling(heating is not so much an issue in the New Orleans area) and the storage of rain water on the property to reduce flooding.

While cooling costs are more a consumer responsibility, so a market might be high for that, increased rainwater storage would be viewed as a governmental issue and more problematic to get the homeowner to pay for or to implement. These two items could easily be designed together without the client even knowing about the rainwater storage. Add to that some food production and habitat, and you have a system that was designed for the client as a system of shading the house that can also be used to alleviate flooding, provide habitat for insects and other critters, and even provide some food from perennials.

The point I am trying to make is this: you have to find your own niche, then build on it.

[Pakanohida]

It's more then just personal income though.

Capture rainwater, and you don't pay the government for it, and it lowers your bills.

Grow your own food, you know its healthy, uncontaminated, and it lowers your bills.

Produce your own electrical needs, bills go down again.

Using Permaculture to heat / cool the home, again, bills went down more.

Suddenly you have a surplus of income because the bills just keep on dropping. So what exactly do you need money for besides to buy things you don't need; And that's the crux of it, profit for needs or is it a profit for wants?



Matto - Add Sepp Holzer to that list, I know he doesn't only teach as a matter of making money. He has one of the most impressive looking farms I have ever seen via video of anywhere on earth. He has crops for alcohol, raises fish for sale, raises other crops for sale, and has a kitchen garden in addition to all his other work, plus consulting and teach appearances. Currently he is coming to Detroit May 15th.