ARBORIST

In high school, courses should include mathematics and science. If you intend to open your own company one day, you should include business courses as well. Most training occurs on the job. Working with an arborist, landscaper, or tree-service company on your afternoons or summers off can provide useful experience. Reading about tree care can also give you a lot of useful pointers.

Arborists do not need education beyond high school. Some choose to increase their job prospects by taking voluntary certification courses offered by the International Society of Arboriculture and other organizations. Graduates of two-year or four-year urban forestry programs that include courses in soil science, botany, dendrology, and arboriculture, as well as lab work and practical experience, are often qualified to open their own tree-service businesses.