26/02/2025
What's it like being an arborist? I (Jared's other half) thought this would be fun to share.
A 6th grader from a local school reached out to our business email, and Jared spent most of his evening last night responding to the kid for his project. Jared is an excellent mentor and I'm so proud to be with a man who takes the time to respond to a curious student with such in depth details. It really speaks to his character.
🌳🌳🌳
Why did you choose this career?
I grew up in the SanJuan mountains of Colorado and went skiing, camping, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and everything to do with the outdoors. I enjoy nature and math and science were always my best subjects. The first time I watched a true arborist climb a tree I was beside myself! I couldn’t wait to get up there and couldn’t believe it was work and we were going to get paid to do it! I had already had some landscaping experience but everything I had done seemed more like real hard work. I didn’t know at the time but there’s endless things to learn and it’s a perfect all around workout. Mentally as well as physically. We work hard physically which is great because I stay in shape and never have to go to a gym. Probably more importantly is it is a mental workout as well. There is a lot of biology, psychology, geometry, algebra, and much much more involved. That makes for a career that never gets boring and is always challenging. Every situation is different and even though a lot of the processes are the same, it’s always a different situation and unique task to accomplish properly and safely. We remove large amounts of weight over homes, power lines, valuable landscaping, and many other obstacles with sometimes only ropes. Other times we get to use large equipment like cranes, bucket trucks and chippers. It can be very challenging and even scary at times but it is most always very exciting and you get a great feeling of accomplishment when everything goes right. And it better always go right because the consequences can be very extreme, even life or death.
What is a typical day like in your career?
I wear many hats as the owner of my company and my days very from day to day depending on which shoes I need to fill for that day. Really there are three main types of days to try to simplify this answer. 1- Giving estimates and dealing with administrative duties. These days can be really fun because I get to spend time in people’s yards telling them about their trees and what they need. There are some days that aren’t enjoyable like when I have to assess damage from a tree on a house and get it removed in a storm so we can stop the rain from coming into their home. Also a downside can be the paperwork. Nobody likes to do paperwork! 😎 2- Doing the work. This is really the reason we do this because we get to climb around in trees and remove dead and hazardous branches, dead trees, and improve the overall health of the trees and plants. I literally get paid to climb trees! It can get very tiring and can be very hard work sometimes but it is really enjoyable and worth it. 3- Working on equipment. All tools and equipment need maintenance and sometimes things break down and need to be fixed. Every so often we need to take a day or two and go through all of the equipment and make sure everything is in working order. I don’t usually mind this too much because it gives us a break from the physical work and really helps to stay organized. Tools and equipment are expensive and should be cared for and kept in good working order. After long hard days of work the tools can just get thrown back onto the truck so to say, so weekly maintenance helps us to keep everything in order. Also a tool that is not functioning properly can be one of the most dangerous things out there.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of a typical day?
Well I kind of touched on a few of each in my previous answer, but my favorite part of the day is when I get paid and go home and eat a big steak! Lol! No, just kidding, well kind of… 🤣 Really though, one of my most favorite things is to see a plan for a really difficult situation work out. We do some really cool things and it is always still amazing no matter how many times you see it or do it. It is always a very satisfying feeling when the clients are so amazed and happy with our work and thank us for the work we did and to hear how pleased they are and how much better their property looks! What we do is a highly skilled trade and is one of the top 5 most dangerous in the country, therefore it can be very lucrative. It is very enjoyable to make good money while helping people and being able to provide for my family. Downsides can be things like, when something breaks down and ruins the whole day and we have to deal with it. Or when you run into bees or wasps or hornets that you didn’t see!! Oh and ants! Ants will crawl all over you and you don’t really feel them, and then when they are all over you, they release a pheromone that tells them all to bite at once! Ouch!
What is the most satisfying thing about your job?
Well there are many things but what comes to mind first is that I have devoted my life to my career and have studied very hard and I really care about what I do. It is very satisfying to be able to share my knowledge with people and when I am able to explain things to people about their trees. People are always amazed at how much I know about trees and are very thankful when I can explain or solve problems they may be having or things they may need. It is very satisfying when I know the answer and it makes me very proud that I have studied and worked so hard to get here.
How would you advise me to plan for my future?
Well, first off don’t rush into anything. Take your time and do your research so you can make proper decisions. Study everything! Knowledge is power and the more you know the more powerful you become. Be kind to others and respect yourself and your elders. They have been through everything you will go through and you will learn from them. Now when it comes to life and a career, don’t base what you want to do on how much money that profession makes. Find something you enjoy doing and be the best at it you can. If you do that you will always have work and plenty of money. You spend a third of your life sleeping and the majority of the rest working. If you choose a career based on money you will find that you send the majority of your life unhappy because you are not doing something you enjoy. If you choose something you enjoy and do your best at it you will always have money and you will live a fulfilling life! If you need anything else feel free to reach back out to me. If you find yourself wanting a career in my profession, I would be happy to get you started or help guide you in the right direction. You are welcome to call me anytime 9702099061. I hope this helps you with your project but more importantly I hope this helps guide you into life. My door is always open.
