Do I need a degree to start a permaculture career?

Hey there:)
My name is Amit, 22 years old and new to this forum:)
A few months a go a visit to Auroville, where I volunteered in a permaculture farm, has given me a tremendous inspiration and a new life calling.
I have read bill mollison's "permaculture: a designer's manual" and I now know this is what I want to commit my life to and contribute to the world, nature and life itself.

My dilemma is wether I should study water engineering to get a good scientific foundation, as I want to work on a large scale, improve water harvesting in villages and perhaps work in cities as well. I feel like if I only wanted to build a permaculture house and garden for myself that would be possible with self education, as I learn very well from books and online resources.
On the other, it might be a waste to study in an institute the teaches conventional means of water management, focusing on technological solutions rather then on the simple natural solutions that we strive for in permaculture design, Im afraid to be lead away from those core principles.

So, what do you think? I would love to hear from anyone with experience on broader permaculture projects, do you think I can start without an academic degree? perhaps a PDC is enough?

Thank you:)

I'm around your age, I took a year toward a permaculture degree but I already was a professional in another trade. It's a hard question because I'm not sure if there are all that many job listings specific to permaculture.

From what I see most certified designers are self-employed or do it on the side. Permaculture landscaping companies tend to hire you as a laborer first then you rank up to a designer once you're familiar with the local area.

Some countries are all on board for permaculture and there may be civil engineering jobs for it but these are usually tropical with year-round growing seasons. In many places, it will be a seasonal trade.

It depends on where you live and what's available, you're probably more likely to get a big project with a degree though.


Just my observations I've only consulted a few times.

Thank you for this answer
I see what you mean, as a PDC is not really recognised in most places in the world, I just want to get more hands on experience, which I can during my studies...
The best way to go about it might be to be conventionally educated and the later apply permaculture principles in practice.
Wow you were hired as a permaculture consultant? what sort of organisations did you work for?

I've just done small-time work for locals.

I'd imagine if you did a PDC through a college like Oregon State they would have a network of people looking to hire graduates with that experience. I'd talk to a career consular at a college with a permaculture program and see what they offer in that regard.

Seems like groups like AmeriCorps are doing permaculture projects now but there's an age limit.

If I were your age and wanted to get into water conservation I would go to India.

Look into the work of Rajendra Singh:

https://permies.com/t/45407/Rajendra-Singh-Water-Man-India

https://permies.com/t/212787/Reviving-Rivers-California-March-San

Look at these for other suggestions:

https://permies.com/t/219787/Sepp-Holzer-Video-Austrian-Rebel

https://permies.com/t/36676/Brad-Lancaster-Waste-Transform-waste

https://permies.com/wiki/51855/Rainwater-Harvesting-Drylands-Brad-Lancaster

Andrew Millison teaches permaculture at Oregon University and works with the Panii foundation in india on their water projects.

Don't short-circuit your opportunities! Education is never wasted, practical or formal! A generally recognized degree gives you credibility, and opens many doors. This will continue to be the case 30 years from now. This is a good investment.

You do not have to choose between your formal education and your passion. Each will inform the other; and as you balance these different tool sets you will be better equipped to achieve great things.

Hello,

I can answer this because I experienced it.  Getting a degree often means getting into debt.  It doesn't have to.  You can work while going to school to earn your degree.  Odds are good you will sleep less.  Odds are good you'll be running from your job(s) to school and you'll be studying off of cards every spare second.  You might even earn dark circles under your eyes.  You may experience fatigue like you've never experienced before.  Odds are good that your significant other will always want more time with you.  If your love is strong amd good your relationship will survive.  If your will is strong  you will endure the misery of working too many hours while taking a full load.  If your character is strong you will graduate with your degree and a high GPA.  

If you decide to take that route, my recommendation is to take the hardest courses you possibly can in your pursuit because the skills will serve you well.  By that I mean math and science based classes related to your pursuit.  Take a good look at Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering.  I've been involved in permaculture and organic gardening for many years.  The classes that look "easier" won't help you nearly as much as getting a solid foundation in the field.  I don't want to make this reply about me and my education, I want to make it helpful to you but believe me when I tell you that solid math and engineering skills married to solid agricultural science are applicable to your area of interest.  

Employment is a tough question.  It's always tempting to take a well paid job offer with excellent benefits from corporations that are in direct opposition to those who practice permaculture. Your desire to pursue that field will be tested and you will discover how loyal you are to the principles of permaculture.  

The degree(s) will give you far better employment opportunities, more credibility when you are giving speeches and advice, and a solid foundation for solving complex problems.  The hard skills will be especially helpful in dealing with water issues.

If you take the time to locate reduced cost colleges and universities and go to those institutions along with working your resume will be very strong.  Can you imagine what it would be like to walk into an job interview and they look at your resume and you show that you worked 40+ hours a week while taking a full load?  I can assure you that you will stand out.  Try to get inside of your potential employers' heads and imagine what they will be thinking while they're looking at the resumes of people who had parents paying the way or people who refused to work during college while accumulating debt.  I'm sure I don't have to connect those dots for you.  

Ultimately the decision is yours but I hope that these words are helpful.

Good luck!

What will make you stand out as superior to the competition?

This reply is an answer to a question (above) in the thread if it was addressed to my post:

I want to make it clear that I did not use the word "superior".  That was only used in your question and I want to be sure that the readers of this thread are not reading this believing that I used that word in my reply.  It's important that I make that clarification because the use of that word could be offensive to many and I don't want my post to be "branded" with the use of that word.  Moving on, the stand out portion is the fact that someone had the motivation and fortitude to work 40+ hours while taking a full load in college.  This is (statistically) a very small group of students.  This coupled with the fact that "harder" core subjects were pursued as opposed to the easier subjects adds to the standout qualities of the applicant.  The amount of hard work and dedication that would be needed to do successfully navigate intellectually challenging courses under those conditions would make an applicant a stand-out candidate.  If the question was not referring to my post then I will ask the reader to disregard.

Thank you all for your answers!
I have decided I definitely get that degree, Rajendra Singh, as I have now read is doing very inspiring work and of the kind I am looking to get involved in, specifically in india, But take notice that he is an educated man.
I would be able to finance my schooling, that not a main concern, education is more affordable here in Israel then in the US, and I will continue to work while studying.
Thank you for the notes on choosing "hard sciences" will definitely give it my best and choose other courses that fits my interests, I am really interested about water, and that's the what I will specialise in, and I can take some other courses on agriculture and environmental science, the Technion, where I'll be studying, is shifting to a more environmental aware paradigm.
The current war going on here made me doubt the security of my future here, and consider alternative options. but I remain hopeful and focused on my purpose
This forum is great, thank you again<3

How is it going Amit?