Career choices for young generations: is agriculture still a viable option?

These days there are several career choices for younger generation, some of these industries are more lucrative than the others and even in this modern times industries such as agriculture and forestry is still an option. However, does a career in agriculture can be as satisfying in terms of prospects and salaries as one in finance, insurance or engineering? Career paths in agriculture have its own pros and cons and we shall investigate these in the following next chapters.

First of all let us start our investigation with the prospective salary conditions. Salaries in agriculture are clearly lower than in any high paying industries. This lower figure are supported with a higher job security; large business entities working in this field are often enjoy continuous government funding in order to compensate the high business risks associated with animal husbandry and crop production such as weather conditions, pests and various diseases. Hence, being employed in a private agricultural business entity the employees can always feel the protective hands of the government yet not in that extent as those employed in the public sector.

People working in agriculture also enjoy a very healthy lifestyle involving long walks in the countryside and generally being outdoors on a regular basis. Those who are employed in finance and insurance spend weeks and months in overcrowded office environment surrounded by fluorescent lights and flickering screens. This sort of environment combined with high stress can often lead to serious health implications thus making a career in the agriculture seeming more valuable than are those in the high-flying investment banking.

Should you become fed up with the work in rural settings you can always move to your nearby city and try to find another job there; with your skills you gained being in the management in an agricultural enterprise means that you have acquired a good set of transferable skills. These will always valued well in other industries as well thus you can be sure that a career change will not mean a great difficulty for you at all.

Last but not least, working in the agriculture naturally brings you in the heart of many small rural communities meaning that you will be socially accepted and you can be a useful part of such a community. Working in an office of a multi-national IT-firm can leave you with a strange feeling that you are not more than a number on a spreadsheet.

Having investigated several attributes of an agriculture-related career it is easy to accept that in contrast of lower salaries there are plenty of advantages making this career choice more valuable than the rest. Also, if you are still concerned because of lower salary prospects you can be assured; living in the country is always cheaper than living in a large city, so at the end the day your salary might even have a positive balance compared to one of an IT-executive.

The author is a UK-based agricultural and environmental professional having a keen interest in Crop Production and Soil Science.

Share This Post

Post Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.