Does your teen love plants? Is he looking for something a bit off the beaten path to do after high school? Maybe one these careers in botany is a good choice. After all, botany is important, perhaps the most important science of all. Without botany, the world starves. Want to solve world problems? Want to make an impact? These careers give your teen an opportunity to make a difference in a big way.
Careers in Botany
Conservation Biologist
Do you care about the environment and being a good steward of Creation? Then, this might be the career for you! Conservation biologists focus on preserving biodiversity in different habitats. So, that means they monitor wetlands, prairies, farms, and forests. They are looking for signs of stress, damage and pollution, and other changes. With the information they collect, they make recommendations to other plant scientists. Then, the other scientists can plan interventions to improve the conditions and preserve biodiversity.
Food Scientist
Don’t want to get your hands dirty but you want to improve our food supply? Then, Food Science might be your best choice. Food scientists may or may not actually grow food. However, they are involved in improving the foods we eat. They also work with Agronomists and farmers, food imports, and more to make sure our food is safe. Watch this video to see what a food scientist at the United States Food and Drug Administration does.
Horticulturist Careers in Botany
When you think of a horticulturist, you might immediately think of a gardener. But, a horticulturist is so much more. They take a very scientific approach to growing plants. They want to find the best way to grow them for the specific environment and region in which the gardens are. So, they do experiments and investigations and then share that information with other plant professionals. They may also work with arboretums, conservatories, and landscape designers. If you like to create beautiful spaces and discover ways to maintain them and make them better, this might be the career choice for you.
Plant Cytologist
Here’s another career in which you don’t get dirty. But, you do get really specific! Do you like working with microscopes? Then, maybe a career as a plant cytologist is right for you. This is a scientist who studies plant cells, especially their appearance and structure, and their effects on each other and their environment.
Biorefining Technologist
Want to be at the forefront of developing new biofuels? Concerned about the future of our energy supply? This might be the right career in botany for you. These scientists research and develop possible plant sources of fuel, such as ethanol and methane, to power cars and energy plants. Learn more about biofuels and their importance in sustainable energy development.
Greenhouse Engineering Careers in Botany
Are building projects more your style? Perhaps you’d like designing greenhouses! If you choose this career, you get opportunities to use your design skills as well as engineering know-how. After all, a greenhouse engineer is a licensed professional who uses skills in structural engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering to come up with designs specifically for greenhouses.
Formulation Chemist
A formulation chemist designs and creates plant and crop protection products and supports existing products that growers and farmers need. The science, and art, of determining the proper combination of ingredients, while balancing quality, stability, cost, and many other factors is an intriguing puzzle that fascinates formulation chemists.
Agronomist
Want to discover how to better use plants for food? Then you might like to be an agronomist! Agronomists study the ways plants can be grown, changed, or used, mostly to increase quality and quantity of food. So, they tend to specialize in agricultural crops, but also study soil science and ecology.
Agronomists also seek to bring a wholistic perspective to growing food. They do this by analyzing all aspects of growing crops, from the soil health to optimizing plant nutrients to effective pest control. Then these scientists look at the whole picture and make recommendations. Learn more about agronomy at the American Society of Agronomy.
Environmental Engineer
Have an interest in plants but want to go bigger? Maybe you’re concerned about environmental health as a whole. If so, then maybe environmental engineering is for you. Environmental engineers combine engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to create solutions to environmental problems. Watch this video to learn more about how environmental engineering impacts you every day.
Ecology Careers in Botany
As you know, plants are an integral part of a larger ecosystem, no matter where they live. So, if you want to study plants as part of a larger whole, maybe ecology is for you. Ecologists focus on the relationship of organisms within their environment. Ecology is a very big branch of biology, though. So, there are many sub-disciplines on which an ecologist can focus. These include not just plants, but animals or microbes as well. You can also get even more specific! There’s terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, applied ecology, and a few others. But, these careers in botany do involve getting dirty out in the field. I don’t know about you, but that just might be the best part. Who wouldn’t like to be paid to spend time outdoors?
And there are dozens more that you can explore further at Seed Your Future. Help fill the shortage of new scientists and pursue one of these careers in botany.
Get your teen started today with the high school Botany course, All About Plants!
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