Where do I Start?
Step 1: BYU Skills Matrix
In 2009, faculty at Brigham Young University completed a three-year effort to develop a competency matrix for their students enrolled in Landscape Management. A Competency Matrix allows students to identify knowledge and skills that are relevant to a particular field, and self-assess their progress toward expertise in these targeted areas. The goal was to include the knowledge, skills and abilities of value to Green Industry employers. This matrix was is so useful that the National Association of Landscape Professionals, formerly PLANET, took the matrix and adapted it for the entire nation's landscape community.
Aims of that competency matrix included:
- Direct students in selection of classes, participation in extracurricular activities, work experiences and internships that would maximize their worth to employers upon graduation.
- Provide a tool for increasing the value of internship experiences (i.e., by providing students with a knowledgeable basis upon which to negotiate for specific experiences that would produce the additional skills they need).
- Allow students to more effectively market their knowledge and experience.
- Provide a basis for more meaningful counseling with a student’s faculty adviser.
Download the Matrix here.
Step 2: Choose a Career Path
Step 3 - Get Involved
If you want to get the most out of your BYU education and love your time here even more than you do now, we strongly suggest that you get involved! This is the one thing that graduating seniors have said made all the difference in their education here. Getting involved not only helps you make new friends and become a more well-rounded person, it helps you gain experiences that build your knowledge and character. It helps make you a better person and on that is more attractive to future employers. So, "how do you get involved," you might ask? There are three answers to that question: the Plant & Landscape Systems Club, Internships and Mentorship Experiences.
Plant & Landscape Systems Club
The club sponsors social events to encourage and support student and faculty interaction outside of the classroom. This extracurricular opportunity is the best way for new landscape management students to meet and interact with more experienced students.
See what's happening in the club
Internships
Internships are greatly valued by landscape firms and are a must if you hope to receive satisfactory employment following graduation. They are a time for you to gain even more experience in the green industry. Internships are also great for giving your career plan a test drive or help you narrow your focus on what you want from your profession. Take a look at what internship opportunities are available now.
Mentorship Experience
The experience that comes from working with and participating in research is priceless! It is very highly esteemed in the academic world and is a great help if you desire to earn a graduate degree. All the professors in the major are pursuing areas of research and would love the extra help. Speak with them to find out how you can get more involved.
