Chris Anderson

Hydroponics Manager

Green Our Planet

Las Vegas, NV USA

“If you’re really feeling like something isn’t right for you, you can’t stay there. You’ve got to go...and you’ll be fine. You’ll find something else and it’ll be good.”

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Chris Anderson

Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.

I grew up in a small farm-centered town in Kansas—my family grew large gardens, which is how I first developed an interest in plants.

Growing up, I loved school and always thought I would end up as a teacher.

I originally planned to major in journalism with a minor in education so that I could become a journalism teacher, but I got sidetracked by my interest in community health education.

I didn’t really get to use my first degree because I had a child and decided to spend my time raising him, but I did go back to school to get my teaching degree when my son was old enough.

When my son went to college, my husband and I moved from Kansas to Nevada because we both wanted a change—we love it!

I was a teacher for 18 years and taught everything from third to eighth grade—I was always happiest when I got to exclusively teach science.

The school that I was teaching at in Nevada had a garden with Green Our Planet, so I was involved with the company from the school side at first.

When I decided I wanted to transition out of teaching, I applied to Green Our Planet knowing that it was a great organization—I currently work as the hydroponics manager and love it!

Education

High School

Bachelor
Community Health Education
University of Kansas

Bachelor
Education, General
Washburn University

Career

Hydroponics Manager

I connect teachers with hydroponics programs to teach STEM and other topics.

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

Environment & Nature

Non-Profit Organizations

Teaching / Mentoring

Day to Day

I don’t have a typical day; it’s always different. Sometimes I’m teaching and sometimes I’m building hydroponic units. I also spend time working with our fundraisers and sponsors. I am always answering inquiries and helping people run their hydroponic systems. A good portion of my time is spent answering teachers’ questions, primarily through email, about hydroponic systems that are already set up in their schools or about getting one started in their schools.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

Know the organizations you are interested in. Think of what you bring to the table outside of what you may think of as your assets. For example, I have teaching experience, gardening experience, and public speaking experience. Those were asked for in my job description. However, I can also use power tools, write well, and problem-solve. I use those last three more than the others.