Chris Anderson
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."
Career Roadmap
Chris's work combines: Environment & Nature, Non-Profit Organizations, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
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.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Community Health Education
University of Kansas
Bachelor's Degree
Education, General
Washburn University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General
Graduate Degree: Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
Certification: Master Gardener
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
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.
2.
Growing up, I loved school and always thought I would end up as a teacher.
3.
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.
4.
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.
5.
When my son went to college, my husband and I moved from Kansas to Nevada because we both wanted a change—we love it!
6.
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.
7.
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.
8.
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!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You were such a great teacher! It was your calling. How could you leave it?
How I responded:
I left teaching in order to do what I'm doing now. People often ask me why I left if I was such a good teacher, but I feel like no one was actually listening to how I felt about teaching. I'm happier now. When your days are happier following a different path, you know you’re on the right one. Life is too short to not be happy most of the time.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I worked as a teacher for 18 years. It was very demanding and my work-life balance really suffered. I just got tired of feeling that way, so I made a career change and feel much happier now.