We walked into Northeast Elementary School in Pinetown, NC, last week to take part in Career Day.
No PowerPoint, no pamphlets, just two guys from a landscaping and hardscaping company, ready to talk to a room full of kids about what we actually do for a living.
And what happened surprised us a little, but not in a bad way; it was a surprise in the best possible way.
The kids wanted to dig holes.
Not metaphorically, literally.
They wanted to grab tools, get their hands dirty, and get to work. The second we started talking about the real, physical side of this trade, the energy in the room shifted, eyes got wide, and hands went up.
The students started asking questions that had nothing to do with homework or test prep and everything to do with "how do I do that?"
That reaction told us something important; "The kids these days are not afraid of hard work." They just aren't being told it's an option.
The Lie We Keep Telling Kids
For the last 30 years, the message that has been drilled into young people in this country is pretty simple: Go to college, get a degree, get a desk job, and that is what success looks like.
The trades have been quietly treated like a backup plan, consolation prize, or something you do if the "real" path does not work out. (See: Fall back/Plan B)
This mindset has cost us as a country; we are short hundreds of thousands of skilled tradespeople right now, with plumbers, electricians, welders, landscapers, hardscape workers, and concrete workers needed in every state. The people who build and maintain the physical world we all live in are scarce.
Meanwhile, a generation of young adults is saddled with six figures in student loan debt for degrees that did not deliver on their promises.
That is not an attack on education, as we have shared that education matters in articles, speeches, and podcast episodes, but the idea that there is only one road to a good life, a respected career, and financial stability?
That idea is doing real damage, and somebody needs to say it out loud where the kids can actually hear it, so they can make more informed decisions about their future.
So we went to an elementary school in Beaufort County, and we said exactly that.
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What Landscaping Actually Is
Here is what most people do not know about this industry, and what we had the chance to tell those students...
Landscaping is Design
It is sitting down with a client, understanding what they want their property to look like or what issues they are having, and then drawing that vision out of nothing.
Landscaping is a Business
It is estimating jobs, managing crews, building client relationships, interacting with people, and running a company that serves the community it operates in.
Landscaping is Craftsmanship
A well-built retaining wall, a paver patio that will last 30 years, and a drainage system that solves a problem a homeowner has had for a decade.
There is real skill and pride in that work.
Landscaping is Entrepreneurship
Some of the most successful people we know in this industry started with a truck, a trailer, and a willingness to work hard. They built something from the ground up with their own hands, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who'd say that that path is a "lesser" path.
Honest work is one of the most American stories there is.
What the Kids Actually Said
One of the things we did in Episode 59 of The Landscaping Podcast (LISTEN ON SPOTIFY) was to let the kids speak for themselves. You can hear their voices right at the top of the episode, and honestly, it is the best part as they are funny, unique, and inspirational in their own ways.
These are not jaded adults who have been told what to think; these are kids who got genuinely excited about the possibility that you could build a real career doing something physical, something visible, and something that actually changes how a place looks and functions.
- They asked real questions.
- They wanted to touch the tools.
- They wanted to know how much things cost to build and how long it takes to learn.
That curiosity matters because that is the seed. The title of the Podcast episode is "Planting Seeds," and we meant that literally.
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Why Community Presence Matters for a Business Like Ours
We represent Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. out of Washington, NC.
This is our community.
These are our neighbors.
Some of the parents of those kids at Northeast Elementary may one day hire us to build a patio or transform their yard, and some of those kids may one day work for us, or start their own company and build something even better...
Showing up matters, and not just for marketing and community engagement, or the optics of looking like you care. It matters because you should care, and the green industry needs advocates, and the next generation needs to see what this work looks like before they decide it is not for them.
We are not a massive corporation; we are a local company with deep roots in eastern North Carolina, stretching back to 1989, and we believe that local businesses have a responsibility to show up in moments like Career Day and tell the truth about what the trades have to offer.
Listen to Episode 59
If any of this landed for you, whether you are a parent, a tradesperson, an educator, or just someone who is tired of the college-or-bust narrative, go listen to the full episode.
The Landscaping Podcast, Episode 59: Planting Seeds (Spotify)
The Landscaping Podcast, Episode 59: Planting Seeds (Apple Podcasts)
It is 24 minutes long, and you will hear the kids, you will hear Shay and Zac break down what this visit meant, and they make the case for why the green industry is one of the most overlooked and undervalued career paths in America right now.
And if you have a kid in your life who lights up when you hand them a shovel, tell them that is not just something to play with, that might be a calling.
Landscaping Unlimited, Inc. is a commercial landscaping and hardscaping company based in Washington, NC. Follow The Landscaping Podcast on Spotify, and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
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