Learn Why Certified Cannabis Pros Earn More Money

In today’s increasingly competitive cannabis industry, getting certified for a specialized job skill is not only advantageous, it’s almost necessary. You need to gain an advantage over other people who are anxious to land their cannabis dream job. The competition can be fierce, and you want your resume to stand out in the competitive job market.

Not only does cannabis certification look good on your resume, but you will gain valuable skills and knowledge during the certification process. With most jobs today, there is a salary range, and you want to hit the high end of it based on your proven skill set. Most likely you’re an intelligent person who already knows a thing or two about cannabis; you just need to demonstrate and expand that knowledge, hone your people skills, increase your training, and land a job with a company that will put you on a sound career path. The fact that you’re reading this article is a good sign.

Cannabis training and the resulting certified cannabis recognition you will receive after you pass your exams are necessary to landing the best jobs around. Fortunately for you, the Cannabis Training University (CTU) is here to ensure that you reach this goal. The practical and useful industry knowledge you harness provides you with a sound industry foundation to build on and be proud of as you enter the cannabis job market.

Self-Evaluation

No one person is a good fit for every job out there—that’s just a basic fact of life. We all have unique personalities and certain proclivities that make us the people we are. We all have strengths, as well as areas where we are less gifted. Learn to recognize your strengths when considering a vocation with cannabis. Are you a nurturer who enjoys the natural world and working outdoors or in a garden? Do you love science? Are you a people person who enjoys helping customers in need to make sound decisions that will help them live happier and healthier lives? Does new technology and product knowledge excite you? Do you like to cook and bake? Do you find it rewarding to engage people in conversation to pose questions and help them make better decisions?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you’re a good fit for a job in the cannabis industry. Fortunately, there are a range of opportunities available, and some of the larger cannabis companies are having problems filling them because of explosive business growth. These companies need to keep operations running and don’t like to take chances on unproven potential team members. Certified job applicants help take the guesswork out of whether or not an interesting job seeker can successfully fill a necessary role to help a business grow. Recruiters and human resources personnel like to make sound hiring decisions—that’s exactly what their job is all about. If you’re a certified applicant with proven knowledge that you can do a job, you’ll make them look good if they hire you.

Positions in Demand

In the modern cannabis industry there are some key positions for which there is nearly always a demand. Some of the specific areas where there is a need include budtenders, retail managers and assistant managers, cultivation associates, harvesters, trimmers, packagers, infused products personnel and extractors, edibles technicians, infused chocolatiers and bakers, as well as greeters and receptionists. Chances are, with some certified cannabis training, you'll find you’re a good fit for one of more of these highly-desired cannabis jobs. People do best and earn more when they enjoy their work, so choose your career path wisely.

Part of that process includes the necessary, honest, self-evaluation previously mentioned. More important than if a job seems fun and rewarding is deciding if you have the necessary skills or potential to learn, settle into that role, and excel. Let’s take a brief look at some of the most common cannabis job opportunities available today.

Budtenders

Budtenders, or retail associates as they are sometimes called, are there to help customers make sound product decisions. An outgoing and friendly demeanor is essential in this role. More than looking at this position as a cannabis job, look at it as retail sales.

Budtenders are sales personnel at the ground level. Those with a knack for it succeed through demonstrated excellence, customer feedback or commissions, if the company offers them. Look at dispensary work as being no different than working in a pet store or shoe store. You need to know the products and motivate people to buy the correct items, strategically promoting cross-selling and up-selling while doing so.

The only difference is that you’re working with cannabis rather than selling shoes or other products. For many people, that’s icing on the cake and reason enough to make the work rewarding and worthwhile.

Cultivation Associates

Cultivation workers need to be good at their craft because they produce for the industry at the most central core–they grow the main product. Employment opportunities sometimes involve a great deal of physical activity and labor. Some of the work can get intense—such as hauling and washing rocks for use with hydroponic growing operations.

Heavy lifting is not uncommon, as well as operating forklifts to move equipment or using a cherry picker to access lofty areas in vertical grows. Other work is less physically demanding, like cutting clones for future grows or retail sale, mixing nutrient recipes, evaluating crop maturity and health, moving plants, replacing lights, sweeping floors, as well as harvesting crops, trimming flower, and curing it. If you love cannabis in its most basic form and think it’s a beautiful thing, this may be the job for you.

Enjoying the smell of cannabis terpenes and taking satisfaction in the quality of a highly anticipated harvest can be quite rewarding indeed. Certified cannabis trimmers usually work in the cultivation department, because most cannabis companies perform “wet trims” (as opposed to dry trims), which occur shortly after the plants are harvested. Trimming requires skill gained by experience, so these positions often pay more than general cultivation positions.

Extraction Technicians

Marijuana concentrates come in many forms, and there are a variety of methods to produce them. Whether it’s hash, hash oil, shatter, rosin, wax, crumble, taffy, or moon rocks, skilled workers are necessary to make them to company standards. Extraction is part standard procedure and part art. Skilled extraction professionals are in high demand and know their craft, which they often learn over an extended period of time through a certain degree of trial and error before they master it.

Although standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be part of every extraction facility—often for compliance purposes—a good extraction professional sometimes needs to deviate from them slightly too ensure the finished product is high quality. Extraction methods can include the use of butane, propane, ethanol, CO2, as well as other solvents. Ice water to produce bubble hash is sometimes referred to as “solventless extraction,” and is another extraction method specific to hash.

Distillate extraction is one of the most recent methods of producing extremely pure extracts. The popularity of cannabis extracts is on the rise, and there is a strong market for these THC and CBD products. The extraction process and working with volatile solvents can be potentially dangerous.

If you live in a legal cannabis state, most likely you’ve heard about home explosions resulting from careless home extraction accidents. Because of this potential danger, a high level of certified cannabis training is often necessary with extraction technicians. Due to the specialized nature o this work, some extraction positions pay quite well.

Edibles Kitchen Personnel

There are a range of positions in cannabis edibles departments. While some employees make infused beverages, another might make gummies, hard candies, caramels, or chocolates. Hash oil is a common ingredient used to infuse these products, and a high-production edibles company or department can go through quite a bit of it.

Baked goods, like cupcakes, brownies, cookies, fruit bars, and other dessert items are hugely popular because some people do not care inhalation methods of cannabis consumption like smoking or vaping. The decarboxylation process often plays a part with edibles production, and great attention to detail must occur when making these types of products. Consistency with specific dosages is critical with this type of work. Because of the high attention to detail necessary for those who work with edibles, some positions pay quite well.

Get Certified

Regardless of what type of job you want to land in the cannabis industry, set yourself apart from the other people seeking the same position. You want to have an advantage over other job seekers and make yourself more qualified than them. The best way to do this is to get certified. You will gain practical knowledge and confidence before entering the exciting cannabis space. So, get started with your cannabis certification. The job you seek is just waiting for you!