Cannabis is an exciting place to work, and the job market is growing at rapid speed with more places legalizing this amazing plant.
Large cannabis grows involve all sorts of moving pieces. They employ professionals from many different backgrounds, and there are plenty of opportunities.
For people who want to work closest to the plant, here are the top 11 entry-level positions in cannabis cultivation today:
#1) Clone Technician
Large-scale cannabis cultivation facilities often use clones rather than, or in addition to, cultivating cannabis plants from seeds.
Clone technicians take clippings from healthy larger plants and turn them into rooted starts.
Proper cloning is a vital part of the cannabis plant’s life cycle, so this is an extremely important and rewarding job.
#2) Transplanting Technician
When a cannabis plant is growing it needs different sizes of grow medium for optimal growth. At larger cannabis cultivation facilities one or more positions are dedicated to transplanting cannabis plants.
Transplanting technicians specialize in the process of making sure that transplants are successful and that plants thrive after transplant instead of seeing stalled growth or worse.
#3) Assistant to the Chief Cultivator
The Chief Cultivator, sometimes referred to as the Master Grower, is the main knowledge base and guide for the cultivation operation. The Assistant to the Chief Cultivator is the main understudy and helper.
Becoming an Assistant to the Chief Cultivator is a prime position for rising employees to be in if they want to build the resume to land a Master Grower position down the road.
#4) Harvesting Assistant
Harvesting cannabis, especially a large canopy of it, is not an easy task. It takes a lot of help, which is where harvest assistants come in.
Harvest assistants help with all types of tasks from flushing plants that are approaching harvest, to transporting recently cut plants to other parts of farms or facilities and beyond.
#5) Trimmer
Cannabis trimmers help harvest ripe cannabis and trim away any excess leaf during the harvest, drying, and curing process.
Harvest assistants sometimes double as trimmers, but for the most part trimmers are specialized workers that receive the larger plants from the harvest assistants and work on just the leaves of the harvested plant.
#6) Processing Crew
The processing crew is responsible for preparing cannabis products like flower, concentrates and joints for retailer distribution and sale.
This could also include responsibilities like trimming, weighing, labeling, and assisting other departments.
#7) Pest and Disease Technician
Cannabis plants are not only desirable to humans, they’re also desirable to bugs. To make matters worse, cannabis plants can also be susceptible to disease.
Pest and disease technicians make sure that plants are healthy and administer proactive strategies and methods to keep bugs and disease away.
#8) Packaging Clerk
Cannabis products require specific types of packaging. Packaging clerks help keep everything labeled properly on a scalable level.
It may not be the most glamorous job at a cultivation facility, but it’s a vital one and the job market outlook for the niche is strong.
#9) Curing Assistant/Technician
Proper cannabis curing is extremely important for cannabis flower to reach its full potential. It takes a lot of love and care and attention to detail.
Curing assistants/technicians oversee the curing process to make sure that cannabis smells, tastes, and consumes in as a desirable a fashion as possible.
#10) Nursery Assistant/Technician
Agricultural nurseries are not a new concept. Nurseries propagate and grow cannabis plants to sell them to the public or other companies.
Working at a nursery can be fun because the tasks involved vary, but within a day-to-day schedule that is somewhat predictable.
#11) Farm Hand
The future of cannabis cultivation is not as likely to occur in an indoor facility as it is in large fields like any other agricultural crop.
Just as corn farms and strawberry farms need the help of farm hands to handle all types of tasks, so too do sungrown cannabis farms.
