Is there any sock filler positions in Florida that anybody knows about? Or are they that rare?? Job boards don’t seem to show any openings… would getting into the entry level cultivation side like trimming or packaging help me get closer?
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Find out what big facilities are closest to you, find their hiring manager on LinkedIn and message them.
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Take any role they give you. You can tell them you are looking for upward mobility but dont push it. Show up and work.
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Make a good clean resume.
My suggestion would be to try and find companies or operations that are extracting near you. If you are a med patient you could look at brands you are familiar with for producing quality products and then reach out to those companies directly.
Or just browse dispo websites in your area and look at the brands, make a resume focusing you want to get into entry level lab work.
You can also look for events in your area that might give you an opportunity to meet people/businesses. Another slightly risky route is taking a paid seminar/class if there are any in your area, but definitely a way to get a foot in the door or noticed.
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Why do you want to be a wook in a cannabis lab? That doesn’t go anywhere. I don’t know many people in the legal industry who get paid a living wage.
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Because I’d like to work in a field I’m passionate about, doing something I enjoy. Not working a job I’m unhappy with just because it pays me better than anything else will… I understand it’s going to be a pay cut from my current salary, but if my end goal is a career in a different industry for my future wouldn’t it be a good idea to get my foot in the door sooner than later?
Thanks for the advice, the seminar/class ideas sounds good. Would you mind elaborating upon the risks / rewards of paying?
How old are you out of curiosity?
just not true. speaking from personal experience.
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Consider that you might be the exception not the rule. I know of many people in cannabis both on and off this forum who are scraping by despite being qualified and knowledgeable (not sock packers lol)
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It’s a common factor among all “min wage” workers at MSOs hopefully it’ll get better at some point but OP is right its better then slaving in a restaurant at least its something he enjoys and loves.
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yeah you’re right, in most cases, a lab wook may not progress beyond there, but I also know people like to promote within. Companies like to hire internally.
So if you’re a legit lab wook who brings more to the table than just showing up to work most of the time to make hash, I don’t think it’s unlikely that you get an opportunity to move up after a few years of good work.
My experience is somewhat limited, as I’ve only worked at 2 cannabis companies over the last 11 years, but both were similar in the fact that they liked to promote from within. We much prefer it where I work now and often look for badass lab/grow employees when trying to fill higher level roles. I’m not saying you’ll become the CEO, but you can definitely get to a livable wage, IME.
I will say though, with the industry getting more and more corporate as the years go by, what you are saying will become more and more true.
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There is also a stigma associated with working in cannabis, such that should you change your mind and try and escape the bloodbath/circus/shitshow (pick one or more) it is almost impossible.
as a general rule I try to discourage most folks who want in. Not all, but most…
@Akoyeh ?
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I have certainly thought about that but haven’t made any attempt to branch outside of cannabis yet, so idk. That thought does worry me a little bit sometimes though.
If 90% of my resume is cannabis, will that hurt my chances if I apply to other industries? Probably.
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Employers in any industry do not want to see more than ten years back on any resume, and having had the privilege of making plant medicine for longer than that, I am in a unique position where potential employers only see my time working with cannabis. In the more than 2 years I have spent desperately seeking employment outside of the industry and the hundreds of applications I have submitted, I have not recieved a single call back for an interview.
I have held upper management and director level positions at every company I have worked for in the last decade. I have recommendations from supervisors and colleagues at every company I have worked for (some of the best and brightest in the industry). I know that I am a valuable asset to any company that chooses to employ me, and despite having an accomplished career in the cannabis industry, those same accomplishments are what appear to be barring me from being employable anywhere but with cannabis, which I refuse to do anymore.
I am overqualified for any entry level position, and for the positions I am qualified for, all people see is that I worked with (and use) drugs. There are still strong correlations between cannabis users and laziness, being absent minded, and a whole host of other negative attributes, of which I am not. I am driven, amiable, respected, and adept at critical thinking/problem solving. None of these qualities have been enough to surmount the stigma of cannabis use/work.
Do I miss working with cannabis? Absolutely. Do I miss some of the amazing people I have worked with over the years? 100%. Do I regret walking away from the industry? Unquestionably, no! Leaving has allowed me to be free from experiencing or witnessing the rampant mistreatment and abuse of people within the industry. When standing up for myself or fellow employees, I have been told by every company I have worked for that there are 100 people lined up who would take my job for less money and do it just as well as me, and if I don’t like it, I know where the door is. Every. Single. Company.
Working with cannabis professionally is not for the faint of heart. The industry would love nothing more than to chew you up and spit you out. While there are exceptions to every rule, if one chooses to work with cannabis, they have to be prepared to either be abused, taken advantage of, and otherwise mistreated or be prepared to watch it happen to (and accept that you cannot protect) those around you. My inability to just shut my mouth and do my job is why I will never go back, despite my love to the plant and the work I was privileged enough to perform. My ethical and moral compass is too strong, and my biggest crime is caring too much.
That being said, I am also lucky enough to have a partner that makes enough money to support us, and she would rather see me happy than take a position that eats at me until there’s nothing left but anger and resentment. Not everyone is so lucky, and they may be forced to continue with work in the industry to make sure bills are paid and that there’s food on the table.
Long gone are the days when resumes are turned in to the one hiring with a handshake and short introduction. Everything is done digitally, and only if you look good enough through the computer screen will you earn that handshake and hello. Cannabis work can inhibit that process, but it is not guaranteed to. Awareness that it is a possibility is, however, important to keep in mind for anyone looking to break into the industry or break out of it.
I am always happy to chat with anyone who wants to know more about my experience, but the specific issues I have had with employers are between me and them. Out of respect for the ones still in the trenches, that information does not need to become part of the public’s general knowledge. I have the utmost respect for those still fighting the good fight and doing the work that brings plant medicine into a societal position that no longer carries the stigma that makes me apparently unemployable.
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Yes, yes it will
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Second this. It destroys your chances for any job outside of cannabis lol people view it as essentially worthless.
Not really even limited to the cannabis industry. That’s generally the case with most low-wage hourly work unfortunately. People with “the spark” will make it where they want to go if they are committed regardless of where they start (went from packing socks to owning a lab)
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Honestly in this market I wouldn’t want to even be the lab owner. At least where I’m at in WA
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