Trying out a career helps you discover if it's right for you. This week: horticulture

You could call Diarmuid Gavin the Jamie Oliver of gardening. Combined with his obvious talent, his cheeky-chappie persona gives him a light touch that makes everyone believe they, too, can have green fingers. But he is only the public face of an industry that is in blooming health.

"It's a very good time for horticulture at the moment," says Dr Paul Cusack, who is principal of the College of Amenity Horticulture, at the National Botanic Gardens, in Glasnevin. "There is an awareness of the value of our landscape at the moment, as well as the strength of the construction industry, which feeds back into all aspects of the industry. If people are building, there are grounds that need landscaping, which in turn adds to the business that nurseries do."

A career in horticulture is more varied than you might imagine. As well as landscape design and maintenance, graduates can work in nurseries and garden centres. A hugely important part of the industry, according to Cusack, is sports and leisure, such as maintaining the many golf courses and racecourses that are dotted around the country. Public parks and green areas need management and maintenance, too. "The people working in these areas all need training," says Cusack.

Even the idea that careers in horticulture are based outdoors can be turned on its head if someone is involved in interior landscaping. "You don't have to be a person in green wellington boots to have a career in horticulture," says Cusack.

He is optimistic about your chance of getting work experience if you are interested in horticulture. Depending on what you are interested in, a local nursery, a national park or even a golf course is the site of a potential work-experience placement.

Cusack recommends walking into places. "Personal calling is the best way to get work experience. If you can't do that, I would say to write a letter and enclose a CV." He doesn't recommend using the phone. "It's very easy to say no and to hang up without a second thought," he says.

A job in horticulture would appeal to someone creative, according to Cusack. "A knowledge of plants and environmental conditions is imperative," he says. "You need to have a natural liking for plants and the landscape - nature in general, I suppose. The design aspect would appeal to creative people."

Selling is also a big aspect if you decide, eventually, to set up a business, perhaps in the form of a plant nursery, so good communication skills are no harm.

There are a number of courses in Ireland. The College of Amenity Horticulture offers a three-year BSc in horticulture as well as courses in golf-course management and greenkeeping. Waterford Institute of Technology also offers a BSc in horticulture; IT Blanchardstown has courses in landscape gardening and design. For more information, visit www.teagasc.ie or any of the individual college websites.