There are hundreds of thousands of jobs available in the cannabis industry these days. However, with competition for each position at an all-time high, actually getting hired is more challenging than ever. Even for those with highly sought-after skills.
Unless you know how to make it appear nearly irresistible, of course.
Educating yourself as much as possible is one of the first recommended steps for starting a cannabis career and while we’ll come back to this important point in a moment, as well as reveal how to get the best education possible for marijuana jobs, overall we’ve put together a really nice starting point for you, keep reading to learn more.
Cannabis Careers Available Today
While in the grand scheme of things the marijuana industry is “new,” that doesn’t mean that there are only a few select career positions available. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Here are some of the jobs you can choose from.
Cultivating
- Marijuana Trimmer – a popular entry-level position
- Grow Site Worker
- Grow Site Manager
- Cultivation Director – ensures the site produces premium marijuana that complies with all laws
- Master Grower – manages planting, nutrition, pest control, and more to ensure that the grow is safe
- Grow Assistant
Manufacturing
- Distribution Clerk
- Distribution Manager
- Laboratory Technician
- Lab Director – Manages the post-harvest process, including chemical analysis to more precisely determine harvest times
- Quality Assurance – reviews and approves testing and processing methods and investigates any complaints regarding product quality
- Extractor / Concentrates Processor – requires incredible attention to detail and chemistry skills in order to create safe concentrates, including hash oils and dabs
- Master Chef
- Facility Manager
- VP of Manufacturing – ensures regulations are adhered to and that projects are manufactured on a strict timeline
Dispensary/Retail
- Budtender – must have a thorough knowledge of weed and cannabis products
- Front Desk Staff
- Packer
- Dispensary General Manager
- Accounting
- Marketing Management
- Marketing Representative
- Dispatcher
- Delivery Driver
- Security
- VP of Retail – responsible for budgeting, annual sales plans, compliance, and expansion
- General Manager
Other Cannabis-Related Careers
- Sales Representative
- Compliance Manager
- Production Manager
- Webmaster
- IT Staff
- IT Management
- Cannabis Tour Guide
The Changing Marijuana Job Industry
Legitimate marijuana jobs first came into existence in the United States in 1996 when California legalized medicinal marijuana. However, cannabis careers really started taking off as of 2012 when Colorado legalized recreational use. After that, more and more states legalized either medicinal, recreational, or both, and the job market has been booming ever since.
In fact, as of the end of 2024, it is estimated that there are somewhere close to 500,000 marijuana jobs in the country now. While that growth may have been somewhat stunted due to the pandemic, with more states legalizing marijuana in one fashion or another every year, that job market is virtually guaranteed to continue to grow near-exponentially.
If that sounds enticing or you’re already extremely interested in finding out how to start your cannabis career…
First Things First
Sure, those 500,000 jobs (and growing) are certainly enticing to many employment-seekers these days, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can just waltz out there and snag the job you want. With more people looking for marijuana jobs than ever before, there are actually more job-seekers than open positions.
So, you need to prepare as best as possible.
If you’re wondering whether your prior work experience will work to your advantage, check out some of the skills that you can leverage toward a cannabis career.
- IT Technician
- Retail Management
- Sales Representative
- Chemist
- Engineering
- Retail (high-volume)
- Accounting
If you’re entering college this coming semester and want to keep your options open for a cannabis career, any of the above paths are a good place to start.
Where to Really Start
Whether you already have some of the job experience outlined above or not, there’s a couple of things you should do. In order to have the best opportunity to get the marijuana job you’re striving for, one of the biggest things you have to do is build a strong network.
Take a cannabis tour and speak with people already working in the position you’re interested in. Attend any cannabis-related conventions, events, or job fairs, and be sure to talk to everyone you can. Fostering connections and building a stellar reputation within the marijuana industry is a fantastic tool to have in your arsenal. Especially if you’re seriously serious about starting your new career.
However, if you want to start forging that network without having to wait for events like this to start back up, there is an option that you need to be aware of.
Get an Edge with Cannabis College
Have the aforementioned extensive work experience? Great, but in order to start building that network and reputation within the industry and clearly set yourself apart from the “pack,” you’ll want to learn more about Learn Sativa University.
First, you have the choice of attending hands-on training at the campus located in Orlando, Florida, or completely online. However, you’ll definitely want to consider attending in-person classes as they have modern facilities with the latest cultivation equipment so students learn hands-on. That doesn’t mean that their video and online courses are subpar, they’ve already been responsible for helping to launch hundreds of cannabis careers.
Their inclusive certification program provides scenarios, challenges, exercises, and quizzes based on the real-world marijuana industry. The curriculum at Learn Sativa includes basics like budtending and customer service, as well as:
- History — covers the benefits of marijuana and the history of its legality
- Marijuana Cookbook — teaches you how to create infused edibles, including extraction techniques
- Laws — covers the various state laws
- Careers — teaches you how to build those highly-regarded connections and stand out in the job market
- Growing — covers the best growing practices for organics, hydro, and medicinal
- Dispensary Management — teaches you what it really takes to operate a successful dispensary, including the mistakes to avoid
Starting a career in this industry isn’t hard, but it does take some dedication. Use the tips above and take the time to check out Cannabis College a little more and you’re certain to start on the right foot.
