Entry-level Positions for Aspiring Organic Certification Professionals
Nicole, a Director of Operations, started as an entry-level "certification specialist," leveraging her agricultural communication degree; however, the evolving regulatory landscape now necessitates supplemental training via resources like the USDA Organic Integrity Learning Center, which is beneficial for aspiring "organic inspectors" or "customer success coordinators."
Agriculture, Organic Certification, Entry-Level Positions, USDA Resources, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Nicole Davis
Director of Operations
Organic Certifiers
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
N/A
Communications
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Operations and Project Management
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level positions in the organic certification field include certification specialists, organic inspectors, and coordinators.
2. Certification specialists require agricultural degrees or supplemental education from resources like the USDA Organic Integrity Learning Center (OILC).
3. Inspectors require training and involve travel, while coordinators assist with onboarding and customer success, providing a pathway into the field.
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider?
That's a great question. I feel really fortunate that I got to come into this company entry-level as a certification specialist. A lot of that had to do with the degree I had in agricultural communication, which was within the field of agriculture.
That was an entry-level position available at the time. That may have changed because the regulations require a certain level of education, knowledge, and expertise for people in that role. So, if you are interested in a certification specialist role and you don't have an agricultural degree, or maybe you do but need to learn more about the organic industry, there are some great free online resources.
The USDA Organic Integrity Learning Center, the OILC, is a place anyone can go to learn the ins and outs of the organic industry. If you take all those courses, I think that would be a really good resume booster for any position within this industry. So again, that's the USDA Organic Integrity Learning Center; you're going to want to check that out.
A lot of folks become organic inspectors. There are some great tools and resources for becoming an inspector if that's something you are interested in. It's great for recent college graduates or young professionals just getting started because it involves a lot of travel, and that can be really fun and exciting.
But you will need to do some training as well, per the regulations. So, there are some inspector courses available, but I believe there would be a fee for those.
Some other initial, entry-level positions would be as a coordinator of some sort. For example, we have a customer success coordinator position where you work with interested applicants and help onboard them at the beginning of the process. You're not doing any technical review work yet, but you are getting to work with people in the industry. It's a good way to get your foot in the door with a certification agency if that's the route you want to go.