“Serious question: Does this person actually have training or education in anything apart from permaculture modules?” Luke Roberts

A fair enough question that was asked on my facebook page. One that was sometimes thrown at me in the past with derogatory undertones – not saying that this is the case here. In general, I don’t respond to comments with un-friendly tones because there’s no point. But this question strikes a chord in me. Why?

Because it’s a way to drag people down who have lived experience but no, or not much formal training or academic experience. It devalues them and their work and says, you’re not good enough to be here – where ever “here” may be. Obviously, there are some clear areas where formal training is non-negotiable; brain surgery comes to mind. But there are also occupations where learning through doing (away from a classroom) is perfect, like learning a trade. And then there’s a combination of mentoring, studying, self-directed learning and living and breathing it – whatever “it” may be. It’s all good and it’s all valid.

I fall into the latter category mostly, so have some formal credentials – the list is short and sweet. I have a Post-graduate Diploma in Community Cultural Development (CCD)* and a Diploma in Permaculture. I did enrol into an Agriculture Science undergrad multiple times, alas I left each time crying as I didn’t appreciate the strong and immediate focus on economic growth at all costs.

But even doing the above study wasn’t a straight forwards process for me. After graduating high school, I was thoroughly uninterested in going to university; me and classrooms and academia are not a natural fit. Instead, I spent three years travelling Australia doing what I referred to as self-education university (highly reccomend), living and working in a range of places learning about social and environmental issues on the ground. I had grown up in the nursery industry so I continued to work in nurseries, small farms, commercial orchards and learned agriculture through doing it. While doing this work, I also volunteered and occasionally got paid to work with community arts and community development projects. You see, I’ve always been passionate about people and place – building community and looking after the planet. I’ve never not been able to do it. The post-grad diploma in CCD was offered through correspondence so I continued to live and work on farms or on urban agriculture projects while studying.

Permaculture was woven through some of these earlier work experiences and I eventually did the two-week Permaculture Design Course but not until I was 24 – around 6 years after I started working alongside and learning from permaculturalists and organic farmers.

And no, I don’t have an undergraduate degree. I was accepted straight into post grad studies due to having relevant life/work experience in that field. I just had to submit an entry essay to prove I cut the mustard (aka meet expectations). They don’t tell high school kids that skipping the undergrad bit is an option – or they didn’t tell us at least and I wished they did.  I thrived in that more focused post-grad course which taught me everything from project management, how to work with communities and ways of using creative methods to help facilitate positive change needed and desired. I loved it and merged art with urban agriculture projects while studying. I got the Diploma in Permaculture through Recognised Prior Learning where you submit paper work and proof of the work you’ve been doing in that area over the years. I submitted my RPL to Eltham College in Victoria and just had to complete one class where I had a gap – which was in design drawing.  

These days I’m a best selling author, TV presenter, public speaker, adult educator, gardener, garden designer, performer, community worker, artist, project manager and business director. Not much of my formal studies taught me how to do any of that – instead I’ve leaned through some formal study and then a lot of informal mentoring, just having a crack and self-directed study. It’s not perfect (duh) and there’s always more to learn. And that’s a wonderful thing.

I used to have a chip in my shoulder about not having enough formals pieces of paper to show that I’m good enough to do what I do. But these days I firmly push back on the narrative that to be of professional value in this world, to have credibility and to be trusted, you need to have formal training from a formal institution.

As a culture, we do ourselves a disservice by having such a narrow view of worthiness – we miss out on a lot. Different ways of doing things and seeing things and different people who don’t fit into the numerous boxes required to be in those institutions. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. Horrible saying really, but there’s more ways to get from point A to point B – choose whatever paths works for you best and walk it.

• The photo up top is from one of the Cycle for Old Growth Forests that happened in the early 2000s in Lutruwita/Tasmania. A big group of people from all over rode around the island, visiting schools and communities to talk about the role of old growth forests in creating ecosystem health and climate stability. It was so fun, so interesting and so good for the leg muscles.

• The course I did used to be offered through the Community Arts Network SA and was university-accredited through theUniversity of Melbourne.