Navigating a Career in Agriculture

About

Name	Clayton Botkin
Job Title	Principal Consultant
Company	C. Botkin Enterprises Ltd.
Grad year	2010
Program	Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology
Major	Applied Animal Biology

• LinkedIn

Clayton offers valuable advice to high school students considering Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) and to those currently in the program. He reflects on his career journey, from starting at BC Ministry of Agriculture to eventually running his own company, sharing the insights he has learned along the way.

In addition, Clayton explored what’s challenging about his current role as a consultant in his own company and how he manages those challenges.

What advice would you give to a high school student considering your program in LFS?

Keep your options open. The flexibility in LFS programs allows you the opportunity to take courses from various disciplines. Take as many as you can and diversify your experience, this offers a glimpse into how other faculties function, and also other fields of study.

What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?

I started a business while attending UBC, which is where I focused my efforts once I had completed my degree. I then got a position with the BC Ministry of Agriculture where I spent the next 11 years in a variety of positions, and spent 9 years as the province’s poultry industry specialist, before working for a couple years at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. I left in 2023 to revive my company as a consultant, which has since taken off.

What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging?

My job is different every single day, and that is probably the part I enjoy most. The challenge is that I am often faced with emotionally charged individuals and scenarios working in and around the human-animal-environmental interface. Balancing priorities for collective benefit can be tough and requires a lot of thought, creativity, and sometimes persuasion.

Now that you have completed your undergrad and, in your career, what advice would you give to your past self or a current LFS student?

Keep an open mind, and give yourself the space, and the grace, to go explore your interests. Learn everything you can about your passions, try to share your excitement with others, and you will be rewarded for it. Try to work hard, stay humble, and give your best at everything you do. No matter how much we know, we can always learn more!

Are there any resources you would recommend for students who are looking to enter your industry and/or profession?

Become a student member of the organizations you are interested in joining. The BC Institute of Agrologists is where I started and it has been very valuable throughout my career. Seek out mentors in the fields you are interested. Sometimes having lunch and asking someone for an informational interview can help to forge relationships that will last a lifetime.