Pest Control Trainee

You're learning to fight bugs for a living, and the training period is equal parts classroom chemistry and crawlspace horror movie. You'll shadow a licensed tech, learn to identify insects by sight (and sometimes by the screaming of the homeowner), and study for the state license exam that lets you legally spray things that kill other things. The good news: bugs are predictable. The bad news: the spaces you'll crawl into are not.

What you'll actually do

• 01Shadow a licensed technician and learn what to spray, where to spray, and why
• 02Identify pests by sight — or by the client pointing and screaming
• 03Study for the state pest control license exam in your off hours
• 04Carry equipment and chemical tanks that make you feel like a one-person SWAT team
• 05Learn the difference between a German cockroach and an American cockroach (yes, it matters)
• 06Build up your tolerance for crawlspaces, attics, and things with too many legs

Career Path

Where this role sits in the bigger picture — and where it can take you.