Anyone know what the job market is like for an MLA grad?

I'm a mid-career professional thinking of going back to school and getting an MLA. It'd be a major lateral transition in my career but I am so attracted to this field and it's a much better fit for me than public administration (my current job)

I've been accepted to University of Georgia and University of Texas at Austin. But lately my enthusiasm has been tempered by the posts that I've read on some forums here about scare LArch jobs. It sounds pretty dire. Anyone think the job market will see an uptick in a few years? I'm hoping to work in a major city for a studio that specializes in large, sustainable public projects. Thanks!xo

-Kim

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Permalink Reply by Kim Romano on May 31, 2012 at 2:45pm

Thank you! And I agree.

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Permalink Reply by April Prey on May 31, 2012 at 9:04pm

Good luck Kim! Texas sounds like a blast...I want to do a BBQ tour of the area some day. That....and spend a week at a bucking bull ranch so I could draw bulls day in and day out.

The naysayers seem to have forgotten that you already have a career that gave you a skill set you could fall back on if necessary - or even possibly merge some of your skills/experience with the MLA.

Let us know how it goes - would love to read about it.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Romano on June 1, 2012 at 6:15am

Thanks April. Good luck to you too! I heard that UW has an excellent program.

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Permalink Reply by landplanner on June 1, 2012 at 3:27pm

You heard right about the UofW program. I am proof positive of that. Did it increase my employment appeal ? Yes, back when there was real, positive employment in our profession.

Your encouraging naysayer.

Landplanner

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Permalink Reply by landplanner on May 31, 2012 at 5:24am

Earthworker wrote the type of reply I was actually going to write to you myself, but, in a rare moment of indecision, I decided to keep mine decidely upbeat. All the points Earthworker raises are undeniably and irrevocably true. You can chose to inhale whatever reality warping and mind altering compounds that make up the rarified air you seem to be now breathing. A very reliable and sound reference I have gone to time and again is the economist Paul Krugman of the NYT. Not to long ago, he was referring to this long passage we are going through as the "Great Desperation". He has now moved to a new moniker, "The Lesser Depression".

Select either reference point or come up with your own. Sure thing, follow your passion, your heart, your noble motives and so and so forth. Better yet, first year at U of T, change your major to something you can probably find a job and make a self-supportive living in a couple of years, Accounting and Software Engineering come immediately to mind. Anything health-care related is very fungible right now and will continue to be. Final advice, avoid Facebook stock shares at all costs.

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly on June 6, 2012 at 6:48am

If I had to do it all over again, I would seriously consider saving my money on school and trying to can get an internship or job with an LA firm or Design/Build firm instead (I had one before I started school, and they wanted me to stay...dang!). I'm finding that while a great experience, what I learned in school was so minimal compared to what I am learning in the "real world." You can't beat experience. But being $40,000 in debt for an education that really didn't land me a job is pretty costly. I've actually found more success making a living from the graphic design skills I learned in school than the other skills related to Landscape Arch. Depending on what aspect of Landscape Architecture you like, you may want to look into a certificate program or maybe even a Master Gardener program just to help you get your foot in the door somwhere...but even MLA's aren't fining jobs. I think Landplanner gave some really solid advice.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas MacDonald on June 6, 2012 at 11:52pm

Kim, I will also be attending an MLA program beginning this summer, and have read through this entire thread. While I am surprised and worried by the attitudes and job market descriptions being offered by most posters, it seems to me that you are making the right decision for yourself. Your current career does not bring you personal fulfillment or utilize your talents. You are making a move to change your situation, and apparently that decision involves some risk of not landing a job immediately after graduation due to the current economic situation and the relative insecurity of LA as compared to some other professions. But while there is risk in this, there is also some certainty - the certainty that continuing on in a profession you loathe without chancing to escape it would be far worse that not getting a job as a LA. At the least, you'll be living your dream for three years in Austin. Welcome, btw. I've loved my years in this city.

~naive Tom

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Permalink Reply by Tonie Cox on June 19, 2012 at 11:44pm

Such an interesting thread, I think that a lot of people in a variety of professions are struggling. It's not an LA recession, it's an international recession. I know that there some bullet-proof careers out there but I'm not a doctor, lawyer, or business executive ; ). I'm trying to take broad approach to the situation and cast a wide net. I just finished a stint in project management. I learned lot and I think it will make me a better LA. My next gig may be some other suburb of LA (yup, just made that up, look at how that creativity flows), but what else can I do? As I scan past the seemingly endless ads for UI designers, I sometimes wish I could switch but I can't. Embrace your DNA people. Each of us will survive this in our own way. I think that it's good to be honest with people when they ask about the profession, but please be honest with yourself too.

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Permalink Reply by landplanner on June 20, 2012 at 4:42am

Okay, enough is enough. Can we give this whole thread the royal rest and deliberate negligence it so badly needs ? Everything that needs to be said has been stated here and elsewhere in related posting topics. Please people, move on.

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Permalink Reply by alland on June 20, 2012 at 8:47am

Yeah. Once somebody gets a reply for a resume sent out since 2008, or has more than one project a month on the boards at the most, let us now. After that, maybe we'll know their might be an uptick,,,