Unemployed Recent Graduates

I am an unemployed recent graduate. I graduated Cum Laude from a fully accredited university in May. I moved to Denver, Colorado in July '08 hoping that the big city would have lots of job opportunities for me. I am currently working for a small design build company doing general landscape maintenance and snow plowing. My boyfriend is in the same position as well as a few others in our graduating class. Some are looking into other fields, one woman I graduated with wants to start an organic horticulture business.

If there are any of you out there, you are NOT alone!
I hope that we can share our woes and make it through this little slump together.

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Permalink Reply by Noah Mabry on January 23, 2009 at 8:44pm

I graduated in August with good references and real work experience. After some very promising interviews and discussions with firms last fall everything stopped for me when the bottom fell out of the economy. Many of my talented classmates haven't found jobs yet either.

I really don't think this is our fault. That is, that we are not as recent grads, unprepared or unqualified. However, the market for what we do is rather close to non existent. So don't despair Brittany!

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Permalink Reply by Vance W. Hall on January 28, 2009 at 12:41pm

Brittany,
I would not limit yourself to strictly LA work either. Check with city orgs for any related field that would allow you to work, make money and gain work experience. I agree it is more than likely a waiting game. In the meantime get LEED certified, study for the LARE, or fine tune those graphics and program knowledge.

Vance Hall
Denver CO

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Permalink Reply by Brittany Brock Birdsong on January 28, 2009 at 1:02pm

I graduated in May 08 and moved to SF with a job in July. I got laid off with almost all other new hires a few months ago. This is definitely a hard situation for recent grads to be in. My friends in TX and Louisiana are having pay cuts and people are getting laid off all over the country.

I'm studying for the LEED exam and applying to arch/engineering firms for admin/marketing jobs. I'm applying for CAD and rendering jobs too, mostly contract or part time. I'm also looking into volunteering at the park systems, planting trees, etc. and looking into other environmentally friendly work like greenpeace.

I hope it turns around soon though because I miss designing and the paychecks!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Watkin on March 19, 2009 at 2:34pm

Hi Brittany, just curious, what large firm were you with? Give initials if you wish

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Permalink Reply by Roland Beinert on February 8, 2009 at 11:03am

I graduated in 2006, found a job in Reno that lasted a year and a half. After being laid off, I found a job in Boise last February. Within about six months I was laid off again. I'm now living on unemployment. I'm three years out of college, but only have two years of experience. There's a landscape maintenance company interested in hiring me, but they won't hire till March and when winter comes around I'll face unemployment again.
I know the Census Bureau will be hiring soon. It isn't a bad option for temporary employment. Apparently the EPA will be hiring in October. They might have a use for people with our skills. The Bureau of Land Management and other government organizations might be able to use landscape architects as well. Those will probably be the most stable jobs for a while. My dad is even trying to get me to apply to the FBI. I'm still not sure exactly why.

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Permalink Reply by Brittany Noelle Fish on February 19, 2009 at 5:27pm

Hey Roland!
I actually just got a position as an assistant designer in a design build firm. I am making peanuts and don't actually get to do a lot of designing, but I am really happy to be working again!

I highly suggest checking out design build firms who don't necessarily have positions open. I don't think the recession has hit the high end residential folks yet, so that 's a good place to start.

Don't worry I am sure something will come along shortly.

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Permalink Reply by Nick on February 19, 2009 at 7:19pm

I agree with Andrew. On the flipside, or at least in adding to what Andrew said and contrary to popular belief, there is ALOT that could be learned in design-build. Before I came to school for LA I was a designer/project manager at a higher end design-build in Boulder. I found myself working most days in and out of the office splitting time between job sites in the early morning and late afternoon, designing or filling out bid sheets mid day , and meeting with clients in the evening. I also did what many design-build business owners discourage and ran my own small projects on the side. It can be very rewarding work and the design is usually alot of fun since there are usually few constraints. Good Luck!

-n

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Permalink Reply by Roland Beinert on March 12, 2009 at 12:04pm

Sometime this month I'll start a job as a mow crew leader for a landscape maintenance company. It has nothing to do with design, so I'm still looking around for something else, but I'll take what I can get for now.
At this point my goal is to go back to school when I've saved enough. There's a lot of computer programs that became popular right after I graduated, like sketchup. I'd like to learn them in an environment where I have someone looking over my shoulder. I also remember enjoying GIS work in college, and would like to relearn that. Tuition is actually fairly low as long I stay in Idaho where I have residency.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Miller on February 19, 2009 at 8:46pm

The 3 things I learned the very first day of Landscape Architecture:

1) If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend...get ready to break up with them, because you'll be spending more time in lab than with them and they probably won't like it.

2) If you're in this for the money, you can leave now.

3) Be prepared to look elsewhere for work ever 15 years, because the economy turns and the profession goes with it.

While they all didn't turn out 100% accurate, they're pretty true. It's a tough profession to get through in tough times, but this is the worst the profession has ever seen it. This downturn is global, not just national.

Be thankful for the work you have, people have to do doing things far out of their "job descriptions" just to get by. Good luck with it all, keep your heads up..

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Permalink Reply by Rob Williams on February 19, 2009 at 10:53pm

My biggest advice to you is don't be too proud to work! Whatever that work is. Sometimes when you are climbing up the rope of life you need to tie a knot and hang on. Network as much as you can now while you have the chance. All economic trends cycle.

Get as much practical experience as you can now and when the economy turns, you will be ready! Then you can start the climb again to greater opportunities.

Lastly, diversify as much as you can. Don't get your attitude down. Remember, people will hire you first because they like you and not so much how your portfolio looks. If you have a poor attitude and lack confidence, no one one will want to invite that 'cancer' into their organization. Good attitudes as well as bad attitudes are infectious!

Keep your head up and expect great things to happen to you and they will!

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Permalink Reply by David J. Chirico on February 20, 2009 at 4:47am

Whenever times are tough, I fall back on my CAD skills. That widens the target a bit because it involves so many disciplines. I worked a second shift CAD job for an engineering firm that retooled steel mills. It actually helped with my accuracy in drafting.

Best of luck to you all!