10 Great Career Options for Landscape Architects

By Land8: Landscape Architects Network on December 23, 2014 No Comments / 20972 views

A look at alternative career options for landscape architects exploring the diversity of disciplines that overlap into landscape architecture. Landscape architects have the wonderful opportunity to choose from a variety of professions. Different people have different skills. Therefore, it is really important for every specialist to find his perfect place in the field of landscaping. If you sincerely love what you do, you will become the most passionate, dedicated and satisfied expert of all. And if you become a great professional, you are most likely to become an admirable person, an absolute inspiration to the world. Finding your best career path is not an easy task. The clue to the riddle is the knowledge of all the chances and prospects that lie before you.

Here are 10 great career options for landscape architects:

1. Landscape Planner A landscape planner’s main function is to search for locations and analyze them in consideration of the existing ecological aspects and the possible environmental issues. Such specialists plan several project layouts and discuss them with the associate professionals. The respective layouts are not settled until the conclusion of the final project layout.

Bogotá Centro Administrativo Nacional . Credit: OMA

2. Landscape Assessor Landscape assessors estimate the positive and negative qualities of new landscaping projects. They study the existing environmental components, such as relief, infrastructure, waters, flora, as well as the possible long-term effect of the project on them. Thus, they explore whether certain projects should be accomplished or not. 3. Environmental Designer Environmental design involves multidisciplinary experts in the fields of urban planning, landscape architecture, and architecture. Environmental designers emphasize environmentally conscious techniques and materials in order to find the balance between functional and ecological demands when designing new constructions.

Shengyang Jianzhu University campus; credit: Turenscapes

4. Residential Landscape Architect Residential landscape architecture is based on the respect for the environment and the need to create outdoor living spaces that highly improve clients’ lifestyles. Residential landscape architects design natural land areas in and around neighborhoods, houses, and other residential areas. They are concerned with some specific aspects of each project, such as the client, the site, the home, etc.

Floating bed. Credit: Ritz Exterior Design

Residential Landscape Architecture. Credit: Ritz Exterior Design

5. Nursery Grower Nursery growers cultivate trees, shrubs, and flowers for sale or use in parks and landscapes. They tend to plants throughout their growth by transplanting, pruning, watering, and fertilizing them, and can also interbreed plants. Some nursery growers own their small business, while others work for large nurseries that supply plants to garden centers or large landscaping companies. Related Articles:

6. Academic Career Theory and practice: Which one fits you best? If you are interested in research, administrative responsibilities, or teaching, an academic career path may be your perfect decision. As an academic, you will be expected to come up with ideas for original research, to gather information from relevant sources, to publish reports, etc. 7. Plant Pathologist Plant pathologists study plant organisms, plant diseases, and nutrition to maintain the health and beauty of vegetation. Pathologists work in university departments, government-funded research, or in the private sector. Their work may be conducted in labs or outside, in the natural plants’ habitat. Most briefly, they are the defenders of plants’ health.

Botany for Designers. Read our book review here!

8. Landscape Scientist If you have a thing for science, geology, or botany, or if you care deeply about environmental conservation, this might be your ideal job. Landscape scientists apply their objective expertise to practical landscaping issues. Their work includes ecological and habitat surveys, soil analyses, reclamation techniques, pollution management, etc. 9. Landscaping Account Manager A landscaping account manager is the “mouth” of a landscaping firm. He answers for creating, maintaining, and enhancing landscaping accounts. This manager also acts as the supervisor of office work, meets with clients, and analyzes budgets. He balances the necessities for new work with the current financial state of the landscaping company. 10. Lecturer in Landscape Architecture If you have the art of public speaking and if you wish to work with people by giving them your professional opinion and advice, lectureship may turn out to be your occupation. Lecturers lead courses, teach in universities, and may participate in conferences and symposia as guest lecturers.

Know that your teacher hasn't got all of the answers; image credit: Sergey Nivens / shutterstock.com

Perhaps you should be teaching. Image credit: Sergey Nivens / shutterstock.com

And yet, there is one ultimate attitude that is hardly likely to be learned from landscape architecture lectures. Maybe it’s best to learn it from your own experience and insight. For as the great Confucius once said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Isn’t that what we all want? Recommended Reading: