Job locations for Landscape Architects

Dear Bob,

Your statements about Kuwait are misinformed. I’ve been in Kuwait for nearly 3 years leading the Landscape Architecture group for the company looking for that senior position. The two lead designers in the Architecture department are Kuwaiti! The owner and her sisters are Kuwaiti. They are all hard working and talented. The company also has several engineers in different departments that are Kuwaiti too. The government does pay out some money for native citizens and companies that employ them, but it is not going to make them rich. It’s more like a welfare system where some people in the community choose to live a minimal lifestyle and not work. The vast majority of Kuwaitis that I meet are working in a professional capacity, well educated, and nice. The Kuwait parliament is always talking about taxes and limitation on expats, but they never materialize. It’s politics to get them reelected. The country would have a huge talent drain if they took away the advantages of coming here to work and they know it. Maybe once the country is self sufficient with local talent… but that’s going to be a long time from now. The country is something like 75% expat and that is why there is always chatter about reducing that percentage. The politics here sometimes remind me of the conservative west in that regard. Fortunately, the country is led by a benevolent monarch that understands what it takes to keep the country going. They make huge investments in their infrastructure, education, and healthcare (which keeps me busy too).

Living and working in Kuwait or Dubai is not that much different than the US. I was actually disappointed that it was not as exotic as I had imagined. As a US expat, I am treated very well by the authorities, Kuwaitis, and even the street cleaners. There are tons of US and UK based franchises here for dining and shopping, I make a diligent effort to seek out local places instead. The main challenge for most is distance from friends and family back home.

One of the huge attractors for me was the opportunity to travel around the region easily. Oman, Turkey, Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Italy, Germany, and Jordan were all quick and easy trips from Kuwait. Madagascar, Thailand, Morocco, Vietnam, and Cambodia are not far away either.

That being said, I’m leaving this summer. 3 years away was enough for me. I had a good time, worked on some incredible projects, and led a loyal and hardworking team. I used my spare time to develop new artistic and technical skills. I made a bunch of money too, but that was not the motivation for coming here. Ultimately, I resigned from my job not because of Kuwait, but because the company had an architectural management bias that conflicted with my design and project management philosophy. The same can be said for many large AEC firms in the US though. The other problem was our inability to attract design talent to help me achieve our goals. This leads to burnout and frustration when you end up working 14 to 21 days straight to make up for the lack of staff. That heightened the fact that I really missed my wife, dogs, and motorcycles. No amount of financial compensation can make up for the things you miss while away. And once the honeymoon of working abroad wears off and you realize you are just working for a big AEC firm that treats design and the people who do it as a simple commodity, a sane person leaves.

Would I advise someone here to take that job they offering? That depends on the person. If you are open minded and love traveling, yes. If you are self-motivated and able to direct others effectively, yes. If you are able focus on your role and ignore office politics and the incompetence of others, yes. If you are offended by people who litter on the beach, treat staff like the tea boys or drafters like lesser people, or terrible drivers…no way. If you are an Islamaphobe, easily frustrated by government red tape, or are a social justice warrior…no way.

Most of the expats I have talked to that did a short tour in Kuwait had problems because they were unable to create a social network, missed home, or had deeply rooted western cultural values that conflicted with the reality on the ground here. It’s not for everyone, but for those with an adventurous spirit and the ability to easily adapt to a different culture it’s a great opportunity. The first year goes by in a blink of an eye due to all the stimulation of being in a new place.

Jeff

Some of my drone videos from Kuwait

I couldn’t disagree more. In my opinion, expensive places such as California and New York are perhaps the only places where Landscape Architecture is even financially possible!

The complexity of the built environment, along with strong regulations and oversight by various entities make Landscape Architecture professionals essential in order to get anything substantial built there.
In other less complex and regulated markets it is all too easy for an owner to simply hire a contractor and eliminate the Landscape Architect altogether. Many contractors offer their design services for free and can likely work with the owner and provide a good value. Now image for a moment that the landscape design needs to be coordinated with the Architect, underground utilities need to be upgraded and relocated, site walls need to be engineered due to limited soil depths, and all materials need to be craned into the site due to access restrictions… suddenly a Landscape Architect is needed.

Young new graduates want to be (and should be) where the action is. Yes, it’s expensive… and many (like myself) will simply gain a few years of invaluable experience and move on to more affordable cities.
I think the very last thing that they are looking for is a city with prudent financial policy!

Also sometimes perception is reality. And the general perception is that if you have the ability and experience of working on projects in complex markets such as California or New York, than you can work anywhere. I started my career in California and spent 3 years working on complex multi-discipline projects in heavily regulated markets. When I decided to move back to the east coast, I was highly valued and was offered a job at every firm I talked to (even in the poor economy of 2009). This was simply because I had worked in California… and a designer from California is usually perceived by others as being more creative and tech-savvy than a designer from Ohio. Now of course it’s not true, but again sometimes perception is reality.