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I am going to respectively disagree. We switched our office over to mac’s about 2 years ago and when we priced out a commercial grade pc to a mac the price was within 10% of one another. The argument can be made for or against both systems but in the end it comes down to user preference. Both systems have their pluses and minuses. 

There is no reason. 0. to get a mac. On average, the hardware specs for macs cost twice as much as PCs. There was a time when it didn’t matter because you got OSX, but Windows has caught up in my opinion and OSX has stayed mostly the same. I don’t understand why we’re still on the designer/mac bandwagon in 2014. Really look closely at the specs…[Read more]

I’m glad to hear that you’ve experienced so much crossover in the small firm environment because I prefer them as well.

I understand where you’re coming from but I think you are segmenting the fields a little more than necessary.
Yes the way of thinking/approaching a problem is definitely different. Yes, they achieve different goals. However, I still fail to see why a union between civil engineering and architecture is more accepted than one between environmental…[Read more]

I worked in a small office owned by a landscape architecqt but employing both PE’s and LA’s. My experience there was similar to Andrews–lots of overlap and everyone dug in to whatever task were at hand.
My view is that LA’s tend to and should be generalists. Sure, there are specialized facets that might seem to belong to our discipline such as…[Read more]

I worked in a couple of civil engineering offices doing civil site plans although my degree and license were in landscape architecture. We all crossed over and seldom delegated to individuals based on education or license. Sometimes I’d get singled out for planting plans and one of the CEs did the hydrocad work, but for the most part we dealt w…[Read more]

Thanks for the perspective.
I know it sounds like I want to be the “one stop shop” but I think I’m unsuccessfully trying to ask about the PE/RLA experience. What is that combination like? Do the two fields even combine well? Is the work a balance of both or do you still have to ‘choose a side’?
I’m glad you emphasize work because I am starting to…[Read more]

I understand what you are saying. If I work in a firm that, for example, has an engineering department and landscape architecture department, then my tasks have a chance to become more blended.
Are you telling me that there are positions where LAs are a part of the analysis of the site, determination and implementation of the remediation method as…[Read more]

Thanks for that 
i know photoshop very well as a semi-pro photographer and he could use elements – which is quite cheap
I will suggest that, as vector works appears to be considerably expensive

If your friend still prefers to work by hand, I would suggest to him getting Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet. It takes some getting used to, but once mastered it’s as good as the traditional pen and paper with the benefits of the undo button.

To be less intimidating, I don’t know any profession where management types are more plentiful than designers/engineers/technicians/etc.

I don’t get it – my friends live within a 20min train ride to midtown and their rent is under $1k (shared) ~ $2k (1 bedroom apt), which is close to what it is in major cities up and down the eastern sea board. <30% of your income toward housing is reasonable.
maintaining a lifestyle in major cities that you would in smaller areas, is nearly…[Read more]

Just for the record – Vectorworks was designed for mac much like autocad was designed for pc. It is just as logical that Vectorworks runs better on a Mac as it is that AutoCAD runs better on a pc. Whether those differences are significant or not is another story.

Thanks for the quick reply, 

What software would you recommend – is it Vectorworks Landmark 2015 as i cant seem to find a price 
And the budget would be small

Thanks for sharing. I found this an interesting POV. It both validates what my experience were and provides an alternative solution. I wish I had a more entrepreneur spirit.

I was interviewed by NYC Parks for one position drawing details for parks that were damaged by superstorm sandy. I am currently working as a planner for FEMA working with communities affected by superstorm Sandy. I provide guidance on infrastructure and federal funding methods. AND SOMEHOW I WAS CHOSEN FOR THE JOB. even though im more wrapped up…[Read more]

When I started my practice I deliberately went to mac because after carefully reviewing my options with regard to hardware and software the reliability of the OS of a mac and the near parity of software options made it a logical choice. Gone are the days, with the notable exception of AutoCAD, are you limited by your desktop OS on what software…[Read more]