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Same with internships.  The very few people in my class doing internships are the “software stars” of the class – OR they had prior experience in the field before starting the program.

In one particular case, a well-paying internship went to a third year BLA that already had years of experience in landscape construction and installation.  When I…[Read more]

I have found that the middle folks are being hit the hardest. The new folks out of school are the ones getting the “new jobs” as firms get busier. Since they are generally the best at the latest software and are cheaper. Just a thought.

At the present time, there is slim pickings everywhere. Most adverts are for persons with 3 to 5 years experience. Entry level would be behind that, with those with substantial experience (8yrs plus) having the hardest time finding employment. The reason? They are expensive and there are not enough projects to warrant hiring project managers.…[Read more]

So firms probably aren’t eager to hire entry level architects then and I imagine someone just out of school like me will have an extremely hard time finding work. 

We are up to 71 signatures. Please add your signature so that 100 people contact CLARB asking them to continue offering section D of the LARE so those that have passed C and/or E won’t lose what they have accomplished thus far.

Henry:
 
Your absolutely right. I was out of line and went over the line in my commentary. It came
from a place of frustration and low tolerance for some of the blog topics that get floated her
sometimes. I do not apologize for finding this one very topic to be a little lean on intro and background
that might lead to the question that it p…[Read more]

architects design indoor spaces,
landscape architects design outdoor spaces.

The deal I’ve been finding with salaries is, because many firms are tettering right now, they pay what the market will bear. Some LAs will work for less, just to get the work. I’ve talked with firms who are trying to get mid-level experienced (8-10+ yrs) people to work for near entry wages (3-5 yrs). Because they can.
They really don’t know what t…[Read more]

Yep!  I did that before applying to MLA programs.  I live in NYC where there are a lot of LArch firms.  They said that the salaries varied and were a little vague to be honest.  They did mention that the industry was seeing a slump right now but were optimistic that it would be better by the time I graduated.   

So by now you know you will not be rich by becoming a Landscape Architect. Have you talked to local practicing professionals? Visited their offices and ask this question to them. They will usually give you a good answer for the location you are in. 

April it’s so nice to hear from someone who can relate to the career transition. Yes!  I’ve definitely searched for alternative routes of education and career paths. I considered going to Yestermorrow school as well but finally decided that the MLA path would be the most stable path financially. What I’m learning from this thread contradicts…[Read more]

Do you think so? May be you are right!  Thank you for the advice! 😉

There is a lot of cross over between architects, civil engineers, and landscape architects.
 
We like to box architects as all being the same – they design buildings and are clueless once they get outside of the foundation. We like to believe that engineers are all techno-bland gear heads that make the water drain in the most mundane way…[Read more]

It all leads to… We should be leading project teams.

Isn’t this part of every project team meeting and client meeting?  We, all too often, have to state why a client/team should have us on board.  It’s a valuable question to ask day in and day out – it might be easier and rather inane to those of us who have been around for a bit, but one every student ought to be asking and challenging.

Hello Kim:
Other posters have addressed your main question regarding the job market.  I wanted to comment on your issue as a fellow “mid career changer” – I will finish up year 2 of my BLA in June.  My prior life includes 25 years of work experience in non profits, env. engineering, and law.  For reasons I won’t bore you with, I opted for a se…[Read more]

Andrew:
 
There is a better than strong likelihood that we will never meet in person. So our probable forum will probably remain here. I read this Lounge, not like a lizard, but frequently. I have always appreciated your moderation in comment and insights into the profession, where it is at, where it is not and where it might be headed. I have…[Read more]