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All you can do is try. Part of that is networking – doing things that put you in contact with or get you noticed by people in the areas of work that you want to do.
 
This profession is so diverse and the edges are so broad that there is no “right way” or definitive answer to how you might get involved. Part of that is what areas of the…[Read more]

You could try working your way in on a design build landscape crew or find something else that is close to the field, but not necesarily in the field.

I think all of that could have been accomplished with a bit more design flair. I agree that trees would be out of place, but the lack of any green or pavement variation is just a blank slate. It will be terribly uncomfortable the 364 days that there is no New Years Eve party there. Much of what I had previously suggested could hav been…[Read more]

what was your billable rate at your last full time position?

I would have found space for 3-4 burr oaks, making sure they had enough growing medium and protection to survive.  In 40 years, they would make an awesome space.

Fran Lebowitz, notorious writer and social critic,  moved away from Times Square recently with some caustic comments about commercialization..But she may have been more influenced by the smoking ban..
 

The designers took a “less is more” approach, and it can work here. With so many people flooding Times Square daily and especially on New Years Eve, a clutter-free design is appropriate. With that said, the extra space can be useful for temporary art installations and events. You can criticize them for not adding anything, but the space is about…[Read more]

We use an Epson model at work that we can take with us for client meetings. I don’t know the model # off the top of my head, but it was ~$500.00 when we bought it new last year.  I really like the quality of picture on the screen and no complaints.

It looks like a weaker law than the current”
 
“the applicant has completed the course of study and been graduated from a college or school of landscape architecture approved by the board and the applicant has had 2 years of practical experience in landscape architectural work of a grade and character satisfactory to the board.”
 
It currently r…[Read more]

you want a proverb, so here’s a proverb, literally, “……he that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly” proverbs 13:20

I really like this one:
 
“To make pearls, you’ve got to eat dirt.”
 
– Frank Chimero

One of my all-time favorites Henry!

This is an interesting and important question. I too have looked for some kind of standardized fee schedule for landscape architectural work and found very little. Architects typically charge a fee of around 7-15% of the construction budget. Sometimes this is a sliding fee; Lower dollar budgets have a higher percentage and higher budgets have an…[Read more]

I absolutely agree. Setting up an LLC runs more like $800 – $1,000 and thats without the CPA – just legal fees – speaking from a place of having done it less than a month ago.
Sole proprietor you just have to register with the state and file state taxes, the federal taxes can be paid once a year on your regular tax form or you can set up quarterly…[Read more]

If you work as a contractor or consultant, be prepared to receive 1099’s in the mail come January. The 1099 is the kind of like a W2 in which the contractee files with the gubmint that they paid you, the contractor, that year. You then use the 1099 to report your income, like a W2. The tax software will tell you where to put this info, usually in…[Read more]

I also add the entire Thanksgiving Address by theHaudenosaunee, and the Words that Come Before All Else.

Oh okay, that seems to make more sense for the amount of work I am bringing in right now.  I will need to look into the various ways I will be taxed.  Thank you very much for the help, it definitely takes some stress off of wading through this stuff alone.

Eric, the key phrase in your post is “If we can show ourselves to be experts at ….”. That is what we all need to do. The problem is that so many want the profession to do that for them as if it will then apply to all within the profession. They want someone to promote the profession so that they do not have to promote themselves. It is a very…[Read more]

A Sole Proprietor business is the easiest and cheapest to set up, for reporting taxes, and for dismantling. Unless you have a lot of assetts, I don’t know why you would want to complicate it. … if you use your own name, all you have to do is report your income unless you are collecting sales or service tax (we don’t have service tax in my…[Read more]