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Surv/Eng Firm (40-42hr weeks) for me (I am an RLA)  …usually 40
paid hourly, time and a half for OT, just like my co-workers.
generally 8-4:30 M-F, but allowed flex time.
 
… all these years I thought I was missing out not working in a big LA firm.
 
Does the long hours and short pay happen in small LA firms, or only the big name ones?

I couldn’t find it in any of the nurseries here in SoCal since it is warm season, but I just bought Aristida purpurea seeds from Theodore Payne Society. I’ll post pictures in a few months…

exactly the same for me. 
I had over 3 weeks of “comp time” that went unused/unpaid when I left my job because I was never allowed to take it. In the end I didn’t even bother asking for it. It would have been ok if (as discussed with my former employer) it was taken into account for salary and bonuses, but no bonus was given. Anyway starting a…[Read more]

Awesome!

Dude, take a chill pill.  No need for the hostility.

Just trying to lighten the mood a bit… it wasn’t a reference to your last name. Besides, it’s McDonalds (Irish) not MacDonalds (Scottish)… You’re probably just overly sensitive to cheeseburger jokes… no need to hit bellow the belt. Don’t worry, I don’t hold out much hope, if any, of a shiny new LA future… Most likely I’ll be working at…[Read more]

I’m sure you realize that AZ is just about the worst place to be working in any field related to development right now, yet you insist that your experiences in the AZ market is somehow representative of the “real world.”  I wouldn’t touch a $1500 job with a 10′ pole, it wouldn’t be worth it for a firm the size of mine, our overhead is too high.  F…[Read more]

Why aren’t you passing that fee on to the client?  Whether it is itemized or rolled into your design fee, It is perfectly reasonable to pass that on to the client.

I like cheeseburgers.

That sounds like a pretty chill schedule… It looks like you even squeaked out 40.5 billable hours… that’s a lot better than cracking-out on AutoCAD for 36 hours straight, getting 6 hours of sleep and then finishing the week with 12+ hour days…

I would agree.  Or maybe they just charge Russell $600 a sheet for review, to compensate for dealing with his flowery disposition.

Laguna Beach, CA. With the amount of work I was doing, it might as well have been Nebraska. I didn’t see the light of day… don’t let exotic locales and big names lure you into sacrificing everything for a job. It’s not worth leaving friends, family, a great town and spending every penny you have. Yeah, it was expensive.

I agree with Mike, define reasonable.  Is someone who’s doing project management work but still getting paid a drafter’s wage reasonable (victim of an invisible promotion)?  Especially in this economy, employers have their pick of a very large pool of applicant and everyone is desperate for a foot in the door.  Are you willing to put your job on…[Read more]

sounds to like they want to discourage development to me

God forbid you have a family in this career.

I know this doesn’t help answer the posters questions but i want to add that I have had this conversation multiple times with family over the holidays.
 
When will the time come when companies (not just LA) realize the day of low balling employees and working them to the bone with the threat of job l…[Read more]

HA! exactly, Thomas..I think the Tardus Ignoro also drips gum onto the sidewalks, like an old car leaking oil.
 
 

I enjoy a little car-pedestrian etiquette and the associated communication techniques. There are a whole series of hand gestures, body posturing and eye movements involved for both driver and pedestrian. It is this interaction, amongst other things, that makes a town a village and intersperses a bit of humanity into everyday life. The interactions…[Read more]

I understand your point and agree. It’s just that it seems like right now a lot of firms that are posting for entry level jobs are giving a lot of preference to MLAs. I’ve also heard directly and indirectly from employers that anything above cad/graphics robo work is reserved for advanced degree holders.

lol!

A third party add on to AutoCAD that we have been using for several years is M-Color.  It provides several options for sketchy “hand drawn look” styles as well as many other rendering techniques.  All exports are vector so you will always get a nice print.  I still don’t think it replaces Photoshop or Illustrator; however it is a very handy to…[Read more]