Activity

Recovery to the bubble years or to a stable economy?  I get the feeling many folks want/expect recovery to take us into the bubble economy of the 90s/00s… which isn’t healthy.
 
The BDI is back up to its “normal” levels, which would indicate that big picture manufacturing and construction outlook is normalizing (it’s a bit down of late due to o…[Read more]

Hi Chris,
 
I too have had similar experiences with the NYS Office of Professions regarding professional experience requirements.  I’ve found them to be very rigid with the experience gained under “allied professions”.  My situtation was similar in that I worked for years under the direct supervision of a registered landscape architect, but wi…[Read more]

But both that temporary job and the furloughed job exist, at least where I work, to some degree because of the Reinvestment stuff.
The alternative would have been no jobs all around.
 
 

and don’t forget that the tax cut bill, as far as I know, also involved the elimation of the mortgage tax credit. No more subsidized sprawl, less jobs for residentially inclined LA’s..

Jason, I disagree – the stimulus funds kept many state DOT’s going, it certainly did ours, and the smart economists (Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz) detail it’s effects, with the only complaint being it should have been larger.
Additionallly, government jobs related to climate change are not going to go away, this expertise will proliferate, and…[Read more]

The ‘stimulus’ has really failed to materialize anything outside of street resurfacing. Many other projects had been on the DOT schedules for 5 years or more (DOTs plan out projects years in advance) meaning no design work was created. Local municipalities are broke and not investing in anything outside of necessities. ‘Stimulus’ was an utter…[Read more]

There already is a proliferation of jobs related to climate change review in the governments (state, fed., local). These could be a real chance to make a difference. Also walkable street type jobs – related to climate change mandates, actually. These are good places to look for work, and will only grow in the coming decade. IMHO

Bad news:
Home sales about even from 2009 to 2010. Whether or not you work or want to work in the residential sector, it is a large pert of the profession that usually absorbs a large percentage of employed LAs that may or may not be competing for jobs in the sectors that you may want to work in. Worse yet is that when home sales are down, real…[Read more]

I agree.. that’s very important. If it feels like a good working relationship that earns you lots of “points.” Sometimes listening is more impressive than speaking (and a bit rare these days)

Hi Amy, Great advice… I hope you are still enjoying NY! Happy Holidays, Lorna

Thank You All,
This is some really good stuff to know and consider.  I found this site to be very helpful not only in job searches but other avenues of the profession as well, Land8 does a great job with current topics and issues and I am very happy to be part of such a distinct group.  And to have other professionals comment and give their i…[Read more]

You should try “Array”

 
The two best questions a job-seeker has ever asked me:
 
1.  At the conclusion of the interview, I thanked her and let her know I had several more people to interview and would get back to her blah blah blah. She said that she understood and thanked me for the opportunity, and then she asked “Is there anything from this interview that you thi…[Read more]

You can always ask ” where can I see myself within the company structure in five years if I accomplish my goals within this company?”
 
Make sure you can list your strongest assets and how you can hit the ground running for the company, what you bring to the table and how it will help their firm immediately and in the future. Make sure you know…[Read more]

Be sure you understand the cost of living of the new city and how your new salary will fare there. It might be quite different from what you expect. You can discover that on-line. For example http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html
It probably makes sense to try (I have no idea how though) to gauge the market for L.A.s there…[Read more]

“How can I help you and your company achieve it’s goals.”
(From NYT business section interview with business person, what they want to hear from interviewees..”
Never tried it myself.
 

If you are to move so far, be sure to ask about the stability of work. In this economy, it is very dangerous to risk an expensive and disruptive move if the firm only has three to six months guranteed work. I know people who had gotten jobs only to have them disappear less than a year later. I had interviewed a few places myself, and several of…[Read more]

Question-1: Are you hiring?
Answer: Yes.
Question-2: When can I start?