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As far as New Urbanist, there is Kentlands, Maryland…designed by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. It is located in Gaithersburg, MD…a trip up 270 from Fairfax. It’s an okay development, while cutting edge at the time, has been far surpassed. It also is not very aesthetically pleasing and is not ageing well. Its just a dense glorified…[Read more]

Zach,
I would highly suggest trying to stop by Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, its one of my favorite places in DC. Also, high on the list would be Arlington Cemetery and the FDR Memorial. As far as New Urbanism goes, I think the best example in the area is the Kentlands up in Gaithersburg (about 20-25 minutes north of DC up 270). Let me know if you…[Read more]

My biggest regret is not studying in more detail something that is a niche area that will make you different from all other grads. Whether you want to hear about the current economic times or not they will play some role in your time at school and when you graduate. Think about what is going to make you more marketable than all the other grads,…[Read more]

Also if anyone knows of a New Urbanism development or good Urban area in the Fairfax to DC region please let me know I would like to go spec it out.

Zach

Hi Rick,
While I agree with you about well labelled plans for field use (and for presentations–well pretty much all the time) I can really appreciate individual plant symbols. Even when reading a plan in the field, identifiable plant symbols are really helpful. It’s really easy to determine what goes where, with only one glance at the label for a…[Read more]

CSI — US Nationally

hi, good question, i am glad you posted this, looking forward to other’s thoughts. Since I don’t do much in the way of specs, would like to know more also.

Way to go Jason. I like your KISS philosophy. Circles are what was used for years and all these different graphic symbols make the drawing look childish when you are using a plan to plant shrubs. I use to own a landscape construction company and if I had to translate some symbol or abbreviation each time I wanted to locate a plant I would go nuts.…[Read more]

Yah I have the exact same sentiments on the topic. Eventually though, he is going to hit the door he cant walk through because he doesn’t have the key.

The thing that degree does more so than anything else (aside from licensing) is to get you in the door. You already are through the door and have an employment record to get you the next job.

It probably would serve you best to hold your position for at least a year before moving on just in case the next position does not last long. Its hard to…[Read more]

Wise words, wise words…

I absolutely know where you’re coming from Mandy.

If I could afford to, I would probably go to grad school as well. Though I may go for something like urban design/planning or even engineering. But I get what you’re saying about ‘reigniting/restarting’ I feel the same way, the only difference being that I feel I just need to keep searching for my…[Read more]

I could take the math at community college, but we’re talking about something in the realm of $600 per course and it’s difficult to find the exact courses you need at the right times, especially with something as exacting as math. I don’t want to air my dirty laundry here too much, so I wont go into the specifics, but there are other reqs that I…[Read more]

I agree that standardization and limiting of lineweights, text, dimensioning, layering, hatches (and hatch scale), and symbol blocks adds hugely to efficiency in production.

There is nothing worse for wasting time than having to “clean up” a drawing that has any of the afore mentioned things out of whack. The number one CAD faux pas has got to be…[Read more]

What has it to do with my photo?

Hey, I apologize about the unemployment thing and the abrassiveness comment. I just got a bit tweaked that you entered the thread saying that I should be fired for not using a table for plant schedules. Maybe that was humor, but it seemed a little harsh.

Nick,

Can you take the math courses and others at a Community College at night and then petition for your degree at CSU? Have you talked with anyone at the U to find out?

The degree is a demonstration to employers that you can be taught something and maybe more importantly can complete something. My first job I learned tons and my college degree just set the foundation to grow on, but I wouldn’t have got that job with out the degree. I worked with a person with an architecture degree doing landscape architecture…[Read more]

For me personally, grad school, I feel, will be a way for me to kind of “restart”/”reignite” my career. I don’t think the type of work I’m currently doing professionally will lead me to what I’m ultimately seeking. I’ve tried applying for other jobs to no avail. So where do I go from here…I can 1) wait it out…cross my fingers and hope what I’m…[Read more]

In colorado its B(s)LA + 2 or 3 years.I think that’s probably reasonable..I guess..and 8-10 years without a degree..which seems sort of absurd, like CLARB is placating to academia. There sin’t much correlation in my opinion between what I ‘hear’ is tested for on the LARE and academic curriculum, but what do I know?

Not to be a debbie-downer, but…[Read more]

I also like to add that when I graduated with my BLA, it was the beginning of the decline. I got interviews, no problem, but what I wasn’t getting was the actual job because I graduated lacking technical skills to jump right into whatever positions they were offering. It took me 6 months to land my current job. Within those 6 months, I took an…[Read more]