Reply To: Is it possible to get the expirience without the credentials?

[Trace One]

Sara, the huge anti-intellectual bias on this site  is shocking and I think it is one of the reasons LA can’t compete with architects..Architects respect learning, respect theory and history..and respect new ideas..LA’s like on this site, are imbued with anti-learning that is prevalent in our society.

An MLA can hire a BLA (with several years of work under their belt) to do their irrigation plans..But someone who stops at the BLA, will, by reputation, be a technician..They do not care about theory, they do not care about history..They do not care to try to break new ground. (metaphorically speaking.)

The traditional dichotomy, which all these posters have ignored, is that the MLA has thought about theory and knows history, because they care..The BLA is a technician..These degreess do not ask you to think.

This anti-learning that pervades this site is one of the reasons Architects always beat us out..They LIKE to learn, they LIKE to theorize..

I got my MLA from the U of Penn in 1987, I met the most amazing architects and LA’s of our times – James Corner was a classmate..

We must, as a society, learn to respect history and theory, and I think the one-sided bias you have received on this site, which should be open to all, is depressingly indicative of why we, as a profession, don’t succeed.

We need to embrace thoughts, embrace ideas, understand the past, and understand theortecial implications of design..People who stop at the BLA never get there, and so our profession is mired in gardeners and horticulturalists, and cannot compete against architects who respect IDEAS..

Get an MLA at a good school – learn to think, not just be a technician! You can always hire someone to be your irrigation specialist – they will work for you!