Reply To: What can be done to improve the ASLA…

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

Is Land8Lounge not an altenative? Think about it. There is a lot of participation and nothing seems to be off limits. I think it is a place where you can share experiences, vent frustration, and get some guidance.

I think the frustration people get from ASLA is disappointment based on expectations. Some of those expectations may come from our professors and from ASLA itself, but I think that in the end it is of our own doing. If you don’t expect ASLA to take charge of your career (directly or indirectly) there really is nothing to be disappointed by.

If you look at what it is and what it does, there is nothing to be disappointed with. It promotes and shares some stuff that can be very interesting. Not all of it is great for everyone, but where on the planet does the answer to all things exist?

I’m not a member, so I’m not defending them out of a sense of belonging. I personally, don’t have a lot of interest in most of the topics they cover, but I see nothing negative about that. It is like a magazine subscription – you buy what interests you, but it does not mean that those that don’t are bad.

 

Our careers are in our own hands. Don’t dwell on putting it in someone else’s hands. It is just unrealistic.

 

Join ASLA if there is information and participation that you feel is beneficial – use them to your benefit if they do benefit you. Don’t join if you think you’ll all of a sudden get a competitive edge because you can put ASLA after your name because that is the kind of expectation that results in disappointment.

 

The question to me is not what I want ASLA to be. It is seeing what it is and asking myself if I want to participate or not.