Added Value of SketchUp

[ERIC HAGBERG]

I’m a landscape Designer in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been
using SketchUp to create Landscape Models for about 5
years now. I find myself competing with other Landscape Designers and Architects for full times jobs, and many of these designers are not familiar with SketchUp. I’ve only been out of school for 4 years and have only worked for 1Design/build company, so I struggle to calculate what I can expect as a salary vs. a designer who does not possess SketchUp skills.

So my question is this: What has been your experience
when it comes to salary or value added due to your
SketchUp or other CAD knowledge? For example, if a designer with no
SketchUp knowledge was being paid $55,000 a year, what could a
designer who is proficient with CAD and SketchUp expect to be paid
form the same company?

Thanks

ERIC

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

I think you’ll find that it each job opportunity has its own set of criteria for the applicant. If sketchup is among them, it will cut off the competition from those who don’t have that experience. If it is not required, but you bring it as an extra, it will give you an advantage if all else is equal between you and other job candidates. It may also give you better staying power if layoffs come down.

 

You’ll also find that the private sector is not like a teacher’s union where you gat extra pay based on a checklist of accomplishments.

 

Sketchup is now a normal part of most LA teaching programs and not so much a unique skill, as I understand.

 

On the other hand, you mention that many of the people in the landscape design business that you know are unfamiliar with it. You see that as a shortage that needs to be filled that should have high value. Those may see it as a skill that they don’t value enough to either learn or pay a dedicated employee to do.

 

The best answer is to test the job market to see for yourself.

[Wyatt Thompson, PLA]

Eric,  you seem to have identified need and are filling it. Good job. Andrew is right that SketchUp is taught in most programs, along with a number of other software packages. That diversity I think is a double-edged sword. It’s great to get exposure to the technology required in landscape architecture and design offices. That exposure, however, may or may not be very deep. I know lots of people who can use CAD and/or SketchUp, and I know lots of people who can use them VERY well. Those are two entirely different groups of people.

The key element is proficiency. If you are a master modeler, and you have identified a venue where that skill is needed, you can charge more than someone who can’t provide that service or who can’t provide that service as quickly/efficiently as you can. If you understand the fundamentals of the program, but lack the ability to create and manage more complex models that are required in your marketplace, then maybe you can’t charge as much, or at least not make as much if you broke down your labor per hour. 

There are lots of variables, however, that will influence what the marketplace will pay for a particular skill set (location, competition, and market segment among them). If you work for someone else, they may have an expectation of how quickly you need to produce based on the project timeframe and budget. If you’re working for yourself, you will have more control over project budgets and the hourly rate you factor into your proposals. If you’re the only game in town and you can productively use the software to win work for your employer, or produce it faster than someone else, then you probably have justification to seek higher pay in either scenario.

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