Anyone know what the job market is like for an MLA grad?

[Anonymous]

Jay – Please read the post I was responding to. I would have thought that my snarkiness would have given you a clue.

I’m also not running around on Long Island wearing a loin cloth living as a hunter gatherer. But, the credibility thing was from the heart.

[Anonymous]

Seriously Jay I have no idea when things will pick-up and neither do these ex-LAs that say landscape architecture is dead yet still hang out on the site for LAs.

The AEC industry will come back because it has to. What are going to do, live in huts and teach are kids in caves? Any new or expanding business is going to need space. We have a lot of existing space that’s in disrepair or cannot be easily converted for new uses. That means when all the heros that leave landscape architecture become “Captains of Industry” in their new fields they’ll need enclosed space to work in. This will fuel the demand for more LAs.

[Kimberly]

If I had to do it all over again, I would seriously consider saving my money on school and trying to can get an internship or job with an LA firm or Design/Build firm instead (I had one before I started school, and they wanted me to stay…dang!). I’m finding that while a great experience, what I learned in school was so minimal compared to what I am learning in the “real world.” You can’t beat experience. But being $40,000 in debt for an education that really didn’t land me a job is pretty costly. I’ve actually found more success making a living from the graphic design skills I learned in school than the other skills related to Landscape Arch. Depending on what aspect of Landscape Architecture you like, you may want to look into a certificate program or maybe even a Master Gardener program just to help you get your foot in the door somwhere…but even MLA’s aren’t fining jobs. I think Landplanner gave some really solid advice.

[Thomas MacDonald]

Kim, I will also be attending an MLA program beginning this summer, and have read through this entire thread. While I am surprised and worried by the attitudes and job market descriptions being offered by most posters, it seems to me that you are making the right decision for yourself.  Your current career does not bring you personal fulfillment or utilize your talents.  You are making a move to change your situation, and apparently that decision involves some risk of not landing a job immediately after graduation due to the current economic situation and the relative insecurity of LA as compared to some other professions.  But while there is risk in this, there is also some certainty – the certainty that continuing on in a profession you loathe without chancing to escape it would be far worse that not getting a job as a LA.  At the least, you’ll be living your dream for three years in Austin.  Welcome, btw.  I’ve loved my years in this city.

~naive Tom

[Tonie C.]

Such an interesting thread, I think that a lot of people in a variety of professions are struggling. It’s not an LA recession, it’s an international recession. I know that there some bullet-proof careers out there but I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or business executive ; ). I’m trying to take broad approach to the situation and cast a wide net. I just finished a stint in project management. I learned lot and I think it will make me a better LA. My next gig may be some other suburb of LA (yup, just made that up, look at how that creativity flows), but what else can I do? As I scan past the seemingly endless ads for UI designers, I sometimes wish I could switch but I can’t. Embrace your DNA people. Each of us will survive this in our own way. I think that it’s good to be honest with people when they ask about the profession, but please be honest with yourself too.

[landplanner]

Okay, enough is enough. Can we give this whole thread the royal rest and  deliberate negligence it so badly needs ? Everything that needs to be said has been stated here and elsewhere in related posting topics. Please people, move on.

[alland]

Yeah. Once somebody gets a reply for a resume sent out since 2008, or has more than one project a month on the boards at the most, let us now. After that, maybe we’ll know their might be an uptick,,,

[MG]

Landscape planner, I would like to know more about your Landscape Architecture job in China. I’ve noticed more job posts for entry level positions in China. What are your thoughts on the jobs out there and your experience? I graduated with a BA in LA, but I have not yet taken a job in this field since graduation. I have been thinking of applying for jobs in China, but I am not sure whether the decision of going to the other side of the world would be a good idea. Any info would be gladly appreciated!

[Heather Smith]

I have a classmate that just took a job in China!

[Heather Smith]

We have more then one project! 🙂 Design/build.

[MG]

If possible, could you find out what their experience has been like so far? Thanks!

[landplanner]

Be prepared for the following if you take an entry level job in China:

• immense culture shock
• working at turbo to warp speed and the expectation that you do whatever it takes and spend however long to get that done
• working on projects that are beyond anything in scale and size that you will find here
• finding that your chinese equivalent, with a few rare exceptions cannot draw freehand and lack any basic graphic skills. Everything is digital to them. 
• If you do get a job, you will receive nothing more than a 6 month commitment (contract) If they like you and perform well, you will be kept. 

If your ungainfully unemployed right now….. consider your options…they are very limited.

[MG]

Lol, thanks for the advice landplanner! 🙂

[Author]

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