Andrew Garulay, RLA

I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do when I started my degree in 1983. … after dropping out because I was told by people with he exact same “vision” of the profession that Bob has because my graphic abilities were “not going to get you hired”.

I went back 12 years later because technology allowed me to draw just fine without using my h…[Read more]

Some see it as a diverse profession and others do not.

“We don’t all present the same strong suits but if you kid yourself too much, and blame the market without any willingness to improve skills for a wider array of clients, then you may not have the volume of work you aspire to. But there is the option of preferring a sub-realm anyway.”

I think that you are exactly right. Especially the part of d…[Read more]

As someone whom you have described in a similar fashion in the past, I could tell you why.

I could also tell you why landscape architects are losing ground to other professions in the business of design on the land while at the same time there is more design on the land going on.

I could tell you why not all that you perceive are bad or weak…[Read more]

“…any design idea is ‘automatically’ good and not questioned regarding practicality.”

My best professor used to say “so what” when someone presented a stunning visual plan with the intent on getting one to explain “why”. He was the last “old school” professor at the university that I went to. I got the most out of him because he “beat into me”…[Read more]

I wish they had more emphasis on:

1. the diversity of opportunities there are to apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities one acquires with the education.

2. that strengths in some areas can overcome weakness in others.

3. that less is sometimes more. (rather than giving the impression that more deliverables, more management, higher end…[Read more]

High cost of living states are typically states that have a large wealthy population (in numbers, not percent of population)and “big business”. Those are places where more money is spent on things that landscape architects do. That in turn means more opportunity. That is why you see job advertisement in those areas.

Also, high tax states are…[Read more]

The internship and license process, in my opinion, is a mechanism to gain experience and knowledge in areas that may otherwise not present themselves or avoided because of lack of confidence or competence. That is a good thing for anyone trying to be competitive in a free market world where you need to be offering something that someone else wants…[Read more]

Neil,

Have you looked at any GIS software to run a query on slope analysis to visually show you slope percentages. It has been 20years since I used GIS, but it was very easy and fast to isolate slopes between certain percentages at that time. I’m sure it is as least as easy today. I would not be surprised if there is a CAD/GIS program that could…[Read more]

…. and somewhere along the way different professionals started sharing files.

The LAs who still draw only by hand either have no idea or don’t care that everything has to be re-drawn in CAD if it is going to be precisely laid out in the field. Hand drawings are great, but you can’t snap survey points in them in ten minutes, load it in a data c…[Read more]

I have begun to write on this thread several times and held back because it is a touchy subject, but it should be discussed.

I see a lot of diversity in this profession. There is some type of discrimination in every aspect of our lives. It is also true that whenever any of us are not advancing as fast or feel like we are not getting treated the…[Read more]

I think we agree on most of it. The area where we differ is that I don’t like the licensing becoming too powerful. I think it is OK where it is simply because it is such a diverse field that after two years you should be competent enough to do what someone who would hire someone with two years experience needs you to do. AND, it is highly unlikely…[Read more]

It is a two sided coin. Some LA firms exploit internships with short pay and have a revolving door by replacing their “seasoned” interns with new interns rather than paying them more. More internship time equals more potential exploitation. The other side of the coin is that you have license candidates with more “experience”.

But, what is that…[Read more]

My whole point is that even if Landscape Architecture firms are failing (not sure of that, just hearing the statistics) there is good design going on. You can’t tell me that there is nothing being built that is well designed these days. And you can’t tell me that everything designed by Landscape Architecture firms in the past was all good design.…[Read more]

I agree that LA needs to have credibility and that professional licensing helps in that as well. There is nothing new about many other professionals and non-professionals doing design on the land. I don’t see them as competing against Landscape Architecture. They all fill needs in different ways for people with varying needs or they simply would…[Read more]

I say it all of the time. Landscape Architecture work has not disappeared. The title and structure of the profession is what has changed. It was an emerging profession that seemed like it was growing and taking off toward something on an equal footing with other licensed professions coming out of the 60’s. Something clearly happened or is…[Read more]

The counter point to that is that the areas that you would not consider are areas with people with a lot of money, a high amount of “keep up with the Jonses” mentality, and a lot of regulation. All of these things add up to more opportunity in general as well as a higher need for design professionals not only to meet their aesthetic needs, but…[Read more]

It is very much state to state. A state with a Practice Act may have specific things that an LA can stamp while states with a Title Act pretty much allows you to do what any other person with no license can do except you can call yourself an LA. I see many Practice Acts as being little more than a Title Act to be honest with you. But, some states…[Read more]

No, I have not worked with the other units. I get by very well with the 910, so no strong desire to upgrade. Most of my jobs have fairly complete surveys anyway. I use it to supplement if they don’t get all of the trees, or if it is a small job like adding a swimming pool to an existing house. It does not replace a survey crew on a full site, but…[Read more]