Andrew Garulay, RLA

When working independently, start by seeing if you can get ANY work. If you do get work, incease your prices as your schedule fills and as people depend on you more. Remember that you can always increase your prices in the future, but if you start with a high price you might not get the initial opportunity. The important thing is to get your foot…[Read more]

That would be the same up here. I had a situation where a historic commission member took a copy of my stamped plan, erased pert of it, redrafted his idea, and tried to propose it as an alternative … and did not erase my stamp! The town council ripped him a new one. I could have taken action, but did not. … not sure if he had to resign or not.

Here in Massachusetts we still have only a Title Act. LAs typically draw out their own grading plans and then hand them off to a CE to finish it off with the final calculations and drainage structures unless they are part of a multi-dis firm. The CEs don’t really re-design the grading so much as refine the LAs grading to make sure they are…[Read more]

It looks to me that LAs are currently specifically listed along with CEs an PLSs and that the new language is more qualatative and up to some discretion regarding “qualified to perform”. I don’t see how that translates to expanded roles, unless I am mis-interpretting what I read.
 
Massachusetts has two bills stalled away. One that basically a…[Read more]

I have to believe that anyone who can do all that in a big firm can make a living without the firm.

I think it comes down to the fact that one or a few people can produce the creativity and apply much of the knowledge on projects that require a larger number of people to produce the deliverables on. The creativity part is what we all get into this profession to do. I’m not sure that too many of us would be any more eager to hire people to do…[Read more]

Let’s not forget that one of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, that will put you over the top is if you have contacts, connections, or any demonstrated asset which indicates that you can bring in new work. Not a skill set that can do new work, but actually bring new prospects to the office.
 
Obviously, that is not going to help ent…[Read more]

The fact that you had it is proof that you had the qualifications.

I just domo’d it for the last month. I’ve been drawing 2d landscape plans in various forms of Autocad for a dozen years and there was not much in there to compel me to buy it. That does not mean that it does not have a lot to offer, if you will benefit from what is there. It depends what you need.
 
I really don’t like Bricscad, don’t want to buy…[Read more]

I live in a coastal community. I’d like to help, but very few of your examples resemble much of what are typical or typically sought after looks up here. Because of that, I don’t think I can be helpful to your survey. It looks very regional and because of that, very limited to participation of people from your region.

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…[Read more]

Gone are the days of employees being committed to a career in one company. A lot is made about companies not being loyal. But I have to say that during the boom (98-2006) people in all kinds of jobs left for greener pastures at the drop of a hat. There was so much opportunity opening up every day and ambitious people want to move up, so we did. We…[Read more]

No, but three years ago at this time I was very concerned about being laid off because I could see that we were slowing down. I work for one of the nicest people I have ever worked for – not all warm and fuzzy in your face nice, but a person who quietly does extraordinary things for you kind of nice. He did layoff a couple of people. Fortunately,…[Read more]

I don’t get it. Why do so many of us feel like we do not do work that is valued by others? If I’m not doing work that is valued by others, I’d be both unemployed and out of business … or I’d be darn sure to find what it is which is valued and find a way to do it. I would not and do not worry what  the model landscape architect is supposed to b…[Read more]

Aside from the owner, I am the second person in terms of site planning in a nine person civil engineering office with three licensed surveyors, two licensed engineers, an EIT, and another person with 20+ years of experience doing civil plans …. and they let me work part time (my request) because they don’t want to lose me … I got my degree…[Read more]

Have you tried to work in a civil engineer’s office as civil engineering staff rather than a specialist LA? We can bring a lot to the table in terms of skill set that is very well suited for local civil firms. They do more site planning than anything else. Their interns have more experience measuring vibrations on bridges, compaction from test…[Read more]

ASLA is not a government agency. We choose to join it or not to join it. They are an entity that is membership driven rather than an organization with an obligation to hand out support to the down trodden. Like any big organization, it is as much about being an industry of its own (not a slam, just a reality). I believe that membership has the p…[Read more]

You just answered your own question. Show these emerging professionals how to “demonstrate problem solving skills, creativity, etc.” .
 
This thread can be like a site inventory in a landscape design process.Is it time to do the analysis stage and combine it with your project goal “create a better connection to ASLA” and build out an ideal s…[Read more]

Hourly is a nice way to go, but if you are doing residential in a competitive market, it is much harder to sell. The trick to doing contract price design is to define what you will do in a quantitative manner including how many meetings, how many revisions, … and what the hourly rate is for anything and everything beyond that.
 
I have…[Read more]

It is just as strict as ever in my area. The only thing thing that I have seen that is economic crisis driven mitigation is that the state granted a blanket extension on Orders of Conditions so that projects that have been permitted won’t expire from delays on financing. ie, subdivisions that were required to have the infrastructure constructed in…[Read more]