I just moved back to CA from Athens, GA because my wife finished vet-school at UGA. Before the initial collapse I postponed my LARC career in the private office so she could return to school. When we returned to the country and moved to GA several colleagues were out of work and some for over a year by then.
As for Athens, take note that Atlanta, GA has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. One hour away, Athens does receive extra income as a college town but the region is not growing. It was bad enough that LA students at UGA could not find free internships for school credit.
A large part of the population went back to school once everyone realized this was going to be a long dry spell. When looking to leave a stressful, non-exciting, desk job, several thought Landscape would be fun and colorful. Instead they found a stressful, sometimes exciting, desk job…but of course, if they found a job.
The colorful master plans everyone plasters to advertise is simply a marketing tool. Many outside the profession don’t realize the colored renderings are to drum up public support and finances and are often a far cry from the finished product (think “concept cars”). They have to be created because few people can correctly read a set of construction plans. Nothing would get built if we relied on cd’s to secure funding and gain name recognition.
Our profession is currently undergoing a dramatic definition change fueled by so many people in related fields and others doing anything they can to survive. No one bails water faster in a sinking boat than a scared sailor. Those who realize it’s changing will be ahead of the curve and prosper. The others will either retire out, fall to the wayside, or look for jobs within the competition.
This is not a time for a career change into Landscape. However, a newbie coming in looking for a first career will have the time and more likely to have the lower financial req’s (i.e. kids, second car payment, mortgage, addt’l school loans, etc.) and be able to ride out the slow economy.
