Hey Thomas. Your boss is probably under considerable pressure to perform as well, and may not deal with his expectations very well or has difficulty communicating/relating to junior personnel. Your were hired as an entry level designer and it should be expected that you will be performing at that level with learning time and mistakes being part of the deal. Should you continue to work with this company, your challenge will be to take your emotions out of any criticism and give yourself permission to learn and enjoy design even if others can’t. Criticism in any form can sap our design spirit for a bit but it is very important to becoming a great landscape architect. We have all made considerable mistakes in our careers. This is tough, but if you can do these things it will take you a long way when you are facing criticism:
1. Take slow deep breaths.
2. Focus on what your boss or critic desires regardless of how they are saying or whether you agree.
3. Make sure you understand what they want and calmly tell them if you don’t understand.
4. With eye contact and keeping calm (breathing) let them know that you understand and reassure them that you are on their team and going to do everything you can to accommodate.
Whether it is a grumpy boss or public comments at a design review these techniques have worked for me. Keep at it. Don’t let one personality, one job or a few mistakes keep you from a great career.
