[brian matthew walker]

That was actually pretty encouraging! Thanks for that. It does sometimes feel like it is hanging over my head, Like I have something I have to get done!

[brian matthew walker]

I appreciate your responses! Just to be clear, I do not anticipate being handed a raise based on a sheet of paper I took a test for. I just wasn’t sure if a set billable fee directly determined how much you pay for the person who billed the hours.

I have read a lot into the 1/3rd rule, and currently my billable time seems right on line with that rule. It may be that which might have triggered the curiousity.

I actually had a conversation with my employer recently, and he told me he would refund me every section of the test that I pass.

Thanks again for your responses!

[brian matthew walker]

I typically create the base in autocad (flatten if needed), then import the drawing into Sketchup.  I use a lot of plugins to further cleanup the drawing in SU, also to join line, purge any unnecessary layers.  Then run “make faces” (another SU plugin) to generate faces of closed segments, then begin extruding.  

After I am happy with the model, I render in SU Podium, which is a great seamless rendering software for sketchup!

[brian matthew walker]

Glad I saw this discussion…I have been debating whether or not to get a Wacom product. have not yet decided if i want to spend the extra to get a Cintiq or not.  Probably will just go with the IntuoPro or something similar.  Does anyone on here say that I should just spend the extra dim and get the Cintiq? Another question, Can you use these other tablets that everyone has listed on this forum to work directly in Photoshop when plugged in to your computer or does it only work with the tablets version of photoshop?  Personally I feel like the Cintiq will give you the best workflow, but is it hard to use a tablet while looking at a different screen?

Please explain pros/cons of each!

Thanks!

[brian matthew walker]

I think u May kind if have the same mind set as I did when I was still looking..I was almost convinced that whoever interviewed me was gunna be a tight wad exec with no life and wanted only someone with perfect skills in his/her office. However, that was the exact opposite of all the of them..everyone was down to earth and open to talk about whatever you felt comfortable/appropriate. I really actually believe that they would prefer candidates to come to them and set things up rather than reach out.

[brian matthew walker]

Is the new test perceived as being easier, or harder? Im not sure if there is a “fair” way to answer this. Unless someone took the old test and immediately took the second and then compared the results to see if they were extreme enough to draw a comparison. I have however heard that the computerization of the new test has practically ruled out a lot of the mistakes that people made in the past (drafting error, and calculation) personally not taken either I was only worried about the grading portion and now I don’t seem so worried about it. Has anyone recently taken it that can give me some pointers, or what to expect?

[brian matthew walker]

Not really for free, but you can buy the study materials at the same place you sign up for the test.  I took the first one right out of school ( bought the study materials) aced the first test.  Still waiting to see the scores for the second but im sure I did fine.  They are pretty similar questions to what the test will have.

[brian matthew walker]

I actually graduated in May and at one point I thought i would never find a job! I do not know where you are looking to work, or how far you are willing to move/interview, but after sending one resume/portfolio to one company after the other I decided to change strategies.  I wanted to work in the Dallas metro area which is about 6 hours away form my home town.  I called a company that i knew was hiring or was looking for an entry level candidate.  I also looked for companies that did not require over 5 years experience.  What I did was called them and asked to talk to someone who good give me information about the position.  I then told them that i would really like to come by and get an idea of the work environment, and maybe take a tour of their office.  After I warmed up to them I basically just asked them If it would be ok if at some point in the near future if I could come by. 100% of them were thrilled at the idea.  Not sure if it will always be the case but it seemed like the odds would be in your favor.  After I got my first,  I got a few others and set them up for the same weekend so I would not have to make multiple trips.  These trips inevitably become “first impression interviews”.  They will sit you down and ask to see your portfolio, talk to you about your experience in college, what you have done other than school the last couple of years or so, and it makes it much more laid back and less stressful.  

I actually set up 3 in one weekend and after I had gotten home later that week I got 3 phone calls with 3 job offers.  The one I actually took was initiallly looking for someone with 2-4 years of experience so dont limit yourself to just “entry-level”.  If they like you, then they like you.  

I told them that it was great to hear back from them so soon, and thanked them again for letting me come down.  I am married so i told them that I would like to discuss it with my wife before I give them a defining answer. I knew which one I wanted to work with the most out of the 3 and got that call second and accepted Immediately.  The 3rd that called I told them that I really enjoyed the visit but was fortunate enough to have been offered a job that I did take.

What I took out of all of this….Don’t just send your stuff hoping to get a call back.  Get them to answer the door and squeeze your way in while saying hello!!  May sound a little pushy but after all that experience I know that people don’t want to just hire what they see on paper, but they want to work with someone they can work with.

Try it out, and let me know how you do.  I Would love to hear if this technique works more times than not.

[brian matthew walker]

Thanks for the answers! I did kind of figure that this was probably the case.  Heres another one for you.  I was actually told a week or so ago that he needed to get me started at some smaller projects in the field for construction management.  What exactly is expected of me when i get out there?  I mean for now..I know what the plan says to do, and I feel like i have a pretty good understanding of what it should look like.  What types of issues might pop up that I will need to address?  If i do not have the answer what is the best method to approach the situation.  

I guess what I keep thinking will happen is a question will arise that I do not have the answer to, and the crew/contractors will have negative thoughts about my credibility.  Of course I realize that you have to start somewhere, and i know im not going to be thrown into a million dollar project right away, but still haha

Do any of you guys have any stories from your first experiences out in the field? 

[brian matthew walker]

Another question…
If I currently do not receive benefits other than paid holiday time off. And apparently after first year paid vacation and paid time off does the other “2/3” serve as added profit for the company? Everyone at the firms has their own private insurance. Should there be some sort of compensation to cover the expenses that I will have to pay for medical/retirement and so on? I’m still unsure of a bonus package (or at least I have not heard of anything) if I were to bring this up would I be in the right to ask for added income to cover this?

[brian matthew walker]

All of these responses have been most helpful! Like I previously stated I began playing around with array and it was very useful.  I also now have been playing around with the measure and divide which speeds things up a bit more!  I also downloaded the free trial of land fx on my personal laptop and it is great. just need to learn it a bit more. Thank you all so much! God Bless!

[brian matthew walker]

I started messing around with the path array command and found that you can control pretty accurately the spacing of plants. You can also tell it how many rows you want and everything. You can also hover over it when the command is done and add/ subtract plants in a row. And change the spacing. It’s pretty cool. Still need to check out land F/x! Hear alot of great things about it.

[brian matthew walker]

I do see how this in “real life” scenarios makes sense.  I ask for organization purposes.  I am new to the profession. (2 weeks in) and was just wondering if there is a faster and efficient way to do this.  But I do understand your point.  Thank you!

[brian matthew walker]

Hello all,

I was wandering if there is an easier way to place plants in a given (irregular) area, and have them spaced evenly apart. For example i have a given plant material that needs to be 15″ on center.  I usually set an array path and let it follow each outside edge but this still is imperfect and requires alot of adjusting to get the plants lined up correctly.  If anyone has any tricks let me know it would help me out a ton.  Thanks!

[brian matthew walker]

Thanks for your insight!  if you wouldnt mind me asking what the typical salary/hourly pay would be for an intern? Also you mentioned that “Almost every real internship position I’ve ever seen says you must be working on a degree or certification”…does this apply if you are one day expecting to become a certified landscape architect?

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