George McNair

 
Where is Dan Johnson, who posed the question?

Just do what he wants providing it’s legal and is not a messed up plan which you will be liable for. If he pays the bills either quit after the next pay check or do what he wants. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make em drink. Our job is to please the client even if the plan is weird and off key………………make em happy.

 
 
LA and designers definately make our cities more enjoyable and aesthetical to live in. We see a whole host of workers installing irrigation, lawns and trees that cool the city and make some urban area look like parks. Hats off to the industry.
 
Climate change is huge and involves every walk of life or profession before a solution can be formed.

 It’s all about image with most of the homeowners that are willing to pay for my services
 
Yip, so true. When picking up $75k checks, one must at least dress in slacks, good shirt and decent shoes. My scale of operation is picking up $7k checks if I’m lucky.  Presently, am semi-retired but need to pick up some jobs for mental and physical healt…[Read more]

“not going to let the back-hoe and 48” Deck SKAG operating, dump truck driving designer anywhere near their property.”  This is a little sterotypical. Sure we all want to target the wealthy home owners who will spend $200k on a landscape but until this happens do you muck around installing labor intensive landscapes?
Craig, the point is to have a…[Read more]

 
“The owner is a nice guy, but mentality closed off. They have been doing the same thing for 30 years and just can’t see the benefit of being flexible, or trying something new.”  Trying new things means new problems that cost time and money.
 
The owner is responsible for law suits for up to 7 years after the design goes in. If one of your id…[Read more]

 
Building landscapes is one of the most difficult construction jobs to do since it requires so many different trades or skills. One must have tools for irrigation, lighting, rototilling, excavation, cement work, carpentry, surveying, planting stuff, flat bed deliveries and the list goes on. Each category requires special equipment and is a sep…[Read more]

Are you a LA in Hong Kong?
 
What kind of projects are you doing in Hong Kong?

good points

Waiting tables is probably harder than LA and some make great money on tips. Getting on with a great restaurant isn’t easy. Oh well, the grass is always greener on the other side. 

One needs to seek out colleges that offers hot careers such as electical engineering or mechanical engineering.

Are you design-build?
 
What kind of projects are you getting?
 
What is CSU?
 
 

We did not cover zoning ordinances at the U of Oregon, but we should have. Later in my career I worked as a county planner and my job was to explain, enforce, and help the public with zoning ordinances.
How could a small LA firm get business from CEQR and NPDES in state or nationally?
I saw some job openings at large firms in Portland, Oregon, but…[Read more]

Your first two years of college is very general, so you can switch majors and apply to another college if needed without much wasted time.
 
What college are you applying to?

You have a good degree Heather and there are ways to make it pay off. Sounds like you are doing well with the design-build. I used to do design-build but am strictly design and planning now but it’s slow.
I’m toying with an advertising idea to stress that LAs can do the design, get the client lower cost by the bidding process and improve…[Read more]

agree and well stated……………..

 
Relax, think clearly, and don’t panic. If you like cad, then civil engineering is similar to LA.  You can do bridge design, factory layout, road design, dams, drainage systems, waste water treatment, water treatment plants and the list goes on. Electrical engineering is really big in the computer field. My sister-in-law designs electrical cir…[Read more]

 
“MHO..Little gardens are nice, and I hope some people make a living at it, but far far more people are working away at Visual Impact Statements and Stormwater pollution requirements”  hmmm…………..
what about big gardens? 
 
Medium gardens?…………….
 
what about HUD housing? What about Oregon Plan…[Read more]

I like your positive attitude and what you say happened around 1982-1983 during this recession. The development activity slowly came back. If you could weather the storm you were fine.

Agree completely.