[Jessi Seglar]

ok…lets try that again, 

 

I was noticing that the LARE format is changing to a 4 multiple choice test format.  I’ve already passed sections A,B, and D.  But I was wondering if it would be worth my time to try for the June C and E administration of the test, or cut my losses with section D and wait for sections 3 and 4.

 

Thanks!

[Jessi Seglar]

Have you heard anything about UCLA’s program?

[Jessi Seglar]

Thank you for the input!  I appreciate the advice about the MBA, but I don’t think it would work for me, as the primary reason I would like to go back for my masters (and eventually a doctorate) would be to go the academia route.  I haven’t really felt passionate about private practice since I graduated in 2007, but I suppose that could have something to do with a sluggish economy and industry-wide turmoil.

 

Jason,  I didn’t realize that the combined programs for LA are like that.  I am considering a combined program at UCLA for architecture and urban design.  Would you stay away from all combined programs?

 

Marie, That is a very good call on seeing how people are using their degrees!  Thank you!

[Jessi Seglar]

For me, there was an arrangement with the welding company that taught me, so I received a little income that way. And, I’m an avid saver! Also, I’ve done some freelance work around my neighborhood. On top of that, I canceled my cable, downgraded my internet and cell phone packages, started biking instead of driving, and learned to be thrifty. I’m lucky enough to not have to worry about a family at this time, but I can understand how hard it would be to support them with few resources coming in.

[Jessi Seglar]

I’ll start the ball rolling:

Since being unemployed, I’ve found profound fulfillment in my volunteer work that I’ve done at a nursing home while also taking the time to learn how to weld, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve also learned how to crochet, make lace, bake, cook, and have reorganized my pathetic little apartment kitchen into something Alton Brown would be proud of. Reading has also become central to my life and I’ve rekindled my love of sculpture and ceramics. There have been some epic hikes and camping trips thrown in there too! I truly do find that I’ve become a better person in spite of, or maybe because of this period of unemployment.

[Jessi Seglar]

No

[Jessi Seglar]

I took and passed section B, along with A and D, last March and I must say I had great luck with the Land Development Handbook by Dewberry. It turned out to be a wonderful source. Section B is a really difficult test to pass, and I think CLARB is getting more and more into stormwater management programming elements, so it also helped me to research BMPs from the EPA website. Also, if you have any LARE Prep classes in your area, they help immensely.

I am actually gearing up to take C and E in June, any good sources you know for those sections?

[Jessi Seglar]

I too feel annoyed by people who hand out the advice, but mostly because it’s very impersonal…for example: “this will pass,” or my favorite, “This can’t last forever,” or the well meant, “Best of luck!” And yes, this is worse than the previous recession periods we’ve had in the past, but recession is recession, and it doesn’t mean that others haven’t felt the effects from the past minor periods, I don’t believe people should discount lessons learned just because our recession is bigger and badder.

Also, I found a job in an unrelated field. I’m a landscape architect who acted on a contact and is now a salary welder for a fabrication company. Granted, fab-ing pipe foundations, cutting strut, and working outside sales for bolts and such is less than ideal, but it’s something for right now. Furthermore, the business and sales lessons I’m learning in this small company worth their weight in gold, which I may add, are lessons few new graduates have adequately learned from their studies.

Finally, a few quick thoughts: The sexy new software is ultimately not difficult to learn if someone feels the need to, and most community colleges offer inexpensive night courses on them (in reality, these programs are sweet for presentation graphics during the end of a project, but they are cumbersome when trying to work out something in prelim or schematic design when things are rapidly changing…I’ll take my old fashioned tish and sharpie any day!). Additionally, I don’t believe that cheap labor necessarily means new graduate. For example, a person with 6-8 years experience may be more time and cost effective at managing themselves or a project and need less assistance or training from the company, which is in fact a drain on a project budget.

[Jessi Seglar]

Economists couldn’t see the recession starting, so why should things be any different for the recovery. For now, I’ve had to put my resume and portfolio packages away and buckle down with a sales and fabrication job at a welding shop so I can pay for the lovely 6 years of education I’m not currently using. I guess being flexible and able to keep one’s wits about them during these hard times is triumph enough. A potential employer sent this Michael Van Valkenburgh article from LA Mag to me, which has given me a great deal of comfort in these trying times. I think it’s worth a read to anyone who has to hit their career road running completely uphill.

[Jessi Seglar]

I just got laid off yesterday from EDAW Irvine. While it feels awful being let go, and a lot runs through your mind in these situations, I’m truthfully thankful for the opportunities that lie ahead. The recession trapped me in this corner where I was afraid to seek elsewhere for more beneficial career options because I was in the mindset of “I’m just lucky to be employed right now.”

The recession and resulting layoff has given me a chance to look into Graduate programs, which has been in the back of my mind for a long time. Environmental Science seems like it is the forerunner in program choices right now. However, it’s a little nerve-wracking to research graduate program admission rates and know that a lot of people are out there with the same idea I guess the stiff competition will make the field stronger.

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