Keith

For anyone working in China, if you get laid off I hear North Korea and Iran are hiring LA’s.  Just a tip. 

For anyone who does decide to work overseas, keep in mind that if the s**t hits the fan like in mauibob’s friend’s story, you will come back to a barren wasteland of LA job opportunites with no chance for unemployment benefits.  Double edge sword straight up the pooper.  It happened to me.

First, I am not your boy.  Second, you are the epitome of my argument in that you had to go to CHINA to find work.

I strongly disagree, Craig.. Do a quick search, there are plenty of jobs in civil engineering, architecture, environmental sciences, and surveying,…..none of which landscape architects are qualified to do.  Landscape architects cannot legally take a land plan or reclamation site from start to finish as civil engineers can, which is why we are…[Read more]

Reee-goddamn-diculous.  I’m gonna go cry, then look into the local vocational school district for a career in welding….then cry some more.

MauiBob is spot on.  This “profession” is a disaster for my family and me.  I am now praying for a call-back from Petco and my wife, also a licensed landscape architect, is working 20 hours in a retail position.  Why would any firm hire a landscape architect when they already have engineers that can legally do everything we can, and more…[Read more]

True, but leave that stuff to Craigslist.  This is a site for Landscape Architects and we have a hard enough time teaching the public that we are more than glorified gardeners.  Job ads like that on a Landscape Architecture website only set the profession back, especially when it comes to prospective LA’s.

I like the ad for “entry level maintenance” and better yet “Landscape Assistant at University of Nebraska”.  Did anyone actually read that one?  The “Premier Social Network For Landscape Architects” is posting a job that includes mowing assigned areas with power mowers and requires an EIGHTH GRADE EDUCATION??!!!  Land8 you should be ashamed of yourselves. 

Please note that I am in NJ.  I understand it may be easy to get CEC’s in other states but the NJ Board of Architects accepts next to nothing outside of the annual meeting.  They make it very difficult to even obtain information from the board on what alternatives I have to the meeting.  It feels like they care more about making money than helping…[Read more]

You guys are the best!  Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Definately get the license.  Studying for the tests and taking them will make you better at what you do, especially grading and site design.  There’s a lot of stuff on the tests that you don’t learn in school and helps you look at things a bit differently.

I understand the idea of glass half full, but waking up every day looking forward to a day in the office?  That’s a bit fluffy.  It will always be work, that’s why they pay you to do it.  That’s why people look forward to retirement.   Life isn’t passing you by if you are unhappy at your job.  You’re still getting experience, getting paid, you ha…[Read more]

Right on, if a company doesn’t give you health insurance then that’s a huge deciding factor.  Especially if you have kids.  
I’m not sure there are ‘ways around’ costly expenditures though.  As a business expense you won’t be taxed on it but you still have to pay for it in some fashion. 
I looked into the legal aspects of starting your own busin…[Read more]

The more I think about this the more I think it would be absolutely asinine to quit a job in this field in this economic climate.  If you get laid off you can think about starting your own firm.  I know people that are using unemployment to help them get their business going.  But quitting a job means no unemployment.  Can you afford to buy a plo…[Read more]

I’m thinking back to the worst LA job I ever had and how ironic it is that I’d even be willing to take a pay cut for THAT job.  If unemployment sounds like a good option, think of how good that option will be when it runs out and you still haven’t found a job. Or better yet the only job you can find is in a different state.  Unless you can secretl…[Read more]

I’ll wrangle this thread back in by saying the ability to fly.  It was a toss up between that and invisibility but flying would save so much in commuting costs.  Wait, hang on……I change my mind.  I want the ability to print legal tender from my arse.   That would get rid of commuting altogether.

If scoring the test is so cut and dry and only perfect tests pass, then how has anyone successfully overturned a failing grade? A coworker of mine knew he didn’t have enough pipe coverage and he still passed. Sooooo….What’s up with that?

The score verification process takes another 10-12 weeks too. So if you want to get licensed sooner rather than later you’ll have to sit for another exam while waiting for the verification process. You’ll be reimbursed for taking another test if you argued successfully to overturn your score, but you won’t be reimbursed for the redline review and…[Read more]

Good! Take notes! I have spoken with many national board test writers….architecture, engineering, nursing, optometry, BAR……and they are all surprised that CLARB has gotten away with a 37% passing rate for so long. Especially when they charge almost $400 bucks a pop.

I really do hope CLARB is reading this forum. We’re on to you and I claim…[Read more]

I took a redline review and 99% of the comments were good in nature….”good swale, trees saved, good drainage”….and I still failed because two of my swales, only in one spot, were under 2%. I believe they were around 1%. There’s the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and anyone in their right mind could look at my test and see quite…[Read more]