[Keith]

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

[Keith]

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.

[Keith]

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.

[Keith]

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 being phased out.  If they don’t require an LA, they won’t pay for an LA.  

And landplanner…..”pitty party for the paltry”?  Glad to know that you feel financial ruin and inability to support one’s family “paltry”. 

[Keith]

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.

[Keith]

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? 

We’re over-qualified to be cad jockies due to techinical schools teaching the skill, we’re over-qualified to work at garden centers because anyone with an interest in plants can create a nice garden for less money than we demand, and we’re under-qualified to work for an engineering firm because they have more skills than we do and they don’t care about planting design.  I feel like this profession will indeed be obsolete.

[Keith]

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.

[Keith]

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. 

[Keith]

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 landscape architects continue their education.   

[Keith]

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

[Keith]

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.

[Keith]

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 have health insurance, paying bills on time, adding to the retirement fund, eating properly…….

A crappy job or no job?  Keep your crappy job.  Odds are that if you quit, the next job you find will only be crappier. 

[Keith]

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 business while on unemployment and it’s perfectly legal as long as you report any earnings to the IRS. You can even have a part time job and be on unemployment.  You report your earnings and they deduct it from your weekly check.  This is what unemployment is for…filling in the gaps until you get back to where you were before.  And you can buy anything you want while on unemployment.  Food, diapers, photoshop, CAD, alcohol, tobacco, firearms…..:) 

[Keith]

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 plotter?  Legal copies of CAD, sketchup, rendering programs, health insurance, business related insurance, marketing?  Generally businesses take 3 years to get established and 5 years to really start making real money.  Really ask yourself if you can do this.    

I don’t mean this to be doom and gloom by any means.  I’m only stating facts to help you consider your options.  Search for a job while you’re employed or get laid off and start your own firm.  But DO NOT quit your job.

[Keith]

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 secretly find a job before quitting, stay where you are.  Give your bosses the benefit of the doubt.  I think they actually showed appreciation by giving you a pay cut as opposed to laying you off.

I totally know how you feel being under appreciated at a crappy job.  But now that I have seen both sides and especially conisering the state of our job market I can easily say I would much rather be at a crappy job. 

Rant all you want here, but keep your head down at work and make money.

[Author]

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