[michael damico]

thanks Daniel; I am going to go with one of the 4 or 5 they suggest, but looking to see if some are more desired than others.

[michael damico]

I am definitely interested as I am going to be studying for Parts 1 & 2 soon for NY 

[michael damico]

that’d be great; I see Sean is also taking it in NYS, but probably not WNY…

[michael damico]

wow, thank you very much Kristen; I have only briefly perused through the Google Group and it appears to be a a great bunch of people sharing alot of information pertinent to the LARE. Thanks!

[michael damico]

instead of start a new thread, thought i’d bump this…

question still holds true for a fellow LA

[michael damico]

actually, that is the main reason why I want out…there is NO Chinese middle class. They do not know of public golf. I grew up playing municipal courses and it has been my dream to redesign muni’s. Unfortunately, I see no possibility of that in the next 15 years.

[michael damico]

Josh,

I had an extremely similar path (arch > BS env. design > MLA), been working in golf maintenance for 7 years (while in school) and the design/construction industry for 3 years and now want to get out for LA. Glad you realized early what you wanted.

[michael damico]

yessir! I currently work for one of those firms that is being paid by the Chinese. I’m now trying to get out and hopefully find employment with a focus on local issues.

Only 5 new golf courses constructed in the US last year. Not a bad thing, but there is not much redesigning going on either. Domestic jobs are few and far between.

[michael damico]

Justin, how did it end up for you? (if you don’t mind me asking…)

[michael damico]

this is great. I use very similar approaches. Sometimes even use SketchUp or Cad to help define accurate angles (sun, shade, perspective) and hand render from there. Color in Photoshop or similar to above, throw in actual imagery.

[michael damico]

I agree. I like to hear the aforementioned comments, but I, like so many others get discouraged after years of discouraging news; changing approaches to interviewing, approaching firms/employment, etc. just contributes to confusion and does not help personal confidence. 

Hopefully there are more encouraging stories out there…

[michael damico]

Instead of having to read the legal document as to how to obtain licensure, how about a lay-man’s explanation as to the process. Presenting the possible routes to obtaining the license, what you can then do with it. How long before I can open my own business? What other options do I have until then? What else could I do if I can’t find employment with a firm? What firms should I focus on (LA > Arch/Planning/Engineering/Surveying, etc.) after the LA firms if I can’t find a job with them? 

As a graduate in 2009, I have personally focused on maintenance and construction and have had no supervision and any ‘mentoring’ as to possibilities as to avenues with my MLA. I think just basics is a good place to start for the ASLA. The job posting is nice, but I can’t afford a membership just to post my resume and keep my fingers crossed.

[michael damico]

Leslie,

thanks for the advice. I have been ‘selling myself’ as returning home for family, that’s as personal as I have gotten. I have been hell bent and focused on my childhood aspiration of designing golf courses for over a decade now and all experience has revolved around that. I am trying to make the leap into the more general LA arena, with strong opposition, much like I had received all throughout my schooling. 

I am a strong advocate of the design/build philosophy and do not mind getting my hands dirty, just the fact that student loans are a pain and the justification to family, friends and girlfriend on wage levels with a Master’s degree (not to mention justification to myself) is a hard thing to be humble about.

I am finally ready to move on from golf design but am extremely scared to not keep progressing professionally. It’s hard for everyone right now, but with so many already laid off, I don’t know how smart it is to take such a large risk, not to mention trying to go into an extremely small market, location-wise which will pigeon hole me into a position of residential design/build or the few positions as an LA, which are few and far between.

[michael damico]

actually, I was under the influence that the arch. had her license; the firm is based out of CO and they were one of the final states to require licensure. She did not fill out the appropriate paperwork to be grandfathered into the license. I feel as though I am treading water in my professional career pursuing golf architecture in an extremely small niche of a profession that is struggling.

I have several years experience with maintenance and construction, but that is only half credit, not to mention an extreme pain to prove all of it to the state. I am looking to head back to NY, where a license there would carry more weight than most other states. The problem is shifting without a job, not hearing back from an employer seeking an entry level LA, and settling for the design/build/maintenance firm that would essentially leave me in the same position as I am now, just 1600 miles closer to my girlfriend

[michael damico]

I am 3 years removed from receiving my MLA and I have already come to realize that this is a dog eat dog world and that most of the time, the individual willing to sit back, will be taken advantage of. Unfortunately, I have more of an ‘old school’ mentality with dedication and loyalty first on my mind. 

I currently am going to be walking away from my job with a golf course design firm to hopefully find employment so that I may pursue my license. I don’t think that this is the same working environment as the previous generation had; it is more cutthroat and one that requires the employee to not necessarily worry about loyalty to one company, rather worry about one’s self.

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