[Mike Mitchell]

I have to say kudos to all involved with the redesign of the entire site. There will be tons of if’s, should, could, etc associated with this destination in lower Manhattan. The fact is that a team was chosen, and they undertook one of the most politically and emotionally charged sites in all of the US if not the world. Critics can say what they want about the memorial and how it succeeds or fails, but they were not part of the massive team that pulled this project together. It’s easy to write a review of the “quality” of the design when you are not involved for a decade of your life. Most readers and designers will never be involved in a project of this magnitude in their lifetime. My hat goes off to all those involved for taking the time to submit a design for this site and the chosen team for addressing a massive group of varied stakeholders.

[Mike Mitchell]

If you want to make money and have job security don’t bother with Landscape Architecture as a career. 

 

Electrical Engineers make a ton of cash and are in heavy demand. We all need energy and where it comes from (generation) and where it goes (Transmission and distribution) is a huge market. Utility companies hold billions of dollars and will never loose money. 

 

If you’re willing to roll the dice and hope that things will “turn around” I wish you the best. If you want to make a good living I’d suggest a different career path.

 

 

[Mike Mitchell]

Try contacting Les Smith. He’s a professor at Ball State University who specializes in Equestrian Design and Planning. He was involved in the planning of the equestrian facilities for the Olympics in Atlanta 1996.

[Mike Mitchell]

Nice work! We (the gf and I) are coming up there this weekend. Should be up on Friday night, staying in Aspen. Snowmass on Saturday?

 

 

[Mike Mitchell]

I agree with you 100%. Some people tend to “spin their wheels” for the majority of the day. Deadlines are one thing, but 8-9 hours in perfectly reasonable if you are productive. Now if your employer is cutting costs by having multiple people work tons of hours to avoid hiring someone else, might be time to start looking elsewhere. 

When are we going to ride this year? Did you get the CO pass? 

[Mike Mitchell]

I have not used this program in a few years, but it seemed to work well for site plans.

http://www.aay.com/squiggle.htm

 

 

[Mike Mitchell]

I think you’d have to define reasonable. For people that graduate with no debt a salary of 40k might be “reasonable”. 

I’m hearing from most friends that compensation is stagnant. I applied to a very well known firm in the east coast, having a friend/former classmate who works there try and get me in the door. His response was that Upenn and GSD students were willing to work for “pennies” to get the job. Other friends are seeing no pay increase (even for cost of living) and often reduction in benefits, 401K, etc.

 

 

[Mike Mitchell]

If I worked an extra 8 hours in a pay period I “earned” a day off. Usually they would happen after the project’s major deadlines/deliverables.

[Mike Mitchell]

No compensation. Comp time on most occasions.

[Mike Mitchell]

While I was working for a well known firm the hours were reasonable most weeks. 50 hours/ week was typical. Most principals were there about the same amount of time. Some late nights here and there. If you take out all of the meetings, etc the actual time spent on projects was closer to 45/week. It all depends on the firm. I’ll not call out specific firms, but some friends/classmates work more than others.

[Mike Mitchell]

If you’d like some insight into that particular program a former classmate of mine went to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts for his masters degree (I believe in Landscape Architecture). He is a Danish citizen and could give you some good insight into the program and his personal experience. Cheers.

[Mike Mitchell]

I don’t have an observation personally for this company, but their demos at the office were very solid.

http://www.rehbeinsolutions.com/
Look at this particular product: Netlon Advanced Turf System (ATS)

Good Luck.

[Mike Mitchell]

I would like to say that I took his course a few years back and was a TA for him in Manhattan, KS. His course truly offers people a way to loosen up and build a solid foundation for rapidly cycling ideas and refining them through spatial organization. The key here is rapid. If you are sitting in front of a client and they would like you to change something about your design while they are in the office sketch-up, rhino, 3ds max, etc are not going to help you out. The course has a ton to offer. Every educator has their own style for conveying ideas and if you can get past the humor (or lack of, etc) then you’ll walk away a better designer. My best to everyone looking for ways to better themselves in this profession.

[Mike Mitchell]

I was laid off after working for a little over one year here in Denver for a great firm. I realized quickly that I was not going to be able to land a job in Landscape Architecture here in Denver. So, I decided to branch out and I am now working for a large engineering firm that does work in many areas, but specifically my office works on wind energy generation, transmission lines, and substations. I have been polishing my skills in AutoCAD and 3D rendering, photoshop, and the like while learning something completely new. The more you can diversify to get through these tough times the better off you will be in the long run. I just hope I can get back to designing something that is not behind a security fence…. Good luck out there!

[Author]

Posts