Theodore Tegen

but then again the net is often a place where people come to whine about stuff; when the happy people are just going about there business.

I think you nailed it right there.  I browse some automotive forums from time to time, and it’s the same thing there; you really only here about people’s problems with their vehicles, and rarely hear someone…[Read more]

Computer meltdown – I don’t get frustrated, since nothing can be done about it.  I just shake my head and get cracking on redrawing whatever data was lost.  In the future I become more diligent about hitting that control+s.
Deadline madness – I can’t get frustrated if it’s my fault that I am hurrying near a deadline.  If it’s a superior’s fault th…[Read more]

I’m sure you realize that AZ is just about the worst place to be working in any field related to development right now, yet you insist that your experiences in the AZ market is somehow representative of the “real world.”  I wouldn’t touch a $1500 job with a 10′ pole, it wouldn’t be worth it for a firm the size of mine, our overhead is too high.  F…[Read more]

Why aren’t you passing that fee on to the client?  Whether it is itemized or rolled into your design fee, It is perfectly reasonable to pass that on to the client.

I would agree.  Or maybe they just charge Russell $600 a sheet for review, to compensate for dealing with his flowery disposition.

This forum really needs a “poll” function.
 
LA Firm (40-49hr weeks)
LA Firm (50-59hr weeks)
LA Firm (60+ hr weeks)
Arch/Eng Firm (40-49hr weeks)
Arch/Eng Firm (50-59hr weeks)
Arch/Eng Firm (60+ hr weeks)
 
I’ll go first: Arch/Eng Firm (40-49hr weeks)

@ Andrew,
 
Sorry I wasn’t clear, I didn’t mean that it sounded like YOU had an adversarial attitude, just that Land8 in general seemed to.  Your attitude toward your former employer was well deserved it sounds like.
 
@ Thomas,
 
Your point about needing a balance is spot on in my opinion.  The good employers understand that people have live…[Read more]

CAD Block Exchange Network is a great free resource.  Users upload their own creations and download others’ creations.

On occasion I have worked more than 40 hours a week, but it’s not often.  I am salaried, and of course it is expected that I need to get my work done, whatever it takes.  I’ve done 2 am stints before (not just me, but a team of us) to prepare for a very important interview. 
 
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems there is an adversarial attitude her…[Read more]

I posted a thread last week about licensure woes, and it seems that there are some who disagree with the claim that working in an A/E firm exposes one to broader experience than working in an LA-only firm.  Myself and two firm principles (one Arch, one Eng) agree with you and your previous LA supervisor, that our experience is much broader in an…[Read more]

Chris,
 
I am going through the same woes in MN.  Although I have already passed all sections of the LARE, MN won’t grant me licensure for the same reasons you state, not enough time under a licensed LA.  I’ve been working in the same capacity as you in an Arch/Eng firm.
 
I’m jealous of NYS though, because MN does not have any provision for an…[Read more]

Jason,
Your article was an interesting read, although a bit of a depressing look at professional education in our industry.  Your critique of the “combined programs” is a first-hand confirmation of what one ASLA Fellow once told me in response to my question about returning to school for an MLA.  He basically told me that while the MLA would h…[Read more]

MN uses CLARB to both qualify LARE candidates and administer the exam.  CLARB saw it fit to allow me to sit for the exam.
As to my program being non-LAAB accredited, who is to speak to the quality of the program at the University of Minnesota?  A part of me thinks their undergrad program being non-LAAB accredited is purely a money-making s…[Read more]

Tanya, thanks for the supporting words.  Somehow I missed the connection that you made between PEs/Archs being allowed to stamp/sign LA drawings, but not provide supervision to an emerging LA candidate.  Very interesting.  I have often thought about licensure in adjacent states, and while valuable as we do work in many of these states, I have a fe…[Read more]

I can definitely understand your perspective Sara.  My current firm is very much 40:60 Civil:Architecture, so it’s a mixed bag.  Another frustration I have is that when I tried to get some answers and attempt to appeal by explaining some of my individual experience, I receive a reply that says that the board no longer hears appeals, and that I h…[Read more]

That’s a good point John, I suppose I didn’t consider the law as “protecting the profession.” 

My initial reaction is that the “campus mall” type layout would too closely reflect a prison yard, something a orphaned child does not need. Before doing any research into master plan design for the structures you outlined, I would first develop a very clear understanding of Pakistani culture for the region in which you are designing. Nothing says…[Read more]

Where is the “Like” button on this website? Great response Andrew.

However I will join in with most people and say that the fees for some of these things are pretty outrageous. I understand that the graders/reviewers need to be compensated for their time/travel, but can’t the organizations that rely on CLARB/LARE for testing/grading subsidize…[Read more]

That would be unethical at best and probably illegal. It would be blatant discrimination, tough to prove though.

I would first try your local community college, if there is one nearby. Many of the community colleges near me offer two-year landscape design certificates.

I would also look into your state nursery and landscape association (MNLA is Minnesota’s) for educational material.