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June 15, 2011 at 9:29 pm #162026Theodore TegenParticipant
Good listen:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/435/how-to-create-a-job
Cliff’s notes: politicians/governments don’t create jobs – anyone who says differently is selling snake oil
May 13, 2011 at 3:45 pm #163020Theodore TegenParticipantI maintain a council record, though my employer pays for it. If it were up to me I would likely not spend the money. I believe CLARB will transmit LARE test scores for free even if you don’t maintain a council record. It is a nice tidy spot to keep test scores, employment history, education, and references all in one place. If your employer will pay for it, go for it!
May 13, 2011 at 1:19 pm #163396Theodore TegenParticipantNo I believe experience is vitally important, and I’m eclipsing 5 years of it. It’s simply Minnesota’s draconian rules about how it is obtained. I’ve worked on some very cool projects, managed/led some of them, worked with some very talented architects, learned a lot about grading, drainage, and HSW from our engineers, presented in front of city boards and councils, led public forums, the whole spectrum honestly. Yet the state won’t even allow me to argue my case. They won’t license me until I have x years of experience working directly under an RLA. The funny thing is, the RLA I’m now working with has told me he’s been learning new things about the industry that he hasn’t been exposed to before.
I keep hearing that spending hours on CAD working under an RLA qualifies as diversified experience, yet my experience doesn’t count the same? I think not. I’m not saying that the former is bad, but they shouldn’t discount my experience as inferior.
So both the test and the experience are important; I’ve passed the exams and put in the time, yet I can’t call myself a landscape architect. And I don’t. I was just asked for some information about a project of mine for a local newspaper, and told them I was the landscape designer for the project. The whole thing is just frustrating is all (as you might be able to tell). Thanks for listening.
May 12, 2011 at 2:11 pm #163402Theodore TegenParticipantThere also needs to be a distinction between the RLA designation and passing the exam. Passing the exam does not instantly make one an RLA, as in my case. I’ve passed all of the exams but because I work for an architecture firm, and not directly under an RLA, I need to go to extra lengths to fulfill the experience requirement.
Believe me, all I am doing is jumping through the hoops, not gaining much meaningful “experience” from the LA I am working with. So I’m doing this little dance for the state licensing board, but I can’t call myself an RLA until I finish the show for them. Seems silly to me.
May 6, 2011 at 9:03 pm #163035Theodore TegenParticipantTrue, many industry BMPs have for quite some time been aiming to achieve similar results as the LEED certification process, though in many areas, LEED encourages going above and beyond those BMPs. The goals of LEED are also different in the regard that industry BMPs are aimed at cost savings, not necessarily environmental protection.
Though it is an expensive process, it is also the direction that many clients want to go, even if LEED certification serves as nothing more than a marketing tool for the client. There is definitely a lot of backlash towards LEED from industry professionals, however if you look at it from a larger societal perspective, it is a great step in the direction of a sustainable built environment (sustainable used very lightly!).
In my opinion, one of the best things that the LEED process has done is to drastically reduce landfill volume from construction projects. Construction projects contribute to something like 60% of landfill volume.
So sure, LEED has it’s drawbacks, most things do, but in general I believe it is a net positive program.
May 6, 2011 at 8:51 pm #163037Theodore TegenParticipantYes the LEED AP designation (people are accredited, projects are certified) is very much a marketing tool, in a similar fashion to professional credentialing (e.g. the RLA designation), as information to clients who don’t know you, that you have been qualified by an independent agency as minimally competent in the realm of sustainable design. In addition, the project gets an extra point for having a LEED AP on the project staff.
May 6, 2011 at 8:47 pm #163038Theodore TegenParticipantI need to correct myself, if you take the exam route to gaining a “specialty” designation, you can choose from any of the categories. However if you take the credentialing route, you are locked into the BD+C track.
May 6, 2011 at 3:53 pm #163043Theodore TegenParticipantI got my original LEED AP designation back in ’07. From what I understand, if we want to skip the Green Associates exam, the only route we can take is the BD+C. If you go onto the USGBC website to select a track, I think it will only allow you to select BD+C.
April 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm #163662Theodore TegenParticipantMN allows architects and engineers to perform landscape architectural work, so the arch/engineer would sign/stamp the drawings, taking on the professional liability.
Check your state licensing requirements, it might be the same, in which case just have the architect sign the drawings.
April 14, 2011 at 3:20 pm #163672Theodore TegenParticipantYarrow, coreopsis, echinacea, juniper, spruce, potentialla, any succulent hardy to the area (e.g. sedum)
check out: http://plants.gertens.com/NetPS-Engine.asp?12070009
Though they are located in MN, it is one of the best plant search engines I’ve come across.
March 18, 2011 at 1:40 pm #164139Theodore TegenParticipantI’m with everyone else on this one, City College is the logical choice. At the other two schools you will end up with med-school type debt with nowhere near the salary potential. Do you have an undergraduate degree in landscape architecture?
Also, don’t use your savings for tuition and living expenses. Put that $73,000 into the stock market (mutual funds or the like), over the 10 years you will be paying your student loans after graduation, your interest income on the investments should be roughly 3-4% higher than you will be paying in student loan interest. The beauty of federally backed loans and compounding interest…
March 9, 2011 at 9:43 pm #164403Theodore TegenParticipantWow an employer asked you if you would shave your beard if offered the job? It sounds like they may have had their priorities mixed up. However, by making light of the subject, you yourself have some idea that it might be a point of contention for some employers. If you have an inkling that it might be frowned upon, then it makes sense to eliminate any chance that it could count against you; i.e. shave it. Though I am speaking only of the interview/hiring phase. Once you’re in the door, and as long as it meets the companies grooming/personal hygiene standards, there should be no problem.
March 9, 2011 at 4:32 pm #164450Theodore TegenParticipantHahaha bi-polar? BI-WINNING.
March 4, 2011 at 3:27 pm #164543Theodore TegenParticipantMy first (and current) job in landscape architecture I found, oddly enough, advertised on Craigslist. It was kind of strange, because it’s an awesome family owned company, multi-disciplinary, with a great workplace attitude. It just seemed a little odd that it was posted on craigslist, though it may have been advertised elsewhere as well.
February 24, 2011 at 5:58 pm #164764Theodore TegenParticipantBoy, a lot of the responses on here make me truly sad for some people’s view of the profession. I truly hope this forum is like most internet forums, where disgruntled/disenchanted people come to rant about their misfortunes; and not a realistic cross-section of our industry.
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