Thomas J. Johnson

I’d gladly come to your office and help you get your system (process) dialed in for $150/hr. Your question is just too obtuse to easily answer in this forum. There are many ways to skin a cat but the simplest is always the best. The least number of steps required to get to the prize wins. If you don’t have a standard process for doing standard…[Read more]

Noguchi’s California Scenario –
http://inthelandscape.com/2010/05/isamu-noguchis-california-scenario-costa-mesa-ca/
That website is great too… It covers most of the classics in SoCal.

Trace – GGN was mentioned in the top 10 list. They do great work. Millennium Park is a brilliant space and I’m in love with The Seattle Civic Center project.

Geez… I didn’t expect that response about Mr. Burnett. When I was looking for work in Southern California, his office gave me the best feeling out of the dozens I visited.
It was light and bright. The windows were open with a perfect breeze. The employees were working diligently but appeared to be happy and weren’t doing “Chinese Fire Drills”.…[Read more]

There are a ton of “boutique” firms that do exceptional work. As Jon pointed out, big does not equal best. 
With so many good designers I hate to name names but two I admire, off the top of my head, are:
West8
James Burnett
From a working perspective, you might find that a smaller firm is more rewarding… big firms often have a factory mentality…[Read more]

“Philosophy and Motivation” sounds odd… an employer probably doesn’t care about your philosophy. If he hires you, your philosophy will be his philosophy. Dig? Motivation is to earn a living, that’s why you’re applying for a job. Inspiration might be a better word. With that title, you should talk about philosophy and motivation. What follows…[Read more]

The stock market is not exactly the lottery, if you do your homework. Read the Wall Street Journal every day and you’ll have a pretty good idea where things are headed… plus, a lot of investing is just being aware of companies that you think are good companies.
Even if I was filthy stinking rich (it’s good to dream), I’d still design. Design is…[Read more]

Thanks for the words of encouragement Heather. I think you’re right… I should be able to make twice as much in a day, working for myself, as I do in a week in my current position. Yeah… thanks for the motivation. It might be time to put in my two weeks… and start making some dough!

My credit is completely shot after getting laid off from my first LA job in ’08. I put it all on the line to pursue that job (left girlfriend, moved across country, bought clothes for work, rented apartment, etc,etc.) and I lost, big. Now I can’t get a credit card, much less a trading account. Thanks Landscape Architecture! Worst decision of my…[Read more]

Jason – I believe they call that ebonics 😉
People in your audience may not “pick up” on your creative use of the English language and may draw conclusions as to your urbanity 🙂

Just a heads-up…
Urbanity is a term used to describe refined or polished conduct. It relates to the behavior of people and has nothing to do with the physical attributes of a city.
 
urbanity [ɜːˈbænɪtɪ]
n pl -ties1. the quality of being urbane
2. (usually plural) civilities or courtesies

Why don’t you ask them?
Try this:
“I’d really like this position and want to be well prepared for the technical exam. Can you recommend any areas that I should concentrate on? Is it technical in a software sense or in a construction/standards sense?”
Frankly, I don’t understand how you left the interview not knowing what the subject of the…[Read more]

1. Um, I believe that’s called “context”.
Would High Line be as successful in the middle of a desert with no people to visit it? No, probably not.
2. All significant public projects go over budget and beyond schedule… it’s the nature of the beast. I wish that wasn’t the case and I don’t support creating new taxes that hurt small business, but it…[Read more]

Lombardi does do exceptional work though… he’s definitely practicing at the very peak of residential design. I’m sure that you’d learn a ton working for him, 5 years of experience or not.
 

How is our profession going to attract new talent when, after going to school for 5 years and working for another 6, amassing vast technical abilities, project management skills, artistic, creative and spacial visualization talent, you can make a whopping $45k/yr?
You’d be better off going to mechanics school for two years… Chevy mechanics make…[Read more]

ESAB Dual Shield 8100-W (W8100) for Corten (A588).
FOX NICUCR for MMA electrodes and Union Painax for MIG
 

Hey, I work at a nursery right now. It’s all I can find. I’m not making much, especially with the commute, but I’m learning my plants, getting a nice tan, getting in better shape, meeting interesting people and having fun. I don’t see how you can be a landscape architect without having some hands-on knowledge of the plants you’re using in your designs.

Did they chum the water first?

I want pictures, movies, a head or at least a hand (w/DNA testing)… otherwise it’s just hearsay. While it makes sense to dump him in the ocean to avoid having a gathering location for terrorists, it also seems rather quick. Show us that you got him, then dump him in the sea.
As it sits now, the story is, “We got Bin Laden. We dumped him in the…[Read more]

That’s exactly what I say… If someone introduces me as a landscape architect, I’ll go so far as to delicately correct them and say that I’m in the process of working towards licensure. Again, it’s an important part of the process and of our collective story. The more people hear about the difficulty of becoming a landscape architect, the more…[Read more]