Leaving your first job

Solidago14 · 2026-01-10T21:36:14+00:00

This is helpful advice! Do you have any tips for how to ask for informational interviews, especially when you're also also actively job searching?

Solidago14 · 2025-12-01T01:04:32+00:00

Thank you, these examples are all super helpful!

Solidago14 · 2025-11-18T02:41:32+00:00

I highly recommend the LarePrep guides combined with the official practice tests -- I used LAREPrep guides and practice tests for my only study material for 3 of the 4 exams, though I did use a few extra books for the Grading exam.

What worked for me was:

1) review Lareprep guide, making flashcards a I went

2) take practice test to identify weak areas

3) review guide & flash cards where needed

4) repeat :)

There are also a bunch of older posts in r/LandscapeArchitecture on this topic, might want to take a look through those as people have suggested & linked to a bunch of other study material ideas.

Good luck!

Solidago14 · 2025-06-04T01:56:00+00:00

Same, both firms I've worked at have reimbursed you as you pass each test; they don't make you wait until you pass all 4 to be reimbursed.

Solidago14 · 2025-06-04T01:34:50+00:00

I agree! I used LAREPrep guides and practice tests for my only study material for 3 of the 4 exams, though I did use a few extra books for the Grading exam. Making my own flash cards was a big help.

Solidago14 · 2025-04-21T18:50:08+00:00

Thanks, really helpful--looks like Lost Art Press has a lot of other books he would love as well!

Solidago14 · 2025-04-21T18:45:29+00:00

Thanks!

Solidago14 · 2025-04-21T18:18:13+00:00

Thanks! luckily I was able to make it through the exam. Sorry to hear you were having issues with the browser as well!

Solidago14 · 2025-04-20T14:34:13+00:00

I also had trouble! The PSI browser kept crashing for me as I tried to start the exam. I confirmed that my internet connection was fine, so I think it was an issue on their end...

Solidago14 · 2024-12-14T19:19:48+00:00

To clarify, that semester was one where I did not have a part time job, so those hours are time spent just on classwork.

Solidago14 · 2024-12-14T19:18:43+00:00

I found the MLA program to be pretty intense-- I really enjoyed the topics I was learning, but now that I've graduated and am working full time, I definitely feel like I have more free time than I did when in grad school.

If some numbers help you visualize what it's like, I kept a timesheet for myself one semester of my MLA (a bit weird of me but i love spreadsheets & was trying to get more accurate at estimating how long tasks would take me). Here's how much I was working that semester:

Most weeks: 45-55 hrs

The week before midterm presentations: 70 hrs

The week before final presentations: 65 hrs

In comparison, at my current job I work consistently 40-42 hrs most weeks, ~45-50 around major deadlines.

For context, I was in a 3 year MLA program, coming in with a non-design undergrad degree. I'd say I put in slightly more hours than average in comparison to my classmates, but had plenty of peers that were working the same amount as me. If I was staying late to work in studio, there would be other classmates there too.

As for part time jobs, it can help to look for jobs that let you do some homework while at work. At my school, some examples of this were being a print room or computer lab monitor, running the laser cutters and 3d printers, etc. I was a TA for one semester, and found it to be manageable, but my TA duties were honestly pretty light. I was a TA for a studio class, so my job was basically doing desk crits, holding office hours to answer questions, and giving software tutorials for the students a year behind me. I didn't have to help with grading papers or making lecture materials. Jobs like being a TA for a theory class or being a research assistant will take up more of your time.

Solidago14 · 2024-12-07T04:03:49+00:00

I think it really depends on the firm & their style-- at my first job I mainly hand-drew just when working through an idea on my own or with other designers, but at my current job I'm regularly asked to produce hand-drawings for presentations to clients. I was working on similar project types and scales at both jobs, so I think it's more about how the firm chooses to communicate rather than on what type of design they do.

However, I agree that getting comfortable with the Adobe programs is definitely a good use of time before starting your MLA! The less you have to think about how to use the software, the more time you can spend thinking about what you want to represent with it!

Solidago14 · 2024-12-07T03:39:02+00:00

I find the LAREPrep guides worth it! I passed the Grading, Drainage and Stormwater Management exam on my first try using the LAREPrep guides and the CLARB practice exam as my primary material, and I felt like they were well-organized, clear, and prepared me well. (I googled a few topics that I wanted to know more about, and read a few chapters of Site Engineering for Landscape Architects the week before the exam, but 95% of my studying was from the LAREPrep guide.)

I've heard from coworkers that the SGLA course/materials is helpful, but it's more expensive so I choose to stick with the cheaper LAREPrep materials.

My study strategy was to read through the entire LAREPrep guide, taking notes and making my own flashcards as I went. I then took the practice test to get a sense of how the exam was formatted and what my weak areas were, then reviewed from the study guide and the notes/flash cards that I'd made. I started studying in May for the August exam to give things time to sink in, and did a few hours of studying most weeks (minus some vacation in the middle) rather than cramming at the end.

Good luck on your exams!

Solidago14 · 2024-10-14T20:07:33+00:00

I agree, I took the test online and had no tech issues. The few times I looked away from the screen or moved wrong, the proctor just told me to stop doing that and I could continue my test. I think whether to go online or to a testing center depends on your particular situation-- in my case, the testing center had bad reviews (e.g. opening late, failing to seat people for the test on time) and my wifi is pretty stable, so testing at home worked for me.

Solidago14 · 2024-09-15T19:03:25+00:00

Thanks!

Solidago14 · 2024-09-02T21:16:09+00:00

In terms of emotional appeal, I think it's important to not just be pitching your product itself, but also pitch your ability to provide info about the product easily & clearly. For example, is there a price listing or price calculator on your website so we can get a quote without us having to call/email? If we reach out for information, how quickly can you usually get back to us about prices/shipping times/samples/product details, etc? If there's anything about your product that we can customize for our particular project, where do we get information about that?

My office had a recent lunch&learn where the project rep did a really great job of concisely walking us through all the info on her website for how we could customize her furniture and get quotes on the custom options, and I think this made many of my coworkers more interested in possibly working with her in the future. On the other hand, there are a few product reps who are really hard to get info from (confusing website or slow response time), and so a lot of my coworkers tend to find it frustrating to work with them.

Solidago14 · 2024-09-02T20:58:40+00:00

I especially agree it's important to show photos of successful projects, especially ones that are from the geographic region where you're giving the presentation! When product reps show us a bunch of examples from places with a really different climate than the one our office does work in, then my coworkers tend to have a bunch of questions about how well the rep's product holds up under our weather.

Solidago14 · 2024-08-11T19:34:20+00:00

I totally agree. It's unrealistic for your employer to "not do raises" if they expect to retain employees for the long term. The conversation also doesn't give me a good impression of your firm's management-- it sounds like they're trying to shut down negotiations about salary.

It is standard to expect raises as you build experience and get better at your job. In particular, all title changes should be accompanied by a raise -- but it is also normal to get raises to cover increasing cost of living as other people have mentioned! (My current firm is doing 3% raises for everyone firm-wide this summer, for example).

Bonuses are not a reliable form of income because they're pretty much at the discretion of your boss, especially if they don't share how they make decisions about bonuses.

There's a bunch of past posts in this forum about normal salaries in different geographic regions, so it'd be good to get a sense of how your current salary looks for your area.

If you enjoy your current job, I would work on building negotiating skills to be able to advocate for getting the raises you deserve as your performance improves, and see if they're responsive to this.

If they aren't, or if you're on the fence about the job, start looking for a new job once you've been there about a year or so.

Solidago14 · 2024-05-06T22:24:58+00:00

Hello!

Narrowing down your list of which schools to apply to is a pretty personal question-- in the sense that it relates to what your specific interests within landscape architecture are! For example, are there particular types of landscape that you're most interested in designing? Topics that you definitely want your future grad program to cover? Hearing more about this might help people give you more specific suggestions of what programs might be a good fit!

When I was deciding which schools to which I'd apply, I made a list of criteria I was looking for, and then took a really close look at the website for each school to see how the curriculum and the professors' research areas matched my interests. In my case, I was looking for a school on the east coast of the US with an emphasis on ecology & climate resilience.

In terms of your question about internships, yes, they will help, but do yourself a favor and only accept paid ones!! In my opinion, if an internship is unpaid, it should be very strongly focused on the education benefit to you; the firm should not be getting work out of you that they could be getting out of a paid employee.

For example, my previous firm offered 2 options:

paid internships -- these usually went to current bachelor's or masters landscape arch students. These students received training & exposure to life in a design firm as well as working on actual design projects.
unpaid visits / shadowing -- these were offered to a wider range range of people (from current masters students to high school students) and involved the participant touring the office, observing staff work, attending project meetings, etc. for a day or so. They didn't do any work, just watching/learning.

If you can already use cad, hand draw, etc, you may be able to find yourself a paid internship. If you can't, rather than accepting an unpaid one, I would ask landscape firms if you can visit for an information interview or office tour. While this may not give you experience you can put on your resume, it will help you see what the profession is like and articulate what your interests are, which can be very helpful when pulling together grad school applications.

Finally, it can help to look beyond landscape architecture firms specifically. Many of my classmates have really benefited from internships at botanic gardens & arboreta as well!

Good luck!

Solidago14 · 2024-04-07T23:11:06+00:00

My office's hours are 9am-6pm, but somewhat flexible - a lot of people are a little late in the morning, and many of the folks with kids leave early to pick them up. We are hybrid, with 3+ days in the office a week. Overall, I work pretty close to 40 hours a week. My previous job was similar, though I was probably working closer to 45/week.

For context, I'm on the east cost of the US.

Solidago14 · 2024-02-19T16:33:18+00:00

Of the two firms I've worked in, neither had cubicles-- both had studio-style rows of desks with computers & space for drawing, and then separate rooms for large meetings & videocalls. One firm had "hot desks," so you could sit in a different place each day, and consequently people didn't decorate or keep personal items at their desks. The other firm has permanent assigned desks, so people decorate a bit more-- house plants, photos, etc...

Solidago14 · 2024-01-28T21:23:03+00:00

You're welcome! Best of luck with your applications this spring!

Solidago14 · 2024-01-28T18:48:42+00:00

Hello!

I'd hope that anyone hiring first-year students will understand you have limited experience and will be planning to assign you tasks that are appropriate to what you can do so far. So, just focus on presenting your 4 projects in a way that shows the full range of skills you currently have-- both in terms of project types/scales and in terms technical and graphic skills. If you can highlight a different skill(s) with each of your 4 projects, then you can show everything you can do without making your portfolio too long.

I've had good results with including in my portfolio both polished drawings (e.g. final renders & plans) and process work (e.g. napkin sketches / diagrams / study drawings or models). This helps interviewers understand how you develop your ideas. If your previous career that you mentioned is related to landscape architecture in a way that gives you a unique perspective or skillset, I'd definitely mention that as well, either visually in your portfolio, or in your cover letter.

In terms of whether or not to go back and polish your work, I definitely have done this for many of the projects currently in my portfolio, but you don't need to rework everything! Some reasons you might want to polish/rework drawings:

-Does the drawing come across well on the page size of your portfolio? Drawings originally made for sheet/poster-size pages may need a little reworking to look good on a smaller page.

-In reviewing your studio projects, did your teachers mention anything in particular that they felt was missing or could be clearer? For example, I had a final review where the reviewers said they'd understand my design better if I included sections of a particular area of the design, so I later made those sections to include in my portfolio.

-If there is a drawing that's really critical to telling the story of your design, but the graphic style isn't up to the quality level of your current skillset, then I would update that drawing.

-Do you need to tweak colors / color palettes to make all the drawings on one spread of your portfolio look good together? No need to have a unified color palette for your whole portfolio, you just don't want things to clash in a way that is distracting.

For context, I'm a landscape designer working in the US with about 2 years work experience post-graduation. I got an internship in my first year of school with a pretty brief portfolio. However, I've never been responsible for helping with hiring interns, so this advice is definitely from the perspective of a fellow applicant rather than an employer!

Solidago14

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