Land+Living
Land+Living
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be architects
...make 'em be landscape architects and librarians and such
An article by Marty Nemko in U.S.News & World Report lays out a list of the "most–and least–rewarding careers" for 2006 in four categories: excellent, good, fair and poor. Architecture lands in the "fair" category, while landscape architecture is placed as an "excellent" career choice.

Architecture:
Many outsiders think this is a terrific, artistic career, but they don't realize how long it takes before an architect gets to design a building.
Landscape Architecture:
Because most landscape architecture projects don't have as many components as the design for a building, young landscape architects may get to design entire projects. Also, the training is shorter.
Read. Digest. Vent.

Article: U.S.News & World Report - Most–and least–rewarding careers



Career info:
Architecture: U.S. Department of Labor, Architects
Landscape: U.S. Department of Labor, Landscape Architects

 Comments (4)
Anonymous  — January 12, 2006
"First, there's a five-year bachelor's degree, or a master's. Then there's a three-year internship. After that, many architects in firms must spend years designing building components, such as the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system. Going off on your own may not be a solution. Most people who hire architects are older and reluctant to trust designing their building to a 20- or 30-something." ...Whilst I, as a landscape architect only had a 5 year bachelor degree and a two year stint under the supervision of a licensed LA before licensing is an option. After that, many landscape architects in firms must spend years doing grading, construction details and planting plans before actually carrying a project from start to completion under the direction of an architect or engineer. Going off on your own may not be a solution. Most people who hire landscape architects are older and reluctant to trust their site layout and urban design work to a 20- or 30-something. While I am in no way dissappointed with the fact that Landscape Architecture is rated as excellent, I am one, I think there is an over-generalization on both parts of the article. Landscape architecture certainly isn't a walk in the park where upon graduation you become an insta-project manager taking over exciting and important new projects. And nor is architecture destined to be ungratifying work for years to come once a recent grad hits the market. I am, however, happy to see a new exposure given to our budding profession (heh...I made a pun).
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Engineer  — January 12, 2006
No mention of Engineer
Strange that Engineering is marked as excellent too...
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Archictect  — January 12, 2006
Marty...WTF!?!
Marty Nemko is a twat
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sorry I did it  — March 8, 2010
Architecture Sucks
Don't become an architect under any circumstance. The field is brutal. You will be underpaid and undervalued for your entire life. Eventually it will become so bad you will switch careers or kill yourself. Except by then you will have no training to switch careers effectively or you will have a family that will be ruined by your suicide which will keep you from doing it. Your life will then become a living hell of poverty and misery. Take it from me and don't do it.
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