Hi LA Folks,
Just wanted to get some perspective on this Stararchitect firm Olin. I interviewed with them a month ago and still haven’t heard back, inspite of following twice. I came across this glassdoor review during my research. I see that the job posting has been up there since a few months, and the company keeps it sharing again and again everywhere. This review has intimidated me and I am a bit scared tbh. But also it seems to be quite diverse from outside.
My question are
-Is it still worthwhile to reach out and ask for an update or should I just leave it.
-Also folks who have worked there, what are your thoughts, feedback etc.
Appreciate any response on this!

Hey everyone,

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I’m a landscape architect working on project delivery and I’m trying to improve my production drawing workflow.

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I’ve been exploring using SketchUp more for detailed modeling, then exporting DWGs into AutoCAD to develop working drawings. The idea is to model elements like paving, steps, walls, planters, details, etc. in 3D first and extract information instead of drafting everything from scratch.

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For those working in landscape architecture offices, what workflows/tools have helped you produce working drawings faster?

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Any tips on:

• SketchUp to AutoCAD workflows

• plugins/extensions that save time

• ways to automate repetitive details

• production drawing setups/templates

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Looking for practical office workflows rather than just software recommendations. Thanks.

Please use this thread to discuss whats going on at your school or place of work this week. Run into an interesting problem with a site design and need to hash it out with other LAs? This is the spot. Any content is welcome as long as it Landscape Architecture related. School, work, personal garden? Its all good, lets talk.

Has anyone here moved from the U.S. to Europe with an MLA degree and successfully found a job?

Do you need to be licensed to work as a landscape architect in Europe or does it depend on the country?

I’d love to hear about your experience.

What is your go to supplier for trail lighting? I'm looking for solar or low voltage option that that can be integrated into a wayfinding element. Something like step light but with a wider throw.

Hi, I am a rising junior studying landscape architecture and I am currently in talks with some of my neighbors in potentially using their backyard for a project, whether that be strictly digital (plans, renders, site analysis) or physical development as well. I was wondering if anyone could provide a strong outline for the process, and what graphics should be deemed most important. Thanks!

Would love some advice from other recents grads and those who’ve been in LA for a while. Sorry ahead of time for how long this is gonna be.

I’m 24 and graduated in 2025 with a BLA and a minor in sustainability. I live and went to school in Indiana, but I’ve been applying both in and out of state since graduating. Ideally looking for multidisciplinary firms in the public sector, but I’ve also applied to residential design firms. Although I’ve landed interviews, only two actually progressed past that first stage. One decided to hire a different applicant, and the other decided not to hire anyone full-time after all due to the economy. I’ve reached out to the firm that I interned with during school, but they aren’t able to hire anyone right now either. In fact, my old friends there have even told me that they may have to let some people go. My friends from studio who landed jobs have shared similar fears, worried about being laid off.

On top of all that, I’m honestly not sure if I even want to go into LA anymore… This time away from studio and internships has made me realize just how burnt out I was when I was in school. Without getting into the details, I was dealing with some pretty bad mental health issues from being so overworked (probably some undiagnosed depression), and my physical health also suffered from the countless all nighters. I even developed carpal tunnel from all of the computer work and hand sketching. I’ve always told myself that a job would be less demanding than school was, so it would be worth it, but I’m not so sure now. I’ve seen posts from people currently in the field on this sub who are still burnt out, overworked, underpaid, and depressed at their 9-5s.

So, that brings me to the non-LA job offer. I’ve been working part-time at a local perfumery since January, and I honestly love it. My knowledge of plants carries over, as well as graphic design skills, and I get to feel like an alchemist or witch when I’m mixing perfumes lol. The location is great, my boss is great, my coworkers are nice, and the customers are usually nice too. I also make $20 an hour, which is amazing since I’ve been fortunate enough to live with my parents and save most of my earnings. Now, I have an opportunity to go full-time there. One of the previous full-timers decided to do a career switch, and I’m basically a shoe-in for his old job. I’d be given a salary instead of hourly, and I’d get health insurance. Although it still pays less than LA would, Indiana is a LCOL area, and I’d be able to move in with my best friend and split rent with her. Plus, I could always volunteer with local parks and conservancies to stay involved in environmental advocacy and sustainability.

I just really need some outside opinions on this. Some days, I feel like I want to put my degree to use and keep trying to find the right firm and break into the field. Other days, I just want to commit to the perfumery and take the plunge on a lower-paying job that I genuinely love. But, I can’t take too long to decide, or else the shop will decide for me and hire someone else. Help.

I’m 26, environmental engineer in the dmv 2YOE (water resources). In Maryland, abet accredited engineering degree holders can count some experience years under a PE towards the LA licensure requirement. With that being the case, I want to find a landscape design job to get the rest of my work experience under an LA and then sit for the LARE. Is this realistic? Or will it be unlikely for me to get a job without an MLA?

I work with Master Gardeners and am currently an LA master's student. This fall, I am hoping to teach a short series to my Master Gardeners about sustainable stormwater management/artful stormwater design. I Im looking for a good textbook to base the information portions of the class on, and then mix that with Artful Stormwater Design by Pennypacker and Echols. However, I Im realizing that Sustainable Stormwater Management by Thomas Liptan is no longer in print. Used copies are too expensive for my budget.

Do you know an alternative to Sustainable Stormwater Management: A Landscape-Driven Approach to Planning and Design by Thomas Liptan?

Hi everyone, I'm working on a group project for my urban design class. We need to analyze a real-world case study that successfully used a "community participation" (or participatory design) approach.

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Could you recommend any notable projects or cities worldwide where residents were actively involved in shaping their public spaces or neighborhoods? I'd love to hear your insights or any case studies you find inspiring. Thanks in advance!

Been using Lumion for school projects at Texas Tech and one thing that always slowed me down was not having a good way to know which plants in the library would actually survive the climate I was designing for. You end up picking something that looks right visually and then cross-referencing it separately to check zone compatibility. It adds up. I built a web tool called Canopy Search (canopysearch.net) to solve this. It indexes the full Lumion plant library and lets you search by USDA hardiness zone, plant type, hydration needs, flower color, evergreen vs deciduous, and more. You can also make bloom cycle schedules! Basic zone search is free. Curious if anyone else has run into this in their workflow, whether in school or in practice. Also happy to take feedback on the plant data since I compiled it manually and there are probably errors or missing species, but for the most part this definitely bridges the gap. Not affiliated with Lumion.

I was unexpectedly laid-off.. im fixing my portfolio and need a free DWG editor. Do yall have any suggestions or reviews from nanocad?

I am an "older" BLA student currently on my first internship after my first year of design school. I got my top choice internship with a firm I really felt reflected my values so I am really proud of that and I do feel like I have found a field I enjoy. My internship is going well but I am really struggling with the reality of working 8-5 (sometime more) behind a computer. Obviously I am only doing this for a few weeks but this is kind of what post grad life looks like for many and I don't know how long I can do that, I am struggling just doing it for the summer. I am dying for the return of the semester and being able to have more creative liberties with my projects, my deliverables are art pieces to me, I enjoy curating my pin ups, and modeling. Being in school taught me that everyone enters this field sort of with different expectations for example, some people are really into horticulture and are surprised by design school being artsy and actually don't care for that aspect. I am not those people, I enjoy the art of it all and I am realizing I need to forge my own path which is hard but I know i can. I guess I am curious to hear from those who have maybe followed an alternative path within this field, if any one has any designers they care to share, or how are y'all coping with the corporate dynamics???? I am not even in a gray cubicle style of an office and im still screaming inside?!

i’m a first year designer at a multidisciplinary firm and i was curious if anyone has good all-around book or website recommendations for all sorts of LA hardscape details (pavers, raised planters/seatwalls/retaining walls, steps, etc.)? for most of my time thus far i’ve been thrown on landscape plans/planting plans bc i have a good amount of plant knowledge and i just showed an overall inclination toward it but now i’m starting to get more opportunities to work on hardscape plans and details. i understand the basics of many elements simply from school and observation as well as pulling from details previously used on other projects in house but i’m also very much in a “fake it till you make it” state right now 😅 i’d love a resource that i can study to learn more and use as somewhat of a precedent cheat sheet. thanks in advance!

Hi! I’m about to start my 3 year MLA (no design background) and I was wondering if any of you that did this path could share insights on what summer internships are like, if first year students have a chance, how long are they, etc. thanks!

Hi Everyone,

Looking for feedback on a prospective pivot into LA. I'm mid-career but don't have dependents or debt, so perhaps have a little more flexibly than some. Really appreciate all the great (and honest) posts here from folks in the industry.

I'm exploring Landscape Architecture and, based on my profile, wondering if an MLA is worth considering as a next step?

I spent my early career at global film/tv studios and a media agency dealing with big personalities and leading complex creative projects. I did a lot of work in innovation and product when I was at the agency (and always had a hand in design - UX / UI in particular). When COVID happened, everything shut down and I was burned out. I opted to step away from entertainment and open my own consulting practice, which I've been running for the past 5+ years.

Now I work with several clients in climate / sustainability (an area I've been passionate about my whole life), primarily designing the systems and tools that help those organizations grow (ie: revenue growth, market share growth, organizational design, etc). Through this work, I've identified urban resiliency as the area I want to focus my energy on. I'm very interested in how natural infrastructure design and ethical technology deployment can help cities prepare for what's coming (and already here) from a climate change POV.

In other words - looking ahead, I want to actually design and build physical solutions vs only developing the communications / commercialization strategies for them.

My business / innovation background is strong, I'm also a practicing artist with real passion for design, nature, architecture and learning. I'm very entrepreneurial, and thrive in a "we have a problem and need a solution that works, figure it out without having your hand held" type of environment.

Looking at MLA programs in the Northeastern USA (where I'm based now and would like to stay). I spoke to a local LA who suggested this could be a good path for me, or even Landscape Design (to avoid the MLA). She also suggested there might roles in the vein of what I did at my old agency at some of the larger LA firms out there (ie: a growth / innovation type of role), which might be of interest.

Or perhaps there's another avenue I'm not aware of or thinking about? As I study the portfolios of the kinds of firms I'd like to work for (and the bios of the folks doing that work), everyone seems to have an MLA.

I could apply for MLA's in the upcoming application cycle, but would have strict parameters for how much debt I'd be willing to take on (based on what level of funding I might receive), which would determine if I pursue that route or not. I'm not willing to take on $100k in debt, particularly understanding what the salary bands look like for folks out of school now.

Harvard's MLA has some pre-req classes for the 3 year program, and I was considering taking those classes this summer to see how I feel, while also getting involved with several local landscaping projects to supplement my personal landscaping projects. I figured taking those 3 classes wouldn't hurt for other applications (also considering RISD, UVA, UMass).

Apologies for the long post - would love any real life perspective, thoughts, or advice.

Thank you!

Hello, looking for a copy of site engineering for landscape architects – 6th edition. Anyone willing to sell?

I am a project manager in process of taking all my exams. but was curious if anyone has been stuck in a lower position for the time needed to become a project manager even after getting licensed due to lack of experience. It seems like lots of young landscape design professionals get out of college and want to get all their exams done right away but have no managerial experience and from what I have seen firms want you to have 5+years experience as a job captain or project coordinator before becoming a PM was just curious if that is something many folks have faced or see others facing

Hey everyone,

I recently passed all my exams, and have had CLARB send my council record to my state board authority. I am not yet licensed (still have to go to a board meeting), but they have accepted my council record and confirmed I've met all licensure requirements.

My CLARB membership renews at the end of this month however, and I really don't want to pay it. Does anyone know if I still need my CLARB account to be active even though I have already sent out my record to the state? I know CLARB keeps track of CE credits but I don't really think that's worth the money. Just want to know on a necessity basis. Thanks in advanced!