|
When I took my first landscape architect internship between my first and second year of grad school, I was overwhelmed by the amount of paper work and administration that it takes to run a design firm. They certainly don't teach that stuff in school.
I figured it was partly because admin was so boring you'd never get people to pay tuition to learn it, and partly because it wasn't something you had to study to do well, it was just work that needed to get done by anyone who was available to do it.
Well, Landscape Architects (and other designers) get taught next to nothing about business while in school. But it's not because business isn't important, it's because there is just so much to learn, if we don't focus on something you'd never graduate.
Design is central to our education. This is because design is a way of thinking. It's a dogma, a schema. One must be indoctrinated into becoming a designer. And that takes time.
But in the end, we run a business. We are service providers. So even though design is central to what we do, there is always a bottom line, a budget, and a client. The business skills you (hopefully) learn once out in the working world are vital to your success as a design professional. So today I present you with part 1 of Elaine from TalentBird's response to the question:
Q: "What can new grads expect at their first Landscape Architecture job?"
A:
Students graduate with a wide range of accomplishment and ability. Some have worked “in their field” during their university years, so they have acquired some valuable experience. Some have developed exceptional technical skills in various software, such as AutoCad, SketchUp, PhotoShop, Illustrator, etc.
Nevertheless, when you obtain a position in a good firm, you will be working with people who have a great deal more experience than you have. You have been successful in completing your studies and acquiring your degree, but now the real learning begins. Now you have the opportunity not only to learn from those more experienced colleagues, but you will also be learning about business – how your employer runs their business to be successful.
Right off the bat, new grads rarely, if ever get the opportunity to “design”. People senior to you will gradually allow you to “design” as you demonstrate your abilities, but it will not happen for quite awhile. No matter how great your professors said you are, no matter how wonderful your friends and family think you are – get over it. It is not going to happen.
To be successful in your field you must first of all be open and willing to learn. All firms have their own particular specialties and their way of doing things. No matter what you learned in school, now you are going to learn how it is done in this particular firm where you are starting your career.
It's a hard pill to swallow. And yes, my professors said I was exceptional. I thought I could just walk in and they'd build whatever I drew. (They did actually just build what I drew in my first job out of school, but that's another story...)
From an employer's perspective: you have a system figured out that keeps your customers happy and coming back for more. You have a method that works to keep you on time and on budget, so your business stays afloat. Are you really going to let some new grad walk in and run things? Who gets to have all the fun?
|
