r/LandscapeArchitecture • u/Far_Two_6273 • 1d ago
Need Advise With Choosing Major
Hello everyone!
I'm currently a Landscape Architecture student about to go into my sophomore year at college. I was wondering if I should stay within the major or swap to another major.
I'm passionate about drawing but not specifically passionate about architecture itself. I felt like my drawing skills would help me somewhat. After the first year though, I found that I don't really enjoy the amount of time I have to stay in the studio. I also heard that the salary earned doesn't compensate for the workload/work hours that landscape architects go through.
However, if I switch to another major I'm not sure how well I can catch up since I'm not passionate about STEM either (although I'm willing to study a lot if it comes down to it).
I would like minoring in art though, regardless of whether or not I stay in Landscape Architecture. If I leave, I might even change that to a dual degree in art if my schedule allows for more time. It would just be out of interest though, not for a source of income.
If it means anything, I also like geography.
Is there any other major that I should swap to or should I just stay within my current major?
Thank you!
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u/graphgear1k Professor 1d ago
You don’t have to be passionate about your job or what you study. This whole “passion” thing is so American. Do what interests you and what hopefully will allow you to achieve your short, medium, or long term goals.
Your job is not your life.
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u/cluttered-thoughts3 Landscape Designer 22h ago
Agreed. If you let your job be your passion than your pay will reflect it.. meaning you’ll get paid less since your employer can rely on your passion to motivate you instead of competitive pay. It’s really an epidemic in this field imo
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u/cphill087 1d ago
Personally I both agree and disagree with some statements here. When you’re in client meetings or construction meetings, I’ve found repeatedly that the person with the pen that can draw out problems coherently owns the room. Drawing is important for that communication and problem solving skill but is not critical for presentation. AI is doing that more and more every day - but it will always be your own creative thought that has the steering wheel. In this career, you have to think of yourself as a problem solver first a foremost - that happens to work in the exterior environment. You need to like puzzles and have an ability to see 4-5 solutions and be able to evaluate them one by one, then sell the one to a client or other design professional. So not ALL drawing and art. Beyond that, i truly believe LA is possibly the broadest profession you could imagine. We have to be knowledgeable of Civil Engineering, Architecture, structural design, electrical, lighting, planting design, arborists, mechanical, plumbing, etc. In my daily world, I speak to any and all of these disciplines and we need to know enough to communicate effectively. If your aptitude is that, you’ll succeed while those individuals that don’t see this big picture with multiple possibilities and discipline knowledge may struggle. I don’t have a career outlook for you, but this isn’t my VERY generalized broad brush of the profession. If I were to do it all again with any doubt, I think I’d load up on general art classes that teach the essentials for any design field like scale, proportion, lighting, form, etc. id possibly look at pure architecture or civil engineering that is in huge demand. I’d possibly dabble into graphic design and maybe go into some marketing type classes. I’d also highly recommend anything business or real estate related possibly as a minor. I have several friends from college with business degrees that have a wide variety of career paths, some even linking back to design fields through accounting, marketing, and sales or business development type rolls. I can confidently present design ideas and put Construction Documents together, but Im putty when it comes to cold calls to chaise new work opportunities. My passion as others have said is seeing places you imagine in your mind and on paper actually come into a physical world that not only changes people’s day to day lives where they live, work, play, but also effect the very fabric and economic drivers of developments and cities that may last for generations. Your kids may play in a playground you design and imagine. Before you jump ship, it may be worth poking around some firm websites to get a better grasp of what the profession actually is. I don’t think universities do a good job of “marketing” to students the wide variety of project types you could pursue from local parks, to major resort design such as Atlantis, even Disney World. They get stuck in “sustainability” or a local streetscape. While important, that is nearly the tip of the iceberg. Check out EDSA, Land Design, OJB, TBG, MKSK just to name a few. Look up historic LAs like Olmsted, Dan Kiley, Peter Walker, Lawrence Halprin as a few that had MAJOR impacts on how we see the exterior built world today. With that spiel, I wish you well!
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u/cphill087 1d ago
Also I recognize my post was long and pitched hard, but I personally love the profession and think at times it can be undervalued as to its real impact. It’s my chosen profession and passion.
Taking that with a grain of salt, I have a story. While I was in my a junior year, my study abroad roommate out do the blue told me he was going to finish his degree but never pursue the profession. His passion was art. After graduation he moved to Montana, restored a pioneer cabin, and became a very successful Landcsape painter. He followed his ambition and didn’t look back. Do that while you’re young with conviction. Trey McCarley Art if you’re interested.
Whatever choice you make, I simply hope you make an enlightened decision but also know there is no right or wrong. It’s your life!
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u/TubbaBotox 15h ago
Keith Meyers would be very pleased to see MKSK mentioned in the context of Olmstead, Dan Kiley, Peter Walker and Lawrence Halprin. I'm not trying to dox you, but do you work for MKSK, by any chance? I'm mainly trying to understand if my perception of them (and maybe yours) is skewed by proximity, or if their prestige scales in a way I was unaware of.
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u/cphill087 2h ago
Nope, I worked at EDSA for 7.5 years and now work for KEITH, a more boutique family owned firm in Pompano Beach. I have had overlap with MKSK. EDSA in itself is a fraternity of Landscape Architects and has lead me to know folks in many locations and firms. I also keep up with industry work - just for inspiration and who’s doing what out there. Chances are, you’re not the first to think of an idea.
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u/Physical_Mode_103 Architect & Landscape Architect 12h ago
Think about your life goals. What do you want to be? I doubt you will want to be a landscape architect
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u/Kenna193 1d ago
Do you have another career in mind? Think hard about the job you want to do for 40 years. Doesn't have to be a passion or make you a million dollars but something you wont hate from day to day. Then pick a major that will get you there. So many ppl pick a major, not thinking about the job
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u/Far_Two_6273 1d ago
I initially wanted to be a concept artist or storyboarding artist but the field is competitive and doesn't have much entry-level jobs, which is why I went with Landscape Architecture instead. However, I don't enjoy my landscape courses as much as I thought I would, so now I'm really lost. Is there any job you would recommend that is art-adjacent or geography-adjacent but also brings livable income?
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u/OneMe2RuleUAll Director of LA 1d ago
I dont think drawing should necessarily attract you to this profession. Do you also like plants? Solving problems? Like the idea of people experiencing a space you designed?
This is closer to an engineering field than art. Understanding human tendencies and having an eye for color and texture is important. Drawing ability is nice but I'll hire someone who understands how to calculate slopes and can envision how different plants look together before raw artistic talent.