By using the term "independent contractor", are you asking about being a self-employed designer or a designer who works as a general contractor (i.e. hiring subcontractors who install what you design)?
It also sounds like you're talking specifically about residential landscape design, right?

You don't have to be a registered LA to do residential design work. If that's what you're interested in, make sure that your program will be adequately focused on it (many are far more focused on large scale public space design and design theory).

Before deciding what's most lucrative, you might be very clear on exactly the kind of work you're most interested in. I would also suggest posting this question on the GroundTradesXchange where you might get advice from different types of landscape professionals.

Best of luck - Julia

There is also a Professionals Forum here on GW.

What is your practical experience of this calling of yours?

I appreciate all your replies. During my last two years of college I had started designing my parentÂs yard. I worked on it during the last two summers of my college years. I really grew a love for it. That's what led me to learning more and talking to more people about it.

I think I wasn't specific enough in my original post. One key word I was leaving out was Freelance. My goal is to be a Freelance LA. I just want to find out whether or not it's realistic to go Freelance, by residential design or commercial. In other words, generally would I earn enough income to be able to support myself while being independent at the same time? Thanks.

Q "In other words, generally would I earn enough income to be able to support myself while being independent at the same time?" A "No."

Thank you for that answer but I was hoping for some more information. If you are a LA or LD, have you ever tried or wanted to go Freelance? I'm just trying to find out what works in this industry as far as employment or self employment. Thanks.

Unless you are miraculously able to immediately niche yourself into a very high end market, it is virtually impossible to support yourself (to say nothing of a family) on design services alone. The income is not in the design portion of the industry but in the installation. Most designers that offer residential design-only services have an additional means of support - a spouse or partner, a second job (often in a related field) or the dream of us all, independent wealth.

Thank you gardengal48. You answered my question. I have a friend who is a Freelance Web Designer and does very well with it on his own. I didn't know if it were the same in this field. I wish it was.

We are throwing a lot of words around here that may mean different things to different people. Freelance, independent,....

It is very lucrative to be an 'independent" Landscape Architect who is a one person show provided that you can develop to the point that you are being directly contacted by higher end residential and/or commercial clients and that you will manage the project. Two years of internship is unlikely to get you all the way to that point. It will take a few more years than that to get enough experience managing projects mostly because it is unlikely that they will turn a projects over to someone to manage in such a short period of time.

It is much more unlikely that you will have enough people with good projects hunting down a new landscape architect while they have the alternative of very well established LAs, landscape designers, and design/build contractors to choose from. It is sometimes not how good you are, but who else is out there. Second place = no job.

It will take longer working for others to get you where you want to be faster. That sounds odd, but it is what I mean. You can go independent right away, but you will be using the stairs to climb the tower to where the work is good enough and profitable enough to sustain you well. It is much better to learn the ropes, grow your responsibilities, and become known to the architects, engineers, and developers who are working with the firm(s) that you work for. Then you simply open your employers elevator door and hop off in his market (demographically speaking, if not geographically) the day you open. That will be far ahead of where the guy on the stairs will be. ... and you get paid to go through the learning process.

The skill of design is not the primary thing that will make you or break you financially.

Also, the higher end work is usually more than just garden design, so it is important to have a higher level of site planning background. You will get that education and experience going the LA route. You would be much less aware of it coming into it from a garden designer background - what you are unaware of does not get addressed which leaves those looking for the whole thing looking past you no matter how well you can put plants together.

I am an LA. I may be the only LA posting on this forum with any regularity. I'm not sure, but I don't know of any others.

my 2 cents... I was actually a LA major at UConn for 3 years before I switched majors. I do sometimes look back and question doing this, but I had a dose of reality during undergrad...most of the other people in my classes were also aspiring LA's. Although I did well in my classes, most of my "competition" had better design sense then I ever did which was one of my motivators for switching. A lot of them also worked or had worked at some level in the industry - and I hadn't. I really didn't want to graduate and be without a job or struggling knowing that the "competition" was much better. Also, what laag said is all true. there is a lot more to it than just the design aspect - there is site analysis, elevations, drainage issues, laws/rules you have to know (width of driveways, parking spots, etc) classes such as soils (at least at UConn anyway). Its a bit more in depth to be an LA than you might think. Not trying to discourage, but maybe take a few classes first before you decide to go this route...also, its pretty expensive to get going too. I remember dropping quite a bit of money in college on paper, prismacolor markets, triangle, t-square, erasers, compass, etc, etc, etc...it all adds up! Ironically I still have most of these, although I'm guessing the markers may have dried out by now - Good luck!

There is no faster way to ruin an enjoyable hobby than to try to make a living doing it.

I work freelance more or less as a Landscape Designer- though I do have a BLA, I have not taken the LARE and may or may not do so. It doesn't change much for me so I'm not sure it's worth it.

I am able to do this because I don't have to fully support myself with it. My husband is the breadwinner so whatever I bring in is extra. This is the ONLY way I would do freelance work. I grew up with Dad who was self employed and vowed I would not live the rest of my life in the constant cycle of feast and famine and the stress that comes with it. When I got out of college and knew I had to support myself- I went to work for a local government agency so that I'd get benefits and retirement. Do not underestimate the value of those two things, things you won't have if self-employed.

When I was in school, our Ag. Dept. had a Landscape Contractor Degree. We thought that as future LA's, we were so much brighter than those Ag folks. Yeah. Guess who makes a lot more money and who some of us have had to ask for jobs? Yep. The Landscape Contractor Ag folks. The money is in the construction of the project. I make okay money on my designs but if I didn't do 95% of my design work for a landscape contractor, I wouldn't get nearly so much work. If you can't install your designs, you'll always be more limited in employment. I would check into landscape contracting if I were you in addition to taking some design classes.

Laag, you really know your stuff. What you said makes a lot of sense and I can tell that you have much experience in LA. After reading a million job descriptions of LA and talking with a few, I've been made aware of the major issues and day-to-day tasks, or at least what's been revealed to me anyway.

For my classes, it'll run about $450 to buy supplies for one semester which isn't that bad compared to tuition. Concerning my ability, I've had a few compliments and was told that I have a natural design ability but I have no idea how I will hold up under the competition. I'm just hoping for the best and going to try to enjoy it. Most LAs that I've talked to loves their job. Heck, it must be a whole lot better than the job I have now --IT.

Thank you all for the replies. Bindersbee, I will definitely check into Landscape Contracting for additional education. Thanks for that info. In my program at UGA I don't think I can choose which classes I take other than one elective. According to the ASLA, it's supposed to be the number one BLA program in the country as of last year so I'm just trusting them to give me what I need.

I would not discourage you at all. It is a good way to make a living. The only thing that I would discourage is to go out on your own as a designer too early. Simply because you will wind up having to settle for work to eat rather than to be rolling along with fun and profitable jobs.

By the way, you can get paid pretty well as an employee with benefits in the field as well. I actually do both with a little twist. My full time job is in an engineer's office as a site planner and I am allowed to practice landscape architecture on the side. The site planning job is 100% spawned from my degree in LA and having worked in amultidiscipline office (engineering, surveying, and LA). It is a good job on its own. I purposely moved to a different engineer's office in order to practice on my own on the side.

The beauty of the LA degree is that it gives you more opportunities than garden design because it is a somewhat specialized, but diverse skill set. The brain washing of "design process" gives you a unique approach to problem solving that is handy in a lot of situations outside of landscape design. Deep CAD drafting skills are hard to come by for employers and you would most like have those. As an IT guy, you probably know about GIS which is often taught at high levels within Landscape Architecture. That combined with design process can make a very good GIS analyst which pays pretty darn good.

Its a good education even if you do not apply it directly to what it is intended for. I think Bindersbee will back me up on that. I believe there are several other people with LA derees who frequent here. Many people in the business get the degree later in life and do not have the intern opportunity to get licensed. The reason for the degree is the education and skill sets aside from the licensing. The lack of a license does not necessarily mean someone can't pass the test. It often is that they have too much to give up to do the internship that is often required to sit and take the test.