An Update
For the 5 people who actually read my LJ.
So, now I am moved to Houston and settled in (that is, 95% of everything unpacked or in storage). I still have a few boxes that I need to take back to Victoria and put in storage at my mom's- mostly extra kitchen stuff that my new-old roommate doesn't need. My condo is just two blocks from Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome complex- great for basketball and baseball fans (which I am not one of either). Still, it will be easy to see concerts or the Houston Rodeo. My new roommate, Chad, also happens to be my old roommate and a friend of mine from when I was an undergraduate- very good guy, easy to get along with, a big gamer nerd like me, and quite clean and tidy. We have a third roommate I'm told, but I have yet to see the guy. I would think he was a figment of Chad's imagination except that I exchanged a few introductory e-mails with him.
Unfortunately, the moving drama isn't over yet- apparently my old roommate in College Station found someone to take over our sublease ASAP, which means next weekend I need to drive all the way back to College Station and help him finish cleaning up and give him a hand with moving. I wish he could handle it all himself because I really don't want to drive back and lose a weekend just to help him, but I do owe it to him slightly and I really want to set an example for his other so-called 'friends' who royally screwed him over not long ago.
Work. New job starts tomorrow with these guys (http://tuffguyservices.com/). I am calling myself a 'designer', but I really don't know what my job title is or what I will be working on. The owner is a long-time landscape architect who needs someone to take some weight off him on those projects, so I will be learning some landscape architecture. I also understand from our marketing partner that we're going to start contracting with banks to fix up foreclosure properties, so they someone with construction and architectural experience who can spot what needs to be repaired and write proposals for the work. I'm also told that the company would like to branch out a bit into park and green space planning and design, which is what really excites me about this company. I am probably the lowest-paid of my classmates, but that doesn't include bonuses. My guess is, with bonuses I'll be closer to the $40,000-$42,000 a year salaries that are typical for entry-level, straight-out-of-grad-school planners (salaries that a few of my classmates are getting, both in the public and private sector). I suppose that if the pay isn't where it needs to be in a few years once I have that oh-so-important two years of experience, I can always look for something else that pays better. For now, though, it is a solid, decent living wage with possibility for bonuses and the opportunity to build my professional portfolio a bit. In the meantime, my last personal client's client finally signed a contract on the 206 N. Main job in Bryan, so today I hope to finish up those CDs and the certificate of appropriateness. That is another $1,000 in my pocket once that is done (and another client of mine still owes me $300).
School. I'm already beginning to wonder if I can finish my thesis by the end of summer, or if I will have to take an incomplete yet again. I have a lot of writing to do between now and mid-August, and with my projects getting dragged out over issues like how to pay for elevators and having to spend unforeseen time doing things like helping my old roommate get the apartment ready for the new tenant (which saves us a lot of $ in reletting fees and rent), I'm already losing valuable time.
So, now I am moved to Houston and settled in (that is, 95% of everything unpacked or in storage). I still have a few boxes that I need to take back to Victoria and put in storage at my mom's- mostly extra kitchen stuff that my new-old roommate doesn't need. My condo is just two blocks from Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome complex- great for basketball and baseball fans (which I am not one of either). Still, it will be easy to see concerts or the Houston Rodeo. My new roommate, Chad, also happens to be my old roommate and a friend of mine from when I was an undergraduate- very good guy, easy to get along with, a big gamer nerd like me, and quite clean and tidy. We have a third roommate I'm told, but I have yet to see the guy. I would think he was a figment of Chad's imagination except that I exchanged a few introductory e-mails with him.
Unfortunately, the moving drama isn't over yet- apparently my old roommate in College Station found someone to take over our sublease ASAP, which means next weekend I need to drive all the way back to College Station and help him finish cleaning up and give him a hand with moving. I wish he could handle it all himself because I really don't want to drive back and lose a weekend just to help him, but I do owe it to him slightly and I really want to set an example for his other so-called 'friends' who royally screwed him over not long ago.
Work. New job starts tomorrow with these guys (http://tuffguyservices.com/). I am calling myself a 'designer', but I really don't know what my job title is or what I will be working on. The owner is a long-time landscape architect who needs someone to take some weight off him on those projects, so I will be learning some landscape architecture. I also understand from our marketing partner that we're going to start contracting with banks to fix up foreclosure properties, so they someone with construction and architectural experience who can spot what needs to be repaired and write proposals for the work. I'm also told that the company would like to branch out a bit into park and green space planning and design, which is what really excites me about this company. I am probably the lowest-paid of my classmates, but that doesn't include bonuses. My guess is, with bonuses I'll be closer to the $40,000-$42,000 a year salaries that are typical for entry-level, straight-out-of-grad-school planners (salaries that a few of my classmates are getting, both in the public and private sector). I suppose that if the pay isn't where it needs to be in a few years once I have that oh-so-important two years of experience, I can always look for something else that pays better. For now, though, it is a solid, decent living wage with possibility for bonuses and the opportunity to build my professional portfolio a bit. In the meantime, my last personal client's client finally signed a contract on the 206 N. Main job in Bryan, so today I hope to finish up those CDs and the certificate of appropriateness. That is another $1,000 in my pocket once that is done (and another client of mine still owes me $300).
School. I'm already beginning to wonder if I can finish my thesis by the end of summer, or if I will have to take an incomplete yet again. I have a lot of writing to do between now and mid-August, and with my projects getting dragged out over issues like how to pay for elevators and having to spend unforeseen time doing things like helping my old roommate get the apartment ready for the new tenant (which saves us a lot of $ in reletting fees and rent), I'm already losing valuable time.