Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Choice

Sometimes - out of sheer lack of a topic of conversation- I am asked, "Why did Y-O-U study Landscape Architecture?"

I do not know if there will ever be an answer. Perhaps the closest that I can point to is the fact that I have lived all my life (till now) in an (unfortunately) unknown and undervalued Charles Correa designed township and house. I wonder whether he himself remembers it.

I did not study Architecture because of it. It was an infatuation over a once-upon-a-time gorgeous woman. That there is Truth in that story, I am sure of. So are my Family members and my Best Friend.

Nonetheless, I have been searching for THE answer about my Landscape studies.

The search brought me to a questionnaire framed by a National body of Landscape Architects in a First World country- and a very reputed one at that. It seems like a desperate bid to attract talent, given the abyssmal (and scary) ratio of Landscape Architects: urban Designers: Architects globally.

My affinity to quizzing and checklists got the better of me. Yet again.

is landscape architecture the career for you?

This short quiz will help determine your interest in landscape architecture. There are no wrong answers. Just check each one that applies to you. Then score your interest below.

❑ I think about important environmental questions and problems such as global warming, water and air pollution, and population growth.
❑ I enjoy spending time outdoors.
❑ I think it is important to preserve the environment.
❑ I notice attractive yards, parks, and plazas.
❑ I believe there is a delicate balance between nature and people.
❑ I would enjoy creating places that provide a balance between people and the environment.
❑ I like to draw and design things.
❑ I would prefer a job that allows me to work both indoors and outdoors.
❑ My science projects mostly involved nature.
❑ I spend time thinking about how to improve my community and the quality of life for people.

Results
If you checked:

3-4 You have an interest in landscape architecture.
5-6 You have a strong interest in landscape architecture.
7 or more You have an exceptional interest in landscape architecture.

Now, with most things about that country, there is an exceptional urge to qualify, quantify and statistically represent Data. In my desperation for an answer I have given this questionnaire a couple of shots and even given myself a couple of shots and tried to know THE answer.

But...a retrospective playback of the decision to study the subject prompted me to tick "I enjoy spending time outdoors", and the fact that 0/10 is not really a score.

As per the checklist, my becoming a landscape architect is an aberration.

I wonder.

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