Jobs in landscape architecture are likely to be increasingly in demand. Environmental concerns and regulations are leading businesses and individuals to create landscapes that blend in with the natural world. Builders no longer simply blast and level the landscape before slapping up ugly edifices.

People want attractive grounds enveloping the areas where they work, live, and play. A landscape designer typically plans the location of buildings and paths; determines the location of plants, trees, and shrubbery around the buildings; and undertakes numerous other tasks that will lend beauty to otherwise sterile surroundings. The goal of a landscape architect is to combine functionality and aesthetic appeal to create a pleasing environment that can soothe the senses and calm a troubled mind.

Landscapers work on projects of all kinds. Municipalities at every level of government are always building and renovating. Working closely with surveyors, engineers, and others, landscapers are often involved in the development of a site from day one. At other times they are brought in to add the finishing touches. They also work with environmentalists and others to conserve the natural world around the site, and they often work to restore nature to its pristine form in the process. They conform to any state and federal codes pertaining to building and development in the area. They produce detailed plans of their ideas in advance. In the old days, this was done with sketches and blueprints. These are still used, of course, but today's high-tech landscape architects use computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create a 3D image of their designs for their clients. This is becoming more and more common. In fact, it is virtually a necessity for landscape architects to have strong computer skills. Finally, landscape architects supervise all the work done by contractors and see that it meets their specifications.

Landscape architects who work for government agencies ordinarily design government buildings, courthouses, roadways, recreational parks and other publicly owned property, including national parks and forests. They have to be able to prepare reports on the environmental impact of what they are planning and then design according to the government's guidelines. Landscapers also restore land and property that has laid fallow and/or has deteriorated over the years, such as landfills and mines.

As of 2004, most states required landscape architects to have a license. Interested applicants have to take the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE), sponsored by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards and administered in two sections: graphic and multiple choice. Standards vary from state to state, but you often have to have a degree or have been working in the field as an apprentice for at least one year, sometimes longer. Fourteen states insist that their own test be taken in addition to the LARE. For federal jobs, the applicant does not need to be licensed, but he or she must have a bachelor's degree or higher in the field. It is a growing field, particularly in the public sector. In fact, some estimates indicate landscape architecture will be one of the most in-demand occupations through 2014.