Hello,
I recently joined a renowned retail brand. It seems very different from residential design which I did mostly.
I do layouts a lot and basically the company hires licensed architect to get the job done.
I have noticed that most people are well paid, good hours and are not licensed . I was on licensure track but getting discouraged.now. there is basically Interior designers, Architects doing similar work.
The trend seems like jumping to other band brands after a while. I like the stability and less stress and the money . But my worry is after spending too much time doing layouts I won't be able to return to a proper architecture office which is a lot demanding then what I am doing now.
Are other people working on the clients side have thoughts to share?
Thank you
Yes, picking paint colours and placing furniture in plan is far less stressful than detailing real buildings. Nothing shocking there but don't stop chasing the license, it'll be a decent way out once you've drained all the useful experience out of this retail gig.
As you have noted, jobs of this nature can be rewarding, although the work rarely is as diverse or as interesting over time as would be the case in private practice.
Beware of a potential trap - if you stay in this job for a number of years and adjust your lifestyle to match your compensation, you will find it very difficult to return to private practice if you ever wish to do so. Design firms simply will not be able to match the pay you're earning now and you (and your family) will be reluctant to adjust your lifestyle downward to accommodate what private firms can pay.
Like architecture practices, retail firms vary a lot depending on the type of work they do and how much they outsource their work to architects. Your job can prepare for you other retail roles that are more "architecture" related.
I recently switched into the retail industry too but I have been more involved with design development and construction administration while working with a concept architect so it's the other way around. I find myself doing a lot more detailing, site work, and PM from the client side. I've found this to complement my skills from the more conceptual side of architecture practice.
I can see how this kind of work can get repetitive over time but I also see other avenues that this job can prepare you for such as retail development and other developer roles. See if you can get as much PM experience out of it (very different than PM from the design side).
Retail architecture - what are the possibilities?
Hello, I recently joined a renowned retail brand. It seems very different from residential design which I did mostly. I do layouts a lot and basically the company hires licensed architect to get the job done. I have noticed that most people are well paid, good hours and are not licensed . I was on licensure track but getting discouraged.now. there is basically Interior designers, Architects doing similar work. The trend seems like jumping to other band brands after a while. I like the stability and less stress and the money . But my worry is after spending too much time doing layouts I won't be able to return to a proper architecture office which is a lot demanding then what I am doing now. Are other people working on the clients side have thoughts to share? Thank you
As you have noted, jobs of this nature can be rewarding, although the work rarely is as diverse or as interesting over time as would be the case in private practice.
Beware of a potential trap - if you stay in this job for a number of years and adjust your lifestyle to match your compensation, you will find it very difficult to return to private practice if you ever wish to do so. Design firms simply will not be able to match the pay you're earning now and you (and your family) will be reluctant to adjust your lifestyle downward to accommodate what private firms can pay.
Good luck.
Like architecture practices, retail firms vary a lot depending on the type of work they do and how much they outsource their work to architects. Your job can prepare for you other retail roles that are more "architecture" related.
I recently switched into the retail industry too but I have been more involved with design development and construction administration while working with a concept architect so it's the other way around. I find myself doing a lot more detailing, site work, and PM from the client side. I've found this to complement my skills from the more conceptual side of architecture practice.
I can see how this kind of work can get repetitive over time but I also see other avenues that this job can prepare you for such as retail development and other developer roles. See if you can get as much PM experience out of it (very different than PM from the design side).
Thank you for everyone's input.
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