Either suck it up or move on.

No related field will help you, of the ones you posted. Corporate architecture- Walmart, Target, Starbucks.... like those or healthcare, will have the best prospects. You will have to check their corporate stock holder meeting notes for growth areas.

If you speak an Asian language you will find work or if you are willing to work outside the US in emerging markets.

If you stay in the US and don't want to do corporate or healthcare work, the only viable industry is anything to do with mobile internet technology.

I'm sure if you want to leave your current position there will be 20 or so folks lined up for the spot, so don't worry about leaving the industry.

I'm 2.5 years without work in the industry and I'm enjoying hitting my hand with a hammer and crawling under a house through black widows to fix a broken pipe, all for around $12 p/h. I'm having the time of my life.

Good luck!

thanks djohnson6940 and sorry for your unemoployment for 2.5 years. I was laid off from a big firm last year and joined a small firm. in 3 weeks i will be out of work again. in 8 years of working, this economy downturns already hit me 3.5 times. I absolutely hate it. that is why I am thinking for the future, what can i do to change?

or another question, if I would like to do some side jobs, freelance jobs, where can i possiblely find them?
set up my own practice may be another choice in the near future. how should I start?

eq,
I have had to turn down quite a few jobs from family and friends or friends, because I need my license, once I get work again, thats my main objective, then it going to be time to open up Don quixote de la mancha architects baby.

Graduated with an MArch. Registered a few years ago. Bored to tears with the profession. Angry with the profession for relagating me to serfdom in a cubicle chained to the computer and starvation for my family.

Tried working as a construction manager for the past couple of years. Made 3x more $$$ and found respect at a relatively young age. Discovered the grass really is greener on the other side.

Now pursuing medical school and another chance at life.

Found my self esteem and rediscovered my intelligence. Not looking back.

I hate modernism and what the frankfurt school fools (marxists) have done to the West. Architecture is the (dead) canary in the coal mine.

The disapora and disenfranchisement of western man cannot endure forever.

At some point, like the phoenix, western man will rise from the ashes.

Looking forward to that day!

What?

Marxism, outside of unionization, has had little effect in the U.S.-- Trotskyism or Structural Marxism, on the other hand... those are just theories.

The 'Western Man' only existed in feudalist and slave societies in which the U.S. was never a feudalist society having never recognized a member of aristocracy-- despite the crown having created many opportunities to have landed and seated titles for Americans in the colonies.

We could have had a Duke of New Jersey and a Viscount of Manhattan! But we couldn't be bothered with tiny, tiny tax despite the massive welfare package the crown had been giving us. Free roads, free buildings, free ships, free protection, limited application of British law.

But a tea tax? A stamp tax? ZOMIGOD.

In either event, the concept of the Western Man is only grounded in the gentry conferred to it by title.

In fact, most of the choice you make as a Modern Man condemn to you to a life of corporatist interventions-- from using a car to using electricity to taking medication. Some of these things are non-negotiable some of the time.

However, turning the key on that car gives every major automotive corporation, energy company, engineering firm and the government the right to pry into the inner workings of your life.

Thanks for creating your own slavery!

Well said. My hate for one worlders, globalist, internationalists, and the one size fits all panacea mentality remains. I want to puke when I hear all the contemporary marxists of both the republican and democrat stripe talk about equality.

Everyone is unique. Absolutely, 100% unique, relatively speaking.

Unfortunately, as it relates to this particular thread, the average architect (as well as student, intern, etc) has swallowed the equality drivel hook, line, and sinker.

...and thus the average practicioner is relegated to IRS compliant CAD monkey servant to the self appointed "gods" of AutoDesk, the AIA, NCARB, NAAB, etc. etc.

Its pretty pathetic when all you hear from the average sycophant at the bottom of the profession is regret and pain for low wages and even little professional respect...while the top 0.005% sycophants and rulers of the fascist marxist empire simply continue the same old, tired mantra of "stay in line plebes"...and the plebes eat it up as if they haven't had the power to be free the whole time.

I watched "a Bugs Life" recently. As simple a movie as it is...the main theme is profound.

Architects, as a group, will generally be the last ones to learn this lesson and implement it, however.

Its like gravity. Its just the way it is. Unfortunate but the truth, however sad, will still set you free.

Equality is not necessarily about some marxist plot to have a feel good society that we all love, share and care in. Equality is more or less about expanding the workforce to increase economic production.

If anything, equality is pushed more by capitalists to have an ever increasing proletariat for which they can reap the rewards of the net economic production of said working classes.

In short, allowing women, 'colored' people, the disabled et cetera to be productive members of society means that we have a greater potential for production.

If anything, having a small predominate group being responsible for the well-being of the rest of society (i.e., America pre 20th-century) is technically more marxist in the Marxism-Leninism sense. However, it became apparent that under a 'free' society that one small group was unable to meet a productive capacity to sustain the rest of society that was not it.

That was the predominate reason as to why most of European-settled North America relied heavily on slavery-- the idea of a pastoral, egalitarian lifestyle was phony. Many of the people who came to the US sought that lifestyle that was in vogue for many aristocrats in the 17th and 18th centuries.

However, since most of this class of people were well-to-do merchants and not aristocrats... they were not privy to the inner workings of these lavish farm estates many aristocrats owned. A majority of these estates often employed hundreds to thousands of [paid] employees in their upkeep. And most of these estates, despite their extensive agricultural operations, never made a dime. They were giant money pits.

Without slaves, many businessmen were forced to use prisoners, then children, then their wives and then immigrants.

Equality may have been a ruse but it has bettered society both socially and financially.

i am not a Marxist.- Karl Marx

another frustration I have for this industry is I do not know where to be for the next 5 years. I look at the coworker next to me, no march degree, only worked for 4 years but I do not feel i know too much more than she does. Thanks to Revit for pushing newly graduated to think more.
what do u guys say that what level should ppl w/ my background be at?

IHATEMARXISTS, how did you get into the construction field?

get into some engineering classes at your CC.
will increase your ability in a marketable way.

@ eq: How did I get into the construction field? Basically networked. I loathe luck but must admit I consider it luck at that time that I was in the right place at the right time and knew the right people. Or if you believe in the divine hand of Providence like I do you might chalk it up to Divine intervention.

Either way the fresh perspective gave me a new lease on life (and extra $$$ in the bank to pursue my dreams again).

I guess once I got a taste for freedom I liked it and I will not be going back to the trenches of CAD Monkey serfdom no matter what. I'd rather starve. Life is too damn short. And there is a lot more to life and a career and making money and being truly happy than moving lines on some god forsaken computer screen 24/7 365 days a week for 50 years chained to a cubicle with only downward mobility to look forward to.

Is this the post where I mentioned that the BIM corporations have contracts with the government to teach BIM, REVIT, etc. in the prisons. No joke, the expectations as far as wages and working conditions (including how your boss perceives your value and the everyday lack of respect one gets) is actually influenced to a large degree by FELONS. The teachers of BIM in prisons and such make 80k a year, full benefits, 30 hours a week. Its madness.

Do aspiring young professionals really think that society is going to take their "skills" with BIM seriously when the BIM model is built around the heavy CAD lifting being done by the subcontractors via BIM and IPD and that work being done by the subcontractors is being done by ex-cons working for $6.50/ hour?

Get real aspiring architects. The fascist corporatations have merged with the throroughly fascist government in order to leverage technology against the little guy has been the death blow to the profession post 2000 AD.

I'm over it. Are you?

It is an uncomfortable realization. But, once one adjusts to the initial cold shock of this reality, one can begin to pick up the pieces of their life, plan accordingly, and move on.

You need to evaluate your priorities. Some of us figured it out early on (that'd be me) and started looking elsewhere while still in school, others chose to pursue the traditional path and am now looking and reevaluating (that'd be you a ton of others).

I'd make a list of skills, what you enjoy doing, start reading looking and learning about other fields and seeing if there are overlaps.

You will, however, have to dive in to any new profession and learn. You can't expect to just jump ship and everything will be rosy.


Personally, I like design more than anything, so I looked at what professions I could have some creative fun with and still have flexibility, make a decent living, start a business, etc. That led to graphics, web, video and, of course, 3D (although I didn't care for the 3D at first, outside of my own architecture).
Took a lot of patience, learning, patience, learning, stress, etc. But I am thankful that I made the choice and dove in (taking classes, reading tons and tons and tons of books, from programming to business and now back to re development).


Pick something, talk to some people in the field, ask a lot of questions. Dive in and give it everything you have and never look back (looking back just slows you down).


Good luck.

Think outside the box - buy used vintage 32-bit RAM and graphics cards from dead A/E firms and wait for the Dollar to crap out. Everyone will be way too poor to care if 64-bit code is necessary for their livelihood . . .

there are three or four perspectives here that are all valid but none represent your situation. What they have in common is people doing what is right for themselves.

I personally do three jobs at the moment. When I graduated in July I took work in a machine shop, my grandfather was a machinist so it seemed honest and I learned to weld Aluminum and Magnesium fairly well... 10 an hour.

Since then I've picked up three side jobs doing construction drawings and am interviewing for work designing TV sets for an asian production company.

Take whatever comes your way with a smile and you'll end up getting some traction with it. Untill then try to keep the day job rolling perhaps?

all i got, best of luck