whatever someone will give you

I'd say that's about par for the course or a tad better - assume 10~20% overall cut from what used to be the norm.

There is a large range in pay, as mdler says, you get what they can pay you.

-location location location. where are you located???
-2 professional degrees does not equal better pay. contrary to the grad school recruiters... two professional degrees in the same industry really does nothing more for your salary or the profitablility of the firm. you can't do 100% of both at the same time- so you're at the same billable hours as someone w/one degree. unless you have an MBA AND a b.arch, etc... you won't garner more salary.
-what are the professional perks? are they paying OT, are they paying insurance? etc. these are increasingly very expensive to firms. if they're not paying either of these things, or 401k, etc... then i would calculate the cost of healthcare at least and add that in to ask for a higher wage. ultimately you'll end up in the hole if your firm does not pay a portion of your health insurance.

+i, can you elaborate some more in regards to MBA and b.arch?

every so often, i look at the MBA curriculum of schools around me and they are really enticing, i may take the plunge with the Gmats to see how i do first. but the bigger question is: what do you become?

Real estate developer?

: if you don't mind me jumping in here, the beauty (?) of an MBA is that it can give you tremendous flexibility to work outside the construction industry, if you are so inclined. There were 3-4 other graduate architects in my MBA class and, insofar as I know, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who remained within the construction industry post-graduation. Mostly, those other guys ended up working in the financial services industry.

If you pursue the MBA and decide you want to remain involved in the design and construction industry, the degree gives you a leg-up (i.e. credibility) when pursuing a) practice management positions in larger design firms; b) project management positions in construction companies; c) project management, or development management, positions in real estate development firms; d) facilities management positions in organizations that own and manage lots of buildings; etc.

My own path has taken me in-and-out of the real estate industry over the years, mostly on the development side of the business. In the end, I missed being in a design firm and returned some years back -- today I am the Managing Principal of our mid-sized firm.

Personally -- and I tend to be prejudiced about this -- for those who want to obtain an MBA and stay in the construction industry, I think it very important that such individuals achieve licensure as early in their career as possible. In my own case, I passed the exam before heading off to MBA school.

Good luck.

"The salary offer was very low compared to what I think is industry standard (45k-50k)."

Are you saying 45K-50K is what you consider fair? Or are you saying 45K-50K is what they offered you? I think a few of the posts above think you got offered 50K, which I assume is incorrect. It would help if you clarified how much lower that that your offer was.

PS...what you SHOULD be earning is an impossible question for any of us to answer. How much do you believe you're worth?

I think he means they offered him less than stardard of 45-50k. So maybe they offered him high 30s/low 40s? Either way if it's more money than you currently make and you don't see a better job in sight, I would take it. Why not?

Thank you, quizzical! Your story is inspirational! I love architecture but my career path took a beating in this economy so I'm looking to diversify. I'm actually intrigued by business acquisition and project management side of architecture and would very much like to use my architectural background (however little it may be, ~3 yrs) in the future.

and thanks for the heads up regarding licensing, I'm actually headed in the similar route you took. I'm wrapping up the last 2 sections of the ARE and then switching gears towards B. school. Hopefully the license itself will also be a leg up to get into a B. school of choice? maybe.

anyway, sorry to have gone completely off the original topic.
I'm only a junior myself but I think 45-50K is definitely attainable since you can pretty much take a project from conception to construction and even further with furnishing. I worked in high end residential and there was a high demand for people knowledgeable in both realms. (I agree, Location is also important. i'm in nyc)
BUT the fact that you only have 1.5 yrs exp is probably working against you. 40's, i would consider acceptable, if you like the office. anything lower is just slavery.

Low balling people is the worst thing employers can do. Sure, people will come to work but don't expect them to be very motivated to put their soul into it because at some point, there's a loss of self-respect, let alone, an even greater loss of respect for your company and our industry.

Lets see, I have 5 years Revit experience, 2.75 years office experience at major offices using Revit in everything from Concept, SD,DD,CD CA and renderings. I have an M.Arch from an accredited school and am presently working at a small office in San Francisco - I make $20/hr as a contract 1099 worker. - Is this the new normal? at any rate, I am grateful for the job, when I was hired, I had $14.63 in my bank account just like Howard Roark -

I have a BSarch and a MArch from the top school in the country, have worked for the best office in NYC, have 8 yrs professional experience in both architecture + construction and cant get a job

I hear you, I was out of work for 15 months - thats why I am grateful for everyday I am still working.

quizzical, how old were you when you got your license? i'm studying for gmat right now, and will be graduating this year.

28

quizzical: I remembered you helped me on my lenses selection with thorough explanation.

Didn't know you are managing principal now. You must do a great job in your firm.

wouldn't an architect/interior designer be of some kind of value though? you have an architect that could do interior work as needed without sending the work out or hiring a full time interior designer. sounds like it would be ideal for a smallish firm.

I agree. This person has the skillset to BECOME an asset to a small-midsize firm ( someday). Few excoworkers of mine Also had similar qualifications and they were highly regarded in the office. But the kicker is having only 1.5 yrs exp. They might think, it's neither here nor there. (sorry to sound harsh) but Im just going off by what I've seen. Architects with that amount of exp.def need alot of supervision as do interior designers. And either one, IMO would make 40-50. Remember, School is not like work.so i think it's a matter of making employer aware that you're an investment worth making in the long run.