yeah, i think a sweet bonus is due...

if you look at it like a commodity, yes
if you consider it added value, yes
if you consider effort expended, yes

so I guess I'd say yes

did the firm pay for your time and examination to acquire it?
if so, this shouldn't dissuade you from seeking compensation, but it should inform the tone with which you assert yourself

good luck

Graspin, do you think you are paid well enough for your current responsibility?

I suggest if you are then ask for more responsibility on this project due to you unique position to help the firm. Prove yourself and expect to be compensated. Look into how you can help the firm market work because of your LEED certification and make some goals for yourself and achieve them.

You already work for them, with your LEED and all. They already pay you. Why the hell would they pay you more? If you will be doing all of the LEED work, and this is more responsibility than you have now, then a raise may be in order. But if they are simply using your name on the paper work, I'd say probably not.

well, they panicked, as the developer (big one) now demands LEED. i get paid well, no complaints. but they didn't know that i've taken the course (et all) until i told them. now they want to use me as a rubber stamp. i'd rather get nothing...and be an integral part of the (design)process, but i highly doubt that in this office. so, i forsee them looking to make everything LEED worthy coming out of the office...

don't you think you should be happy to have the opportunity to work on such a large (and seemingly interesting and challenging) project and have it meet certain sustainable requirements? granted, that you are LEED Accreditated, seeking work is a team effort. you are just part of the whole process. the other people on the team also have something to bring to the table, should they not be compensated extra for their effort as well?

in my experience, being awarded projects doesn't come down to a single person, it's a team effort months if not years in the making. just because you're LEED Accreditated doesn't mean your firm will instantly be awarded the project. being sustainable is more than just having an acronym after your name, it's a firm culture and an individual mindset and lifestyle. just because you are Accreditated doesn't make you special. at my firm of 60 people, we have over 20 people who are Accreditated. the exam isn't that hard. a good week of studying will give a person the tools necessary to pass cuppled with your motivation for environmental sustainable architecture.

you being LEED Accreditated will only gain you one point on the scorecard anyway. making reality a Certified building, especially with a developer (big stereo typing here!) is a challenge to say the least.

stop your belly aching and be a team player.

team player? if my firm was interested in 'team playing', they would financially reward their employees as such, right? i mean, if everyone is important on 'the team', we would all benifit from the success of the project. but this is not the case...so get your head out of the clouds. although they surely care about me, they don't really care about anything more than the bottom line.

my point was this: they stumbled upon an 'in'.

we have the work, but the developer is going green, or should i say, LEED. originally, the partners thought they would have to study up and write an exam for this new initiative. and fat chance of that happening! but then, through the grape vine, they hear i've completed this they come to me saying "so, i hear you have this LEED thing". no belly aching...as i like my job. but shouldn't this added responsibility come with some sort of compensation? maybe (at a bare minimum) they should offfer to pay for that exam i wrote. as an employee, there is nothing worse than feeling used. i know this is the nature of the employee/employer relationship, but there should be limits, no? this was my pnly point...

are you green washing? in wich case you deserve nothing

or are you setting ecologically friendly standards at your office that other future projects will benefit from. are you doing glenn murcutt type of environmentally visionary work? in which case they need to pay you.

else if alll you have done is taken a $50 Leed test and jumped that paper hoop and have used your "knowlwdge" to spec a low VOC paint...THEN YOU GET NOTHING-JUST LIKE THE EMPTINESS OF YOUR SOUL.

graspin - hi. don't know you and nothing i say should be taken personally. but....

if you were in my office and were to pull that kind of attitude, you would be on a very quick train out. maybe that has more to do with my own tolerance level for such madness. (no office is ever going to share everything equally - why, as the owner, should i? i'm putting up all the risk and have the bigger headaches than you have. if we make money in the course of a project, then sharing in that, proportionally, is a great idea, but not one shared by every principal of a firm).

so they found out that you're leed certified and want to use that to their advantage. so what? if they found out that you could render a computer model more realistically than anyone else in the world, why shouldn't they try to use that to their advantage? you are, hypothetically, a member of an office team. your strengths, along with everyone elses, is what makes the office stronger. have they told you that your compensation was only for your skills as a cad jockey? are you being paid as such? i suspect not.

i'll second the comment above: get in, learn how to take a project through the leed process, get it certified, and then leverage that skill when you go back in for a raise, especially if you are still the only certified person in the office. if the skill becomes extremely valuable to the firm (to get work, etc.) and you are the only person qualified (and they still like you and you them), then show how it's doing it's part to help the bottom line. expand on the leed certification and develop a plan for the office to more effectively integrate green issues into all the projects. do something positive instead of gripe. as an employer, i'll reward that every time.

just to clarify...I AM THE GUY IN YOUR OFFICE THAT NEVER GRIPES!!!
i am the guy without an attitude...in the office.
i am the guy who always goes above and beyond.
i am the guy who feels guilty asking for raises.
i am the guy always smiling.
i am the guy everyone goes to with their problem.
i am the guy who renders better, cad's better, smoozes better and knows more tech than the average employee.
i am the guy YOU WANT TO HIRE.

and because of this, i am the guy that employers generally take advantage of.

i was just thinking that as an employer, you should pay for skill set, especially when that specific set is demanded in the office immediately.

your points are valid g-love...but i also know you'd be loving me off in your office, and salivating over what i have to offer...and how much coin you'd make off my back.

grasp, i think you deserve something, because i have been in that place and i am that person you describe. but there are a couple of things that don't jive; going above and beyond also means either letting your current or future employer know about all your skill sets, it can only help in negotiating your raise, your salary etc..., they heard about your LEED accreditation through the grapevine? how does that happen, it happens when you tell people about certain skills you have and maybe others don't, just don't play it off as some kind of accident it was a purposeful accident...

so at your next NEXT review this topic should be a number one with a bullet on your list...then if you get nothing, walk.

g-love is right. be a positive influence to the team and the project. show and prove your worth then when your review comes up, be prepared to state why they should see value in you, why they should give you a raise, and why they should give you a promotion. think about the big picture and not the pettiness of the little one. as an owner, i would be more apt to give you what you want after you have proven your commitment rather than you griping about extra pay [sorry, i know i don't know you, but it does sound that way] just because i needed a skill set you have and that my other employees don't. i think you will get further by being patient.

Our insurance company increased our premiums when they found out we had a LEED-certified person in the office, stating that this "adds another level to the professional standard of care" expected from us. So, should we deduct these increases from our LEED-certified employee when she is not directly using that knowledge on a project, or when we're not benefitting from it indirectly, as in marketing?
It seems to me that an employee's skills, certifications, etc. are part of the package that their regular salary is paying for. If the person gains new skills, expertise, etc. and I see that in practice then I might consider an increase. But in this case you didn't even let your employer know you had this certification - so I if I were him I would probably think at this point that you'd obtained it at least in part to make yourself more hirable elsewhere! My advice would be to make yourself as useful and informative as possible on this project. Demonstrate the value of this certification in practice.

As far as the value of the certification thing alone: it seems to be very trendy at the moment. It seems that two thirds of the resumes we're getting from intern-level people have this listed. But unless they've got some green/sustainable examples to show/talk about in their portfolios we wouldn't consider it to be something worth a higher salary - or even necessarily a desirable thing, since as I said above it is actually costing us more to employ them.

i agree with g-love. as for compensation, it really is about risk. those who risk more, reap more benefit. why don't you go out and try to get a project on your own and see how far that gets you.

team player. eh? it might be worth considering during your next review. . . or better yet, call for a review. . . about your contribution to the firm. state what you've told us here but in a professional, clear, diplomatic tone. if you truly are what you say you are, then any reasonable principal and firm would recognize those assets and reward accordingly. if they don't, seek employment elsewhere that does reward. if you want to be constantly recognized for your efforts, then that by it's very nature is NOT a team player.

and for everyone else. . . a person is LEED Accreditated, not certified. A building is LEED Certified (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and not accreditated.

Aluminate, you're right on about LEED meaning something on a resume. anyone can take the dam test, but that knowledge is not truly understood until they've tested it against a real world project.

i agree with Suture also. it's more than just specifying an "environmentally friendly" material. Are you truly bringing something unique to the project or a unique knowledge of the LEED process to the project? anybody can read MSDS or specifications or call product reps to discern what is enviro friendly or not. they don't have to be LEED Accreditated to figure that shit out.

unless you're bringing something unique to the project team, your LEED acronym is only worth one dam point on the score card. but of course you knew that since you're LEED Accreditated, right?

again, stop your belly aching!

graspin - i'll take you at your word - you can come work for us anytime. seriously, all i wanted to point out is how i might react personally if it came up. devil dog is right on in how to approach the principals. (and thanks for the catch devil - i'm even an leed accredited professional myself and still slip up on that.)

and, amen to the fact that being leed ap meaning less and less. what counts is what is being brought to the building itself. being ecologically correct is vastly more difficult than doing a certified building.

sidebar question:

i've seen interns list as a title "leed certified professional" next to their names

would it not be "leed certified intern"

No, a person with a professional degree is generally considered a professional. And a person with an LEED accreditation (sorry for using the term "certification" incorrectly before) working in a professional setting - i.e. in an architecture firm or as a consultant - would reasonably be considered a professional. Such an intern shouldn't be calling him/herself "LEED accredited Architect" - but that's a different matter.

to clarify, the LEED experience was completed on my own time...with my own money...and after i was hired. it was done out of interest. this skill set was not part of the package that they 'hired' back in '98. under that logic, being hired as an 'intern' makes the assumption that one day you'll be licenced, and therefore, you should not expect an increase once the requirements of the internship are completed from you initial salary.

listen...this arguement is redundant. our profession is out of whack when we try and discourage youth from bettering themselves...or, my bad, not reward those that make attempts to such betterment. and i say that not only in financial terms.

i brought my green experience into the office without a peep...but when an imployer try's to exploit that, i think a small cheque of $250 (to cover the exam) might be reasonable. not that i would ever ask...but it should be offered.

i'm not crying about it. i'm well paid. i love my job. and i love my co-workers. i was just trying to see what people thought about the issue...all of you points were insightfull, and i'll use them during a review. thanks.

Taking an exam does not constitute green experience. Getting a project certified would make for LEED experience. So when you took the test, did you not expect to ever use it? You knew this would be of value to the firm, so why didn't you ask them to pay for it in the first place? I think it would be a very different situation if they had refused to pay for the test when you had asked to take it.

dood, it sounds like you are crying about a measly $250. and they aren't exploiting you or at least you haven't made the argument yet. like g-love said "if they found out that you could render a computer model more realistically than anyone else in the world, why shouldn't they try to use that to their advantage?" it's no different.

"under that logic, being hired as an 'intern' makes the assumption that one day you'll be licenced, and therefore, you should not expect an increase once the requirements of the internship are completed from you initial salary"

No, it doesn't assume that your salary will never increase. But your example of licensure is a good example - because many people find that getting their registration does NOT automatically bring them a raise. Demonstrated abilities/skills/knowledge and increased responsibility bring more money (sometimes. assuming that more money is available and that the firm is actually paying attention to you.)

There is no crying here...I was posing a question. One that deserved a little attention, as it's in the minds of all interns (who regularly get exploited and abused). That said:

I’m guessing that the respondents here are all firm 'owners'...lol...who regularly exploit their employees. lol. no worries, I know your type...and I don't blame you. it's hard to afford the beamer, the Volvo and private school for your kids. hehehehe. plus you have your ex-wife and the co-ed mistress to contend with. oh, and we can't forget that extensive 'black death' wardrobe that impresses your friends...


however, I’m sick of firms crying poor these days. the recession has been over for close to a decade, yet principals are operating like the market is ultra volatile. I say charge an acceptable fee (don't undercut your neighbor to death), treat your employees like human beings (as they will treat you), spend an appropriate amount of staff time on design...and your practice will successful. my crying follows your crying...but when you've stuck with a firm (through hard and good times), some benefits should be made by both parties. nobody cries for students when they are forced to work for free, do they? So, why should you feel bad that a firm should cough up cash for a LEED exam...when they'll be generating more business, and thus, more cash flow?

Leed - just another attempt to beat the laws of market forces. We earn what were worth. Architects should go back to business school - maybe they'll see theyre doing more work for about the same amount of money to help fewer manufacturers in the building products market place.