There are too many green certs out there (LEED, WELL, whatever the other ones are), there's PMP for project management, six sigma? What the hell is that? Anything else?
All bantering aside, do y'all have any other certs that commands higher salary? Is it worth it to get? Architecture's pay is so abysmally low, man's gotta eat.
TBH, half of my postnominals are just professional membership signifiers. Anyone* can pay the dues and get them. The others are actual certifications that are pertinent and I think do help me command higher pay ... at least compared to those without them doing the same work. But part of that is convincing the firm they mean something. It's not a guarantee.
*some prerequisites like licensure may be required
Some places will pay you more for LEED, WELL, and occasionally PMP, but its very case-by-case. None of these certifications are a sure-fire guarantee of a higher salary. They do, however, tend to impress HR type people and will sometimes help you get in the door when looking for a job.
In response to your question re: some other certifications out there:
CSI (specifications writing, not the TV show)
EDAC (healthcare design)
ACHA (healthcare design)
The best way to get certifications is work at a place where the employer pays for the study materials and test fees. Using your own money may or may not pay off.
^ I would watch the hell out of a show where specifiers show up to a construction site and argue about building particulars.
Tonight on CSI: CSI: "Are you nuts? No way that's green board in the toilet room. It's just regular half-inch that's painted 'Hunter's Forest.' And over here-- you call this a left-hand reverse, outward opening, inactive leaf? Get outta my sight!"
Here's the thing. I'd say 9 times out of 10 if you are in a position where a certification will be helpful, you'll be far enough into your career to know what that certification is and how you could go about getting it. You may even have mentors or supervisors telling you to go for it.
For the other 1 time, you should go after CSI's CDT certificate. It's not likely to get you noticed or a higher salary, but the content it covers is such a good thing to know in this industry. That knowledge is something you can leverage to higher pay and responsibilities. But no, just the post-nominal letters won't get you much.
Only go for the green certs if you're the office's green guru (or a green consultant), or if your office is requiring it and paying for it as marketing.
EA - interesting, why do you say CDT is the most important there? I had always imagined that sitting down and actually spending the time to study how a proper specification is put together would be more useful, given that its so rarely taught in any formal manner in the office. Whereas the description of the CDT items does seem like something one would pick up over typical day-to-day work mentorship.
May 2, 23 1:35 pm ·
·
reallynotmyname
+1 on the green certs. I've worked in offices where it was decreed that "everyone have a LEED accreditation" simply for marketing purposes. Whenever an actual LEED project came into the office, the first call made was to an outside LEED consultant to do all of the LEED scope.
Bench, I think if you're in a position of not knowing what certification will be helpful in your career, you're likely pretty early in your career. The content of the CDT certification is a broad overview of all the players and their responsibilities in a project (something anyone on the design, construction, or ownership side of a project should understand). I've found that if you actually learn the material (understand it and apply it rather than just recall it long enough to pass a test) you start to see how many of your mentors don't actually know the "right way" to do things, and instead rely on what they learned to do from their mentors, or by trial and error, etc. Such is the nature of a profession where the majority of us "fake it until we make it."
Now I'm not saying that the way you learn to do things from the CDT is perfect, or that it should always be done that way. Rather it's learning the rules* so you can break them appropriately rather than indiscriminately because you never learned anything different, or worse ... "that's the way we've always done it."
It also sets you up to take better advantage of the sort of day-to-day work mentorship you should be getting. It gives you a solid base of knowledge allowing you to ask intelligent questions rather than just take whatever is fed to you as the "right way" to do things.
*It might be more appropriate to say it's learning what the rules should be and where to find them, but in that sense breaking them isn't really an option (or shouldn't be), but they could be modified by mutual agreement, etc.
I'm certified in Post-Disaster Building Safety Evaluation. If a tornado hits Indy I'm certified to go around to damaged houses and spray paint a big X on the door if it's unsafe to enter.
My only credential is CPHD--certified Passivhaus Designer, and technically that has lapsed. Yet that doesn't seem to bother any of my clients, and somehow I am qualified to teach architects for CEUs...
Wood Guy - I have a Certified Green Builder from the NAHB and to be honest the curriculum was not that hard and it is mostly used as a sales pitch by most.
When I breakdown the Passivhaus Statagies to its most primal elements to make it simpler to explain and me to understand I view the buildings as a thermos that needs air changes.
You knew how to build well before you got your PD certificate but did getting the certificate accelerate your knowlage or reinforce it?
I was pretty well prepared for the PH class and exam, having spent the previous 15 months working as operations manager for the first panelized construction business in North America dedicated to Passive House performance. But I didn't learn everything there, so the class and reading material were helpful.
My classmates who had no construction or design experience had a hard time with the course and none of them passed the exam; I don't recommend it for someone with no industry knowledge.
I'm thinking about going through PHIUS training to learn the American way to do Passive House; the International training that I did can be hard to deal with. I don't expect to be blown away with new knowledge but if I can learn a few new tips, and how to use their software, it will be worthwhile.
Hi! This thread has given me so much insight and I would like to get some advice. I am an architect from the Philippines and starting out my private practice. I do mostly remote work (design, visualization, working drawings, estimates, etc) but the principles of the PassivHaus standard has long been of interest to me.
Most buildings here are fitted with some form of mechanical ventilation anyway so I am thinking why not take it to the next level with natural ventilation working well enough say 50% of the year, but it does not address indoor air quality especially in urban settings.
In your experience what courses will most likely be worth taking (time and money) that’ll allow me to design the PassivHaus way? Is the Certified Passivhaus Designer Course (Coaction) the best way to go for one with a designer background and interest?
Issues I see are that probably:
Only the biggest most self-aware clients will spring for a certification.
There are probably no certifiers here. Will have to be imported.
The local work force will likely not be familiar with the way of working.
While these are not very major issues for me personally as long as I can bring the quality and performance as close the PassivHaus standard as possible.
On a more practical note, has being a certified designer brought any substantial increase in income and a wider breadth of opportunity given its specialist nature? As it is quite expensive to consider.
Thank you so much!
Jan 9, 25 11:34 pm ·
·
pj_heavy
Do you practice in the cool climate region? or in the Philippines?
In the Philippines. I understand there are few tropical PassivHaus buildings. But I'm still interested in the standard as I have work on some remote projects in the UK and US.
Jan 10, 25 2:03 am ·
·
pj_heavy
one of the key principles of PH is airtightness / air infiltrations to maintain constant temperature throughout the year ( winter and summer). In tropical climate, is there a benefit of that? this is just one example. Also, craftsmanship and building technology in the Philippines , is it available? It’s hard enough for an average builder to build a PH in Europe… just a thought
I think airtightness, filtration, and constant temp would be great here here especially for commercial/office buildings that are artificially ventilated anyway. The pollution here is awful too. There are probably loads of comfort and health issues then can be solved by building better but are overlooked in favor or cutting costs. Summer heat stroke warnings have increased in recent years.
As for building technology, I think that will be the most challenging. I’ve not been involved in anything that took insulation to the level I’ve encountered in the free course. Though I am not saying it will be impossible, as I know there are decent builders here, I think that will be a limiting factor.
Jan 10, 25 3:55 am ·
·
pj_heavy
I’m not convinced really , how would i gain any benefit from a PH , if a day temperature is 32c and night is 30c …you get what i’m going with this? … One good example that I’ve known using PH principles in dry climate ( desert ) is in the Middle East , where day and night temperature during some months of the year, is a much different. Again, i assume there are many adaptations/modifications to PH principles to suit these type of climate.
To be fair temps reach 38 - 40c in summer where I am. But you do have a great point, since that is just for 3 or 4 months. I suppose I'm best served adapting more passive, and less costly measures from PH instead of going all out. I think because of cost and craft it'll be very hard to do here.
Jan 10, 25 4:37 am ·
·
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What certifications do you have? Is it worth it?
There are too many green certs out there (LEED, WELL, whatever the other ones are), there's PMP for project management, six sigma? What the hell is that? Anything else?
All bantering aside, do y'all have any other certs that commands higher salary? Is it worth it to get? Architecture's pay is so abysmally low, man's gotta eat.
CDL?
yes you need at least 21 of these various letters behind your name
Yes, I have 23 letters if I include my degrees.
Ooo I didn’t even think about my degree letters. Gonna need a new letter jacket.
I had to check.... the person with the longest line I know off-hand has 27 letters... not including commas, spaces, or degrees. O-o
TBH, half of my postnominals are just professional membership signifiers. Anyone* can pay the dues and get them. The others are actual certifications that are pertinent and I think do help me command higher pay ... at least compared to those without them doing the same work. But part of that is convincing the firm they mean something. It's not a guarantee.
*some prerequisites like licensure may be required
Don’t forget OCD, ADHD, and ODD. Most important ones.
The only ones that matter is the architect certifications. Those command value if you actually use it.
ASD - you're correct. Technicians like yourself really don't need any certifications or licensure. Architects like NS however . . .
Ah, where you been hiding ASD? It's not like you're busy with actual work.
I think he's been on the DORA website causing trouble . . .
I got my baby sitting certificate when I was 14, does that count?
Some places will pay you more for LEED, WELL, and occasionally PMP, but its very case-by-case. None of these certifications are a sure-fire guarantee of a higher salary. They do, however, tend to impress HR type people and will sometimes help you get in the door when looking for a job.
In response to your question re: some other certifications out there:
CSI (specifications writing, not the TV show)
EDAC (healthcare design)
ACHA (healthcare design)
The best way to get certifications is work at a place where the employer pays for the study materials and test fees. Using your own money may or may not pay off.
^ I would watch the hell out of a show where specifiers show up to a construction site and argue about building particulars.
Tonight on CSI: CSI: "Are you nuts? No way that's green board in the toilet room. It's just regular half-inch that's painted 'Hunter's Forest.' And over here-- you call this a left-hand reverse, outward opening, inactive leaf? Get outta my sight!"
I would watch that show!
I'm a certified grump
I've been called certifiable many times.
Here's the thing. I'd say 9 times out of 10 if you are in a position where a certification will be helpful, you'll be far enough into your career to know what that certification is and how you could go about getting it. You may even have mentors or supervisors telling you to go for it.
For the other 1 time, you should go after CSI's CDT certificate. It's not likely to get you noticed or a higher salary, but the content it covers is such a good thing to know in this industry. That knowledge is something you can leverage to higher pay and responsibilities. But no, just the post-nominal letters won't get you much.
Only go for the green certs if you're the office's green guru (or a green consultant), or if your office is requiring it and paying for it as marketing.
EA - interesting, why do you say CDT is the most important there? I had always imagined that sitting down and actually spending the time to study how a proper specification is put together would be more useful, given that its so rarely taught in any formal manner in the office. Whereas the description of the CDT items does seem like something one would pick up over typical day-to-day work mentorship.
+1 on the green certs. I've worked in offices where it was decreed that "everyone have a LEED accreditation" simply for marketing purposes. Whenever an actual LEED project came into the office, the first call made was to an outside LEED consultant to do all of the LEED scope.
Bench, I think if you're in a position of not knowing what certification will be helpful in your career, you're likely pretty early in your career. The content of the CDT certification is a broad overview of all the players and their responsibilities in a project (something anyone on the design, construction, or ownership side of a project should understand). I've found that if you actually learn the material (understand it and apply it rather than just recall it long enough to pass a test) you start to see how many of your mentors don't actually know the "right way" to do things, and instead rely on what they learned to do from their mentors, or by trial and error, etc. Such is the nature of a profession where the majority of us "fake it until we make it."
Now I'm not saying that the way you learn to do things from the CDT is perfect, or that it should always be done that way. Rather it's learning the rules* so you can break them appropriately rather than indiscriminately because you never learned anything different, or worse ... "that's the way we've always done it."
It also sets you up to take better advantage of the sort of day-to-day work mentorship you should be getting. It gives you a solid base of knowledge allowing you to ask intelligent questions rather than just take whatever is fed to you as the "right way" to do things.
*It might be more appropriate to say it's learning what the rules should be and where to find them, but in that sense breaking them isn't really an option (or shouldn't be), but they could be modified by mutual agreement, etc.
I originally got the CDT because it was low hanging fruit before I was eligible to start my AREs.
I'm certified in Post-Disaster Building Safety Evaluation. If a tornado hits Indy I'm certified to go around to damaged houses and spray paint a big X on the door if it's unsafe to enter.
This certification in no way affected my salary.
i got an email from NCARB offering a discount of the penalty fees to bring me back into the fold
lol
That's funny. Come back to us, we love you so much we won't charge your the maximum penalties we've decided you need.
Same. I immediately thought, "that's 5 more letters I could add to my postnominals"
I thought the maximum penalty fees NCARB has was around $1,400? I thought after that they didn't charge you more?
Currently: $1210 plus a reactivation fee of $275
https://www.ncarb.org/fees
My only credential is CPHD--certified Passivhaus Designer, and technically that has lapsed. Yet that doesn't seem to bother any of my clients, and somehow I am qualified to teach architects for CEUs...
Oh, and I have OSHA 10 certification ;-)
I’m currently working on being a certified arborist.
Wood Guy - I have a Certified Green Builder from the NAHB and to be honest the curriculum was not that hard and it is mostly used as a sales pitch by most.
When I breakdown the Passivhaus Statagies to its most primal elements to make it simpler to explain and me to understand I view the buildings as a thermos that needs air changes.
You knew how to build well before you got your PD certificate but did getting the certificate accelerate your knowlage or reinforce it?
I was pretty well prepared for the PH class and exam, having spent the previous 15 months working as operations manager for the first panelized construction business in North America dedicated to Passive House performance. But I didn't learn everything there, so the class and reading material were helpful.
My classmates who had no construction or design experience had a hard time with the course and none of them passed the exam; I don't recommend it for someone with no industry knowledge.
Coincidentally, my PGH co-author Emily Mottram, who had the same PH trainer that I had, has put together an introduction to building science course that I think is a great prerequisite for PH training: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2022/12/14/introduction-to-the-sustainable-home-building-accelerator.
I'm thinking about going through PHIUS training to learn the American way to do Passive House; the International training that I did can be hard to deal with. I don't expect to be blown away with new knowledge but if I can learn a few new tips, and how to use their software, it will be worthwhile.
I like that book
I am a certified digital marketer.
Hi! This thread has given me so much insight and I would like to get some advice. I am an architect from the Philippines and starting out my private practice. I do mostly remote work (design, visualization, working drawings, estimates, etc) but the principles of the PassivHaus standard has long been of interest to me.
Most buildings here are fitted with some form of mechanical ventilation anyway so I am thinking why not take it to the next level with natural ventilation working well enough say 50% of the year, but it does not address indoor air quality especially in urban settings.
In your experience what courses will most likely be worth taking (time and money) that’ll allow me to design the PassivHaus way? Is the Certified Passivhaus Designer Course (Coaction) the best way to go for one with a designer background and interest?
Issues I see are that probably:
While these are not very major issues for me personally as long as I can bring the quality and performance as close the PassivHaus standard as possible.
On a more practical note, has being a certified designer brought any substantial increase in income and a wider breadth of opportunity given its specialist nature? As it is quite expensive to consider.
Thank you so much!
Do you practice in the cool climate region? or in the Philippines?
In the Philippines. I understand there are few tropical PassivHaus buildings. But I'm still interested in the standard as I have work on some remote projects in the UK and US.
one of the key principles of PH is airtightness / air infiltrations to maintain constant temperature throughout the year ( winter and summer). In tropical climate, is there a benefit of that? this is just one example. Also, craftsmanship and building technology in the Philippines , is it available? It’s hard enough for an average builder to build a PH in Europe… just a thought
I think airtightness, filtration, and constant temp would be great here here especially for commercial/office buildings that are artificially ventilated anyway. The pollution here is awful too. There are probably loads of comfort and health issues then can be solved by building better but are overlooked in favor or cutting costs. Summer heat stroke warnings have increased in recent years. As for building technology, I think that will be the most challenging. I’ve not been involved in anything that took insulation to the level I’ve encountered in the free course. Though I am not saying it will be impossible, as I know there are decent builders here, I think that will be a limiting factor.
I’m not convinced really , how would i gain any benefit from a PH , if a day temperature is 32c and night is 30c …you get what i’m going with this? … One good example that I’ve known using PH principles in dry climate ( desert ) is in the Middle East , where day and night temperature during some months of the year, is a much different. Again, i assume there are many adaptations/modifications to PH principles to suit these type of climate.
To be fair temps reach 38 - 40c in summer where I am. But you do have a great point, since that is just for 3 or 4 months. I suppose I'm best served adapting more passive, and less costly measures from PH instead of going all out. I think because of cost and craft it'll be very hard to do here.
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