I got laid off last week after working at a firm for 6yrs. I’m working on my portfolio to update it and will start applying soon but this recession is making me think..should I invest in getting certifications that will help my resume? Please suggest if CDT/LEEDs is worth it.
I don't think LEED is worth it anymore unless you're going corporate, Perkins & Will or Gensler. I find most clients are moving away from LEED due to it being cumbersome and expensive. Passive House or Living Building may make you stand out, but likely won't be a deciding factor in the hiring process.
Your best bet in this economy would be to seek out offices working in cultural/higher ed/health care/institutional work. At least that's what's still moving strong in my area of the country.
Some states’ energy code requires you to meet passive house standards (or similar) for projects over a certain SF - but the energy model is typically done by consultants.
Agreed with above. Developer work is really slow and spotty, while the institutional work has long-range, predicable timelines. If you're in SD/DD the project is approved and funding is already secured.
I think really showcasing your skills and experience you gained and how you can apply them to a new role are what you should lean in to. What fresh energy are you bringing in to the team? How can you fill a leadership gap? Go for the certification, but don't let that slow down your job search. Late summer/ Fall is a good time to apply.
Certifications won't help you get a job, unless they are being asked for in the job posting. In my experience, LEED has jumped the shark and the only people who care about it are in the marketing dept. Any job that cares will give you resources to earn your LEED credential when you join the firm. It might even be a requirement of continuing employment past your first year (though I think this is becoming less ubiquitous).
No one really knows about the CDT that is likely to be in a position to hire unless they are involved in CSI themselves. For that you'll be looking at more technical roles or specification writing. It's a good certification, but I recommend getting it as a way of becoming a better architect, not to simply pad a resume.
For you, the problem with the CDT as something to pad your resume is the testing window is only open twice a year in the spring and in the fall. Spring test results were just released a couple weeks ago. Fall registration opened yesterday, but the exam window doesn't open until the middle of November (https://www.csiresources.org/c...). You'll be lucky if you even get results by the end of the year, likely sometime early next year. That's a long time to wait to pad a resume when you probably want to find work sooner than that.
That's what I assumed but wanted to make sure. I know this is tough. It's not a reflection on you as a person or professional. It happens to all of us.
Aug 14, 24 9:48 am ·
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ill_will
That happened to me a couple years ago, definitely keep at the job hunt, but don't push too hard. It can be taxing to search 100% in this job climate
.
Are you licensed? If so- depending on where you are: consider breaking out on your own. It may well be worth it. To your question I personally don't think these certifications are worth a dime. But than again I have a special disdain for the corporate world. Just my view and perhaps not yours. There's work out there. Don't despair
Without knowing op's specific situation, here's some general tips:
To make your CV stand out, think: what would make it a pleasure to read? Is there anything interesting to tell, delightful to see... or are you force-feeding the reviewers your credentials and skills in mechanical (boring, dry...) fashion? Give them something to pause and pay attention for.
to answer "how to stand out" on your portfolio, you really need to first know how YOU are different. Once you see yourself apart from the crowd, you would see those unique moments (a detail, a sketch, a story of how you solved a client's problem) in your body of work. Share those, like you share treasured bits of yourself. It will get their attention amongst other candidates who simply dumped their project's images into a page, even if they have more prestigious projects.
Do not give a full and complete account of everything you have ever done in your portfolio. Pick only the most important moment. the whole point of the portfolio is to get you to an interview. Make it enticing for them to want to learn more about you.
Once you get to meet in person, do leave a unique impression with hopefully positive association. Dumb but effective ways include being "the one with miss-matched (intentionally) socks with a big smile and firm handshakes". The idea is to do / wear / say something unusual and eccentric without getting into "weirdo" territory (leave a strong impression). Along with something warm and kind that most humans would find happy and comforting (positive association).
Take advantage of the "rule of reciprocity" in human behavior. Take the time to find something you genuinely like about the person interviewing you. Compliment them when it's unexpected. They will like you back.
The job qualifications have risen and I no longer qualify for the job I had - job captain - but 14 years w/o license? I get ghosted by every recruiter that asks for my resume
Aug 14, 24 9:13 pm ·
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pj_heavy
It’s alarming if you feel the need to upskill after 14 yrs of experience/ why is your accumulated experience not enough ?
Aug 15, 24 4:11 am ·
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zonker
Insufficient AHJ experience, insufficient client interface, no DSA(California dept of state architecture- required for K-12 education projects) - So I’m focusing more on computational design, BIM and Rhino - stuff in good at - going for intermediate and senior designer roles - take ARE exams
I'm not familiar with the DSA. Are you able to obtain it on your own?
Designer roles require experience with AHJ's and extensive client interface. Maybe you could look at smaller firms that would be willing to mentor you in those areas. Just and idea.
Chad, DSA is not a certification or credential one earns or obtains. The "Division of the State Architect" in California is the AHJ for public K-12 schools and community colleges.
It may seem sort of strange to see a firm requiring certain experience with a certain AHJ for a job posting, but they're particular enough that prior experience with them is desirable compared to hiring someone without it if the role will be managing or captaining projects covered by DSA.
You see these job applications and at the bottom it says; “don’t apply less you meet all of the requirements” I’m not going to write up some BS resume to get my foot in the door - I’m seeing more and more increased and impossible to meet requirements- many job captain roles require licensure
Aug 15, 24 10:28 am ·
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Wilma Buttfit
My resume is stacked but it doesn't help. It's the climate out there. The systems are broken. I had a firm tell me they couldn't hire me because it would make their employees feel bad. Maybe I need a head injury.
How would it make their team feel bad? They had a high number of low-performing employees.
Why did they even interview you if they're not hiring? They were hiring. Still are.
It was something I accomplished that the employees say is not possible to accomplish.
Aug 16, 24 12:09 pm ·
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graphemic
Hmmm it must be something fairly well known? Otherwise, how would the other employees know? It's not like you're introduced to the office with your cv...
Wilma - that's even more confusing. Most firms would be happy to hire someone that can what others say is impossible.
The owners wouldn't care if the other team members though it made them look bad. Owners would (should) look at this as an opportunity for the rest of the staff to learn from you and for you be a positive example.
How would anyone outside the interviews know? Why would anyone care? It's done all the time. Most importantly - why do you seem to care about not being hired if it wasn't a good workplace?
It feels like you're not telling us something important.
I don't understand your questions. I brought it up in my interview and they said I'd have to keep that to myself. They have several employees who refuse to take the AREs for fear of failure. I offered to help get their employees licensed but they weren't interested. My story is an example of a broken system. What am I not telling you?
And by not a good workplace, I won't go into it here. Of course there are things I'm not telling you, because you know, the internet.
It's odd that the firm wouldn't be interested in someone assisting with providing more experience and mentoring to their staff. I've never encountered that in 20 years in architecture. That's the part that confuses me.
I have encountered architects that with big egos who think they know everything and everyone else is wrong. I've seen plenty of those types of people not be hired regardless of their experience or if they passed the ARE on the first try. ;)
I wasn't asking for more details mind you, just the entire story. I suspect there was something else that caused you not to be hired. You still seem upset about it. Not that it matters. Some firms are just 'weird' and not worth worrying about. Still, it's very strange how the firm acted.
Aug 16, 24 1:08 pm ·
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sameolddoctor
If the firm is so focused on who passes AREs in how much time, then it is probably not a good fit. I would venture to say that its not your excellence in cracking the AREs is the issue. Likely something else.
Wow. People pass them first try all the time. Fail them all the time. So insignificant. Baffling the knots that people get twisted into. Sounds like a bad workplace indeed. On the owner front, they probably are happy to keep their workers uncompetitive... less likely to get better jobs, less likely to demand more.
If I need to know something, someone can kindly message me and fill me in. I won't bring it up in interviews anymore.
Aug 16, 24 3:04 pm ·
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Wilma Buttfit
I'm fascinated that Chad doesn't think employers behave badly or awkwardly sometimes. Even though you admit you sued 2 of your previous employers. We never got the story for either of those either. I didn't ask as I figured you would tell us if you wanted us to know and you don't.
Oh I know employers can behave badly. Everyone can.
I've never seen a firm be so foolish to not hire someone because they passed their ARE's on the first try. I almost cannot wrap my head around it. Upon further discussion with you Wilma, it seems that the you may have not been hired due to a interpersonal issues - theirs not yours. I'd count that as a win with this firm.
Aug 19, 24 10:09 am ·
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Wood Guy
My dad was a state highway engineer. I learned a lot of the baloney that goes on there, but one that sticks out is that they don't consider hiring people who were "A" students because they won't fit in with the culture; they want B students, and will consider C students before looking at someone with all As.
It can be weird out there. I simply try not to be.
Aug 19, 24 12:54 pm ·
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natematt
@woodguy - While I've heard this before, I'm not sure how much it applies to architecture. Outside of nepotism, do C students even work in this field? The market is so saturated there isn't much reason to hire anyone who looks bad on paper. haha
Is the market really saturated though? Serious question - I have no idea.
In addition - I think most schools won't let you graduate with less than a B average.
Aug 19, 24 1:28 pm ·
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Wood Guy
Grades are also different now. Growing up in the 80s and going to college in the early 90s, getting an A was harder than it is today, if I'm judging correctly from a lot of things I hear. And yes, natematt, it may not be directly relevant, I just thought it might provide insight into why a firm may prefer those who are not overly motivated.
What Wood Guy said is directly relevant. I've interviewed and unfortunately worked at several firms where the pattern was to hire mainly middling and low performing people. There's a kind of co-dependency happening where in which a firm's leadership and the staff each tolerate the other's shortcomings. Usually, it's the firm paying low wages and the staff being inefficient and/or producing subpar work.
Interesting. I must have worked at some good firms and been very lucky. The hiring process that I've been a part of has looked for high performing people with skills the firm was lacking.
Nobody is getting though, I’m just going to focus on ARE tests, upskilling with latest Revit, Rhino and grasshopper- I’ll try looking for work sometime next year - not going to waste my time -
What are your current credentials, skills and experience? What are you good at? What kind of work do you want to do next, and in the future beyond that?
I also could be that firms are only willing to pay for the 3-5 year range. With 14 years experience you'd need to be paid more. If you took the lower paying job then there could be a concern that you've leave for a higher paying position in proportion with your experience.
Aug 19, 24 1:31 pm ·
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sameolddoctor
Indeed - the "intermediate" folk - 5 to 7 years of exp are in very high demand, not so much the "seniors"
Is that in your area sameolddoctor or have you seen that elsewhere?
Aug 19, 24 2:45 pm ·
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sameolddoctor
In Southern California, intermediate level professionals are very much in demand and are quite hard to find. On the other hand I am seeing a couple (very few) posting for director-level senior positions too. This probably implies that firms are looking to hire these senior positions to tap into their potential rolodex.
Thanks sameolddoctor! Oddly enough, I've rarely seen adds for director / senior level positions advertised. I think the only time I've seen those positions advertised was around 2014.
Aug 20, 24 8:30 am ·
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sameolddoctor
Right Chad, I heard of some director level people resigning (or being made to resign, rather) and at the same time those kinds of positions being advertised. I sincerely think it is cuz there's a dearth of developer work (in the domestic market, at least) and they are looking for people with strong connections...
I was thinking along those lines as well someold. It seemed like most of the open director level positions were because people were retiring.
Interestingly enough - the 5-10 year experience level that everyone is after appears to because a lot of architects left the profession around 2012 due to the recession.
Well, mainly just architects in corporate offices or government. Occasionally, firm founders/partners can get out if the stars align: i.e. the firm is in good shape financially and someone is willing and able to buy them out. Or their spouse is able to support them in retirement.
If I didn't need health insurance my wife and I would retire at 55 years old.
Aug 20, 24 6:57 pm ·
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reallynotmyname
In my town, I've got a whole cohort of competitors aged 70+ that apparently don't have the funds to retire. They will fight dirty for even the smallest jobs and work for cheap.
Yup, that sounds like most of the 70+ architects I know. The few that got out made some smart real estate investments in their younger days, nothing to do with the profession though...
Principals at my current office love this one guy because he has a positive attitude, but he’s very inexperienced and borderline incompetent. I never want him assigned to my projects because he usually says he knows how to do something but it’s clear he doesn’t. The person with the “bad attitude” that ended up quitting a few months ago was by far the most competent person here. He was a really nice guy, but was getting really tired of the bullshit and constant criticism from one of the principals and cleaning up others people’s messes.
So - the moral of the story - always have a positive attitude. But be wary of other people who always have a positive attitude because it’s very likely you’re going to be cleaning up after them.
The moral of this sad tale is don't put all your eggs in the proverbial architecture profession basket - architecture & planning schools will have you believe architecture is a high creative and social calling and true architects heed this lone seductive siren - Community & Regional (wide-area) Planning is the red-headed stepchild to "Architecture" - what they never teach you is it is a business at its' core and requires employees with business and marketing skills to run them - this is the glass ceiling for many architects, engineers, and contractors and that is why a few go on to become MBA's - I took urban design from UNM's Dean Morton Hoppenfeld (Columbia, MD & Summerlin, NV) and he stated "if you don't understand architecture then you won't understand planning" - who hires the most planners? - local (cities), State, and Federal governments with high pay, benefits, and retirement - this is why I have a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) with undergraduate and graduate level work in environmental architecture, property development, civil engineering, and advanced economic development planning - break out of these defined molds and chart a new course with no constraints - my beloved architecture is an industry that is under assault from many quarters and has been for years ...
I've been upskilling for the last 6 months, TwinMotion, AI, Grasshopper, Rhino, Revit 2025 - not one interview - I've chopped my experience down to 9 years, dropped pay req. 20%
Nov 24, 24 7:16 pm ·
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pj_heavy
Age discrimination / do you think ?
Nov 24, 24 8:28 pm ·
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OddArchitect
Benny is correct that simply knowing programs won't get you a job.
Also, stop trolling zonker.
Nov 25, 24 10:33 am ·
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OddArchitect
Like you being an architect?
Nov 25, 24 4:49 pm ·
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OddArchitect
I think the average koala has more experience with architecture than you Benny.
Nov 26, 24 11:41 am ·
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OddArchitect
Prove me wrong. Post up that personal information you promised. Come on, don't be coward and liar.
Nov 27, 24 6:55 pm ·
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OddArchitect
Try harder little troll. Post up that personal information you promised.
Dec 2, 24 9:39 am ·
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OddArchitect
Well bless your simple heart.
Dec 2, 24 12:52 pm ·
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OddArchitect
Slow day collecting unemployment Benny? I know you can do better than that. Try harder.
Dec 2, 24 5:03 pm ·
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OddArchitect
You're not even worth that much time.
Get some help.
Dec 3, 24 9:48 am ·
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OddArchitect
No one pays me for my time online unless it's related to work. You're the one that claims to be an architect when you're not. You are a fraud and a scammer.
I chopped my experience from 14 years to 9, doubt if it’s age discrimination. That being said, many firms prefer 3-5 years experience for most openings - I had to give myself a “haircut” high and tight and do lots of upskilling to pass myself off as as a “recent grad”
Nov 24, 24 9:29 pm ·
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OddArchitect
Stop trolling.
Nov 25, 24 10:33 am ·
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Just got laid off - suggestions needed!
I got laid off last week after working at a firm for 6yrs. I’m working on my portfolio to update it and will start applying soon but this recession is making me think..should I invest in getting certifications that will help my resume? Please suggest if CDT/LEEDs is worth it.
Also what else can I do to make myself stand out
Thank you
I don't think LEED is worth it anymore unless you're going corporate, Perkins & Will or Gensler. I find most clients are moving away from LEED due to it being cumbersome and expensive. Passive House or Living Building may make you stand out, but likely won't be a deciding factor in the hiring process.
Your best bet in this economy would be to seek out offices working in cultural/higher ed/health care/institutional work. At least that's what's still moving strong in my area of the country.
Some states’ energy code requires you to meet passive house standards (or similar) for projects over a certain SF - but the energy model is typically done by consultants.
Agreed with above. Developer work is really slow and spotty, while the institutional work has long-range, predicable timelines. If you're in SD/DD the project is approved and funding is already secured.
I think really showcasing your skills and experience you gained and how you can apply them to a new role are what you should lean in to. What fresh energy are you bringing in to the team? How can you fill a leadership gap? Go for the certification, but don't let that slow down your job search. Late summer/ Fall is a good time to apply.
Certifications won't help you get a job, unless they are being asked for in the job posting. In my experience, LEED has jumped the shark and the only people who care about it are in the marketing dept. Any job that cares will give you resources to earn your LEED credential when you join the firm. It might even be a requirement of continuing employment past your first year (though I think this is becoming less ubiquitous).
No one really knows about the CDT that is likely to be in a position to hire unless they are involved in CSI themselves. For that you'll be looking at more technical roles or specification writing. It's a good certification, but I recommend getting it as a way of becoming a better architect, not to simply pad a resume.
For you, the problem with the CDT as something to pad your resume is the testing window is only open twice a year in the spring and in the fall. Spring test results were just released a couple weeks ago. Fall registration opened yesterday, but the exam window doesn't open until the middle of November (https://www.csiresources.org/c...). You'll be lucky if you even get results by the end of the year, likely sometime early next year. That's a long time to wait to pad a resume when you probably want to find work sooner than that.
This is a bit of a personal question to the OP but do you know why you were laid off? I'm assuming it was due to a lack of work.
I ask this because if your being let go was due to something else that you can improve on I would focus on that.
Good luck!
That's what I assumed but wanted to make sure. I know this is tough. It's not a reflection on you as a person or professional. It happens to all of us.
That happened to me a couple years ago, definitely keep at the job hunt, but don't push too hard. It can be taxing to search 100% in this job climate .
Are you licensed? If so- depending on where you are: consider breaking out on your own. It may well be worth it. To your question I personally don't think these certifications are worth a dime. But than again I have a special disdain for the corporate world. Just my view and perhaps not yours.
There's work out there. Don't despair
Without knowing op's specific situation, here's some general tips:
Best of luck!
I s been out of work for 3 months, using my time to upskill and will look again for work after the election
I got laid off three days after the election. How is it going for you?
The job qualifications have risen and I no longer qualify for the job I had - job captain - but 14 years w/o license? I get ghosted by every recruiter that asks for my resume
It’s alarming if you feel the need to upskill after 14 yrs of experience/ why is your accumulated experience not enough ?
Insufficient AHJ experience, insufficient client interface, no DSA(California dept of state architecture- required for K-12 education projects) - So I’m focusing more on computational design, BIM and Rhino - stuff in good at - going for intermediate and senior designer roles - take ARE exams
I'm not familiar with the DSA. Are you able to obtain it on your own?
Designer roles require experience with AHJ's and extensive client interface. Maybe you could look at smaller firms that would be willing to mentor you in those areas. Just and idea.
Chad, DSA is not a certification or credential one earns or obtains. The "Division of the State Architect" in California is the AHJ for public K-12 schools and community colleges.
It may seem sort of strange to see a firm requiring certain experience with a certain AHJ for a job posting, but they're particular enough that prior experience with them is desirable compared to hiring someone without it if the role will be managing or captaining projects covered by DSA.
You see these job applications and at the bottom it says; “don’t apply less you meet all of the requirements” I’m not going to write up some BS resume to get my foot in the door - I’m seeing more and more increased and impossible to meet requirements- many job captain roles require licensure
My resume is stacked but it doesn't help. It's the climate out there. The systems are broken. I had a firm tell me they couldn't hire me because it would make their employees feel bad. Maybe I need a head injury.
How would it make their team feel bad?
Why did they even interview you if they're not hiring?
I am so confused. Well, beyond my normal level of bewilderment.
How would it make their team feel bad? They had a high number of low-performing employees. Why did they even interview you if they're not hiring? They were hiring. Still are.
Wilma - that's even more confusing!
What's confusing?
That a firm wouldn't hire someone that has experience because it make their other underperforming staff feel bad. It makes no sense.
It was something I accomplished that the employees say is not possible to accomplish.
Hmmm it must be something fairly well known? Otherwise, how would the other employees know? It's not like you're introduced to the office with your cv...
omg do you have a Pritzker?
Wilma - that's even more confusing. Most firms would be happy to hire someone that can what others say is impossible.
The owners wouldn't care if the other team members though it made them look bad. Owners would (should) look at this as an opportunity for the rest of the staff to learn from you and for you be a positive example.
This seems too odd to be true.
I passed all the AREs on the first try. It wasn't a good workplace.
Wilma
How would anyone outside the interviews know? Why would anyone care? It's done all the time. Most importantly - why do you seem to care about not being hired if it wasn't a good workplace?
It feels like you're not telling us something important.
I don't understand your questions. I brought it up in my interview and they said I'd have to keep that to myself. They have several employees who refuse to take the AREs for fear of failure. I offered to help get their employees licensed but they weren't interested. My story is an example of a broken system. What am I not telling you?
And by not a good workplace, I won't go into it here. Of course there are things I'm not telling you, because you know, the internet.
You didn't explain that.
It's odd that the firm wouldn't be interested in someone assisting with providing more experience and mentoring to their staff. I've never encountered that in 20 years in architecture. That's the part that confuses me.
I have encountered architects that with big egos who think they know everything and everyone else is wrong. I've seen plenty of those types of people not be hired regardless of their experience or if they passed the ARE on the first try. ;)
I wasn't asking for more details mind you, just the entire story. I suspect there was something else that caused you not to be hired. You still seem upset about it. Not that it matters. Some firms are just 'weird' and not worth worrying about. Still, it's very strange how the firm acted.
If the firm is so focused on who passes AREs in how much time, then it is probably not a good fit. I would venture to say that its not your excellence in cracking the AREs is the issue. Likely something else.
Wow. People pass them first try all the time. Fail them all the time. So insignificant. Baffling the knots that people get twisted into. Sounds like a bad workplace indeed. On the owner front, they probably are happy to keep their workers uncompetitive... less likely to get better jobs, less likely to demand more.
If I need to know something, someone can kindly message me and fill me in. I won't bring it up in interviews anymore.
I'm fascinated that Chad doesn't think employers behave badly or awkwardly sometimes. Even though you admit you sued 2 of your previous employers. We never got the story for either of those either. I didn't ask as I figured you would tell us if you wanted us to know and you don't.
Oh I know employers can behave badly. Everyone can.
I've never seen a firm be so foolish to not hire someone because they passed their ARE's on the first try. I almost cannot wrap my head around it. Upon further discussion with you Wilma, it seems that the you may have not been hired due to a interpersonal issues - theirs not yours. I'd count that as a win with this firm.
My dad was a state highway engineer. I learned a lot of the baloney that goes on there, but one that sticks out is that they don't consider hiring people who were "A" students because they won't fit in with the culture; they want B students, and will consider C students before looking at someone with all As.
It can be weird out there. I simply try not to be.
@woodguy - While I've heard this before, I'm not sure how much it applies to architecture. Outside of nepotism, do C students even work in this field? The market is so saturated there isn't much reason to hire anyone who looks bad on paper. haha
Is the market really saturated though? Serious question - I have no idea.
In addition - I think most schools won't let you graduate with less than a B average.
Grades are also different now. Growing up in the 80s and going to college in the early 90s, getting an A was harder than it is today, if I'm judging correctly from a lot of things I hear. And yes, natematt, it may not be directly relevant, I just thought it might provide insight into why a firm may prefer those who are not overly motivated.
What Wood Guy said is directly relevant. I've interviewed and unfortunately worked at several firms where the pattern was to hire mainly middling and low performing people. There's a kind of co-dependency happening where in which a firm's leadership and the staff each tolerate the other's shortcomings. Usually, it's the firm paying low wages and the staff being inefficient and/or producing subpar work.
Interesting. I must have worked at some good firms and been very lucky. The hiring process that I've been a part of has looked for high performing people with skills the firm was lacking.
Nobody is getting though, I’m just going to focus on ARE tests, upskilling with latest Revit, Rhino and grasshopper- I’ll try looking for work sometime next year - not going to waste my time -
What are your current credentials, skills and experience? What are you good at? What kind of work do you want to do next, and in the future beyond that?
in my case, architectural design - SD through CA , using Revit, Rhino, Autocad - 14 years exp. But only show 8 on resume
Why only 8?
What's your geographic job market? That can be a huge factor in job searches.
many job applications state 3-5 years exp. I’m not yet licensed - and 14 years w/o license is perceived as a someone who lacks ambition, a deadbeat
I also could be that firms are only willing to pay for the 3-5 year range. With 14 years experience you'd need to be paid more. If you took the lower paying job then there could be a concern that you've leave for a higher paying position in proportion with your experience.
Indeed - the "intermediate" folk - 5 to 7 years of exp are in very high demand, not so much the "seniors"
Is that in your area sameolddoctor or have you seen that elsewhere?
In Southern California, intermediate level professionals are very much in demand and are quite hard to find. On the other hand I am seeing a couple (very few) posting for director-level senior positions too. This probably implies that firms are looking to hire these senior positions to tap into their potential rolodex.
Thanks sameolddoctor! Oddly enough, I've rarely seen adds for director / senior level positions advertised. I think the only time I've seen those positions advertised was around 2014.
Right Chad, I heard of some director level people resigning (or being made to resign, rather) and at the same time those kinds of positions being advertised. I sincerely think it is cuz there's a dearth of developer work (in the domestic market, at least) and they are looking for people with strong connections...
I was thinking along those lines as well someold. It seemed like most of the open director level positions were because people were retiring.
Interestingly enough - the 5-10 year experience level that everyone is after appears to because a lot of architects left the profession around 2012 due to the recession.
Wait, do architects retire?
Well, mainly just architects in corporate offices or government. Occasionally, firm founders/partners can get out if the stars align: i.e. the firm is in good shape financially and someone is willing and able to buy them out. Or their spouse is able to support them in retirement.
If I didn't need health insurance my wife and I would retire at 55 years old.
In my town, I've got a whole cohort of competitors aged 70+ that apparently don't have the funds to retire. They will fight dirty for even the smallest jobs and work for cheap.
Yup, that sounds like most of the 70+ architects I know. The few that got out made some smart real estate investments in their younger days, nothing to do with the profession though...
SF, Oakland and Berkeley - will consider remote to other areas on a contract 1099 or pro bono basis
Just reading all this, there may be a reason a couple of people in here are getting passed over - attitude
Principals at my current office love this one guy because he has a positive attitude, but he’s very inexperienced and borderline incompetent. I never want him assigned to my projects because he usually says he knows how to do something but it’s clear he doesn’t. The person with the “bad attitude” that ended up quitting a few months ago was by far the most competent person here. He was a really nice guy, but was getting really tired of the bullshit and constant criticism from one of the principals and cleaning up others people’s messes.
So - the moral of the story - always have a positive attitude. But be wary of other people who always have a positive attitude because it’s very likely you’re going to be cleaning up after them.
The moral of this sad tale is don't put all your eggs in the proverbial architecture profession basket - architecture & planning schools will have you believe architecture is a high creative and social calling and true architects heed this lone seductive siren - Community & Regional (wide-area) Planning is the red-headed stepchild to "Architecture" - what they never teach you is it is a business at its' core and requires employees with business and marketing skills to run them - this is the glass ceiling for many architects, engineers, and contractors and that is why a few go on to become MBA's - I took urban design from UNM's Dean Morton Hoppenfeld (Columbia, MD & Summerlin, NV) and he stated "if you don't understand architecture then you won't understand planning" - who hires the most planners? - local (cities), State, and Federal governments with high pay, benefits, and retirement - this is why I have a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) with undergraduate and graduate level work in environmental architecture, property development, civil engineering, and advanced economic development planning - break out of these defined molds and chart a new course with no constraints - my beloved architecture is an industry that is under assault from many quarters and has been for years ...
They might be right about the "high" creative & social calling.
I've been upskilling for the last 6 months, TwinMotion, AI, Grasshopper, Rhino, Revit 2025 - not one interview - I've chopped my experience down to 9 years, dropped pay req. 20%
Age discrimination / do you think ?
Benny is correct that simply knowing programs won't get you a job.
Also, stop trolling zonker.
Like you being an architect?
I think the average koala has more experience with architecture than you Benny.
Prove me wrong. Post up that personal information you promised. Come on, don't be coward and liar.
Try harder little troll. Post up that personal information you promised.
Well bless your simple heart.
Slow day collecting unemployment Benny? I know you can do better than that. Try harder.
You're not even worth that much time.
Get some help.
No one pays me for my time online unless it's related to work. You're the one that claims to be an architect when you're not. You are a fraud and a scammer.
Please, get help.
I chopped my experience from 14 years to 9, doubt if it’s age discrimination. That being said, many firms prefer 3-5 years experience for most openings - I had to give myself a “haircut” high and tight and do lots of upskilling to pass myself off as as a “recent grad”
Stop trolling.
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