dont want to act like a wise-ass, but looks like making money is not on your list !!!

well...money is always nice...but really I'm just trying to get a general feel for some firms whose work I admire. I don't know anyone who has ever worked at any of these offices, and I would really hate it if I left my currently kinda crappy firm only to find myself in another pretty crappy firm. So any info/insight/stories you might have heard about any of them would be much appreciated!

plus i was hoping that not all of them would pay poorly...:P

TWBTA offered me unpaid employment (which, to me, seems to be an oxymoron) about 2 years ago...I was fresh out of school at that point and found work elsewhere since I am not an heir to any paint company fortune and have rent to pay. For what its worth, they were really nice about it *sarcasm*

anyway, burgh, I'm curious to see what your query turns up...perhaps you can ask more specifically (like the "working for meier" thread) after you get a couple interviews. hopefully that will elicit more responses...

i worked at polshek's former san francisco office and had marion weiss as a studio instructor.

the sf office was probably a much different experience than nyc since sf was only about 15-20 ppl at it's max. the place was great. pay was acceptable. hours were long. and jim is a stand up guy. very humble and always made me laugh.

weiss was my instructor back in the early 90s just as she was making a name for herself. she had just won a couple of big competitions. i thought she was a decent prof.

I used to work for a guy who worked with Annabelle Selldorf (on some home & loft renovations, I think). He spoke highly of her work and seemed to have enjoyed his time at her office. His drawings were very thorough and nicely detailed. Sorry I don't have more specifics.

i visited hariri & hariri office as part of a studio visit to new york back in 98. my studio instructor had worked for them once upon a time. the office, i.e., the physical building was nice with a good location. i believe it was gisue who did all the talking and although she seemed nice enough, i remember her commenting about how some of the foreign students had to volunteer to work for firms in order to meet licensing requirements back home. i'm paraphrasing because i don't recall her exact words, but i remember that most of my classmates thought it was a bit sketchy and that most of us didn't think we'd ever be working there. on the plus side, it did seem like it would be an intense design studio atmosphere (similar to college), i just wouldn't expect to get rich there despite working long hours.

the only other firm that i am personally familiar with is williams/tsien. i haven't visited their office, but a chance meeting with them during my undergrad years led to a brief discussion regarding the cost of plane flights from new york to detroit. they were definitely bargain hunters and although i suppose being financially discerning is prudent and necessary if running a business, i couldn't help but think they were just cheapskates.

that's all i know, hope it helps.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has posted so far, it's really helpful...and please keep posting!