our firm does recognize the attainment of licensure with "a little something extra" at raise time ... it's not a huge amount of extra money, because a person is not fundamentally more capable and productive the day after licensure than the day before.
but, we do think it's a worthwhile achievement and it adds to the lustre of our firm to have more licensed architects ... we recognize that with more than a party
however, the real benefit of licensure for the individual is more long-term ... in our world, having the license opens doors with clients, building officials, consultants and contractors, and conveys a meaningful credibility ... it says "this person is a professional" in both a symbolic and a legal way ... in our firm, a licensed architect actually does have more upside career and compensation potential
before you jump on me, i recognize that not everybody subscribes to the logic i express above
our firm pays aia dues for all graduate architects ... whether licensed or not. we also pay the annual (or semi-annual) license costs for all of our licensed profesionals (for a single state) ...
we generally get around to purchasing a new box of cards for the newly licensed professional within the first year after licensure ... the timing generally depends on the degree to which that person has a lot of outside contact with others in the industry
just last year, i used up my first full box of business cards for the first time ever ... but, it took me a full five years and i do a lot of business development
It varies widely by firm. Most firms, if of decent size, should pay at least a portion of AIA dues. Where I'm at we get an annual allowance for professional dues. Last I checked it more than covered AIA dues.
The raise thing also varies widely. You should expect a better than cost of living adjustment at raise time, but don't expect to double your salary. I think this is part of the reason many people don't bother getting licensed. The incentive, from what I've see, is mostly personal without large wage or responsibility gains. At least immediate gains.
Where I'm at I probably wont get jack. The principal is lost in a pile of his own sh_t, and the firm is gripping on the edge with very few projects that are winding down.
Yes, I'm leaving it.
Nonetheless, its a small firm, and licensure "means very little to my firm. Its just a piece of paper that allows you to get in deeper sh_t than you could without it"
(accdg. to mr. misguided principal) - quoted from my interview day. sad, closed-mided man.
kyll -- i had a similar boss. ex-boss, now. about three months before i expected to get my license i made a move to a place where my license would be appreciated. raise there. and then when i did get my license i was put on salary with about a 10% raise in pay. of course i now don't get overtime, but that's OK. my AIA fees are also paid.
i am much less experienced and talented than many people i know who don't have licenses and i only see it as a goal that i've achieved, not as an instant legitimizer. i still wouldn't hire me (independently, that is) because i just don't know enough yet because i just haven't been experienced enough yet. no seal in the world can make up for that. i agree 110% with jabber.
my job responsibilities have not changed since my licensure, but my answer to the party question "what do you do?" is only three words long now.
i think i worked for that guy kyll. does he drive a mercedes convertible and have a girlfriend half his age? frankly those were the only two things i liked about him.
as a lover of data, i went looking for some on this subject.
if you know who to ask at aia, you can discover that their last compensation survey took a stab at uncovering some data on this matter ... here's what they found:
69% of firms indicate that a salary increase is provided to architecture staff when an unlicensed employee becomes registered.
Of the firms that do offer a salary increase:
...16% typically offer an increase of 10% or more
...48% typically offer a 5% to 9% increase
...36% typically offer less than a 5% increase
I didn't got a raise aftet got licensed, or AIA fee paid. Is it common for company to pay for AIA fee? I think people should mention about their firms' size too. I can understand from the boss point of view, expecially small firms. If you don't acturally do more than you did before, they may not have to pay you more.
Now I changed my job, and got about 20% raise. I think my LEED certificate may help a bit too. All the licensing and certificates are very valuable when you change your job. Those are solid things they can account for. So if you didn't get a raise after licensing, change your job and give yourself a raise.
my feeling is that salary administration is more of an art than a science ... there normally is a lot of give-and-take that needs to occur between employer and employee in order to reach a state where both parties feel the relationship is balanced (just like with fee negotiations) ... that balance normally isn't reached unless there's some conversation on the matter
while i recognize that many people can "get a raise" by changing jobs, i think everyone should consider job-hopping the option of last resort ... if you feel underpaid and you know you could earn more somewhere else, ask for an appointment with your boss and lay it out for discussion ... don't just take the other job and resign your current job before the talk ... you may not be successful moving your current employer to where you need / want to be, but you never know until you ask ... more often than not, it's worth the effort ?
Oct 13, 05 5:28 pm ·
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Does a raise normally come with licensure?
How does your firm handle it? Do you have to ask for it? Does it happen automatically? Do they pay your AIA dues?
Do you get new business cards right away? Or do they make you use up all your old ones first?
... and who has ever finished a box of business cards anyway?
It should. Youre firm can and will bill you out as a licensed architect instead of a senior designer or such.
our firm does recognize the attainment of licensure with "a little something extra" at raise time ... it's not a huge amount of extra money, because a person is not fundamentally more capable and productive the day after licensure than the day before.
but, we do think it's a worthwhile achievement and it adds to the lustre of our firm to have more licensed architects ... we recognize that with more than a party
however, the real benefit of licensure for the individual is more long-term ... in our world, having the license opens doors with clients, building officials, consultants and contractors, and conveys a meaningful credibility ... it says "this person is a professional" in both a symbolic and a legal way ... in our firm, a licensed architect actually does have more upside career and compensation potential
before you jump on me, i recognize that not everybody subscribes to the logic i express above
our firm pays aia dues for all graduate architects ... whether licensed or not. we also pay the annual (or semi-annual) license costs for all of our licensed profesionals (for a single state) ...
we generally get around to purchasing a new box of cards for the newly licensed professional within the first year after licensure ... the timing generally depends on the degree to which that person has a lot of outside contact with others in the industry
just last year, i used up my first full box of business cards for the first time ever ... but, it took me a full five years and i do a lot of business development
It varies widely by firm. Most firms, if of decent size, should pay at least a portion of AIA dues. Where I'm at we get an annual allowance for professional dues. Last I checked it more than covered AIA dues.
The raise thing also varies widely. You should expect a better than cost of living adjustment at raise time, but don't expect to double your salary. I think this is part of the reason many people don't bother getting licensed. The incentive, from what I've see, is mostly personal without large wage or responsibility gains. At least immediate gains.
Where I'm at I probably wont get jack. The principal is lost in a pile of his own sh_t, and the firm is gripping on the edge with very few projects that are winding down.
Yes, I'm leaving it.
Nonetheless, its a small firm, and licensure "means very little to my firm. Its just a piece of paper that allows you to get in deeper sh_t than you could without it"
(accdg. to mr. misguided principal) - quoted from my interview day. sad, closed-mided man.
kyll -- i had a similar boss. ex-boss, now. about three months before i expected to get my license i made a move to a place where my license would be appreciated. raise there. and then when i did get my license i was put on salary with about a 10% raise in pay. of course i now don't get overtime, but that's OK. my AIA fees are also paid.
i am much less experienced and talented than many people i know who don't have licenses and i only see it as a goal that i've achieved, not as an instant legitimizer. i still wouldn't hire me (independently, that is) because i just don't know enough yet because i just haven't been experienced enough yet. no seal in the world can make up for that. i agree 110% with jabber.
my job responsibilities have not changed since my licensure, but my answer to the party question "what do you do?" is only three words long now.
i think i worked for that guy kyll. does he drive a mercedes convertible and have a girlfriend half his age? frankly those were the only two things i liked about him.
as a lover of data, i went looking for some on this subject.
if you know who to ask at aia, you can discover that their last compensation survey took a stab at uncovering some data on this matter ... here's what they found:
69% of firms indicate that a salary increase is provided to architecture staff when an unlicensed employee becomes registered.
Of the firms that do offer a salary increase:
...16% typically offer an increase of 10% or more
...48% typically offer a 5% to 9% increase
...36% typically offer less than a 5% increase
I didn't got a raise aftet got licensed, or AIA fee paid. Is it common for company to pay for AIA fee? I think people should mention about their firms' size too. I can understand from the boss point of view, expecially small firms. If you don't acturally do more than you did before, they may not have to pay you more.
Now I changed my job, and got about 20% raise. I think my LEED certificate may help a bit too. All the licensing and certificates are very valuable when you change your job. Those are solid things they can account for. So if you didn't get a raise after licensing, change your job and give yourself a raise.
my feeling is that salary administration is more of an art than a science ... there normally is a lot of give-and-take that needs to occur between employer and employee in order to reach a state where both parties feel the relationship is balanced (just like with fee negotiations) ... that balance normally isn't reached unless there's some conversation on the matter
while i recognize that many people can "get a raise" by changing jobs, i think everyone should consider job-hopping the option of last resort ... if you feel underpaid and you know you could earn more somewhere else, ask for an appointment with your boss and lay it out for discussion ... don't just take the other job and resign your current job before the talk ... you may not be successful moving your current employer to where you need / want to be, but you never know until you ask ... more often than not, it's worth the effort ?
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