I know that some (many?) architects leave their careers for various reasons, but what sort of career trajectory is "typical" of somebody who stays in the business for an extended period (20 or 30 years, say...)
Do many remain architects, working their entire career under management, or do many move up the corporate ladder? I know it's impossible to get even a rough estimate, but I'd like to know how many here have ever started their own firm, and if so, after how many years of working under somebody else?
I have no basis for saying this except my own ignorant observations, but it seems like even when an architect moves up the ranks (or starts their own firm), many stay involved in the actual nuts and bolts of the design work. Is that fair to say?
two generalized examples from my office
(i'm only a year out of school, so this is how it looks from where i sit):
persons A and B, both started with this firm about the same time 25 years ago. 12 years ago, they both left the firm's home state (together) to start a branch office.
Mr. A is a registered architect but has little/no design input. He's the office manager. He rubs elbows in the community, deals with clients, contracts etc, manages the managers and make sure we turn a profit. We call him the boss.
Mr. B is not registered, but is a design principal. He also deals with clients, but in a more front-end programming, problem defining and solving sort of way. Part of the "solving" includes planning the bldg/campus for the client, and typically passing it along to a project team that takes it the rest of the way.
Your path will depend totally on you. In our office, we have one intern who has been here for 8 years, since graduating from college with a b.arch. He has not started IDP, and is still doing the same type of limited projects that he was doing 6 years ago, and needs constant supervision, with only minimal salary advancement and small bonuses. The other intern has been here 6 years since graduating from college with a b.arch. He is registered, has taken on huge project of all varieties, manages and designs them on his own, has nearly doubled his salary, and gets bonuses that are 15% of his salary. He just opened a branch office.
How far you advance, and how fast, will depend on your skills, your personality, and your drive. I do not believe there is a typical path, but judging from my own experience, young people are a lot less driven than my generation (a boomer). Nearly everyone that I went to college with became licensed within 3 to 5 years. Now, my firm has a bunch of people with 4 to 9 years of experience that are still not registered, work only minimal 40 hour weeks, don't take responsibility very well, and are in general, much further behind in a career path than they would have been in my generation.
I the Chicago Trib Biz section was a great article about Grahm Anderson Probst & White. The firm is for sale and the attorney's say it's essentially worthless, including the name. It's only as valuable as its cash balance. It has 7 staff and one of the lead architects took a job with a Pizza Restaurant. I think there are some lessons for us all in there somewhere. The article goes to explore what has changed in the customer mind....
Archie. i'm not so sure its a simple as motivation, however I will agree it seems younger generations lack some motivation. My bosses, who are also boomers like you, have noted how different it is being licensed now then it was when they became licensed. With so many codes and far greater lawsuits they have said it is much more foolish to become licensed as quickly as they did. They constantly talk about how a job they did when they first started and were inexperienced would not be possible with codes today and they never would have been able to get off the ground. Or far worse, they would have been sued now on things that could be overlooked back then. I'll agree its harder to find good help these days but i'll argue that the whole story.
The path is up to each individual. Part of my own personality that led me to architecture is the same instinct that would have me questioning everything in a corporate setting. Since part of my instinct is to design systems, I find it difficult to continually adhere to the same system, which is part of what makes corporations successful. So you can rise up the ranks and change the system from within if you haven’t brainwashed yourself into believing in the system or you can revolt against the system and risk martyrdom or oblivion. I don’t know if that really answers the question.
Archie – the way I see it this country is run by the boomers. They are the principals in our firms, companies and governments. Responsibility and motivation start at the top so what began as motivation for boomers has become a steadfast complacency and contentment with what they have achieved and fear of losing control. It is the boomers that have run the field of Architecture into the ground. It is the boomers that have been content with less and less liability(responsibility) to the point that builders control the design of many of our residential enclaves. It is the boomers that have planted the stereotype that the Architect is a self-centered, egotist who has no idea how to build. What is the motivation there? I congratulate you on finding this channel on the TV.
great article evilplat... well maybe not the best article, but it was pretty interesting... i'd make an offer for some of burnham's plans, maybe some of the other drawings... too bad we like pizza more that architecture...
There was a thread back in February about at what age did you become licensed. It has a lot of information on the next stewards paths. I do agree that the some of the Gen y are a bit lacking in motivation and the millenniums – forget about it.
I also admit to ranting about the boomers and how they usurped the war babies and ran the country into the ground – Remember it was the war babies that pioneered most of the technologies that we use today – including the mouse.
Career paths / trajectories
I know that some (many?) architects leave their careers for various reasons, but what sort of career trajectory is "typical" of somebody who stays in the business for an extended period (20 or 30 years, say...)
Do many remain architects, working their entire career under management, or do many move up the corporate ladder? I know it's impossible to get even a rough estimate, but I'd like to know how many here have ever started their own firm, and if so, after how many years of working under somebody else?
I have no basis for saying this except my own ignorant observations, but it seems like even when an architect moves up the ranks (or starts their own firm), many stay involved in the actual nuts and bolts of the design work. Is that fair to say?
I think I have seen a few ex-architects under this bridge in Hollywood..
two generalized examples from my office
(i'm only a year out of school, so this is how it looks from where i sit):
persons A and B, both started with this firm about the same time 25 years ago. 12 years ago, they both left the firm's home state (together) to start a branch office.
Mr. A is a registered architect but has little/no design input. He's the office manager. He rubs elbows in the community, deals with clients, contracts etc, manages the managers and make sure we turn a profit. We call him the boss.
Mr. B is not registered, but is a design principal. He also deals with clients, but in a more front-end programming, problem defining and solving sort of way. Part of the "solving" includes planning the bldg/campus for the client, and typically passing it along to a project team that takes it the rest of the way.
Both are partners in the firm.
...
so, although Mr. B couldn't detail his way out of a wet paper bag, he knows what he knows very well, and is "nuts and bolts" in that sense.
Mr. A seems more a business-man than an architect.
Yay for Mr. B!
In all, they are great combi. Practice vs Design
Sullivan & Adler
Burnham & Root
the list goes on and on... (ok, maybe that;s the list)
I've worked for four different firms, each with two partners who use their last names as the firm name ______ & _______.
Coincidence? Perhaps...
Your path will depend totally on you. In our office, we have one intern who has been here for 8 years, since graduating from college with a b.arch. He has not started IDP, and is still doing the same type of limited projects that he was doing 6 years ago, and needs constant supervision, with only minimal salary advancement and small bonuses. The other intern has been here 6 years since graduating from college with a b.arch. He is registered, has taken on huge project of all varieties, manages and designs them on his own, has nearly doubled his salary, and gets bonuses that are 15% of his salary. He just opened a branch office.
How far you advance, and how fast, will depend on your skills, your personality, and your drive. I do not believe there is a typical path, but judging from my own experience, young people are a lot less driven than my generation (a boomer). Nearly everyone that I went to college with became licensed within 3 to 5 years. Now, my firm has a bunch of people with 4 to 9 years of experience that are still not registered, work only minimal 40 hour weeks, don't take responsibility very well, and are in general, much further behind in a career path than they would have been in my generation.
I the Chicago Trib Biz section was a great article about Grahm Anderson Probst & White. The firm is for sale and the attorney's say it's essentially worthless, including the name. It's only as valuable as its cash balance. It has 7 staff and one of the lead architects took a job with a Pizza Restaurant. I think there are some lessons for us all in there somewhere. The article goes to explore what has changed in the customer mind....
Archie. i'm not so sure its a simple as motivation, however I will agree it seems younger generations lack some motivation. My bosses, who are also boomers like you, have noted how different it is being licensed now then it was when they became licensed. With so many codes and far greater lawsuits they have said it is much more foolish to become licensed as quickly as they did. They constantly talk about how a job they did when they first started and were inexperienced would not be possible with codes today and they never would have been able to get off the ground. Or far worse, they would have been sued now on things that could be overlooked back then. I'll agree its harder to find good help these days but i'll argue that the whole story.
The path is up to each individual. Part of my own personality that led me to architecture is the same instinct that would have me questioning everything in a corporate setting. Since part of my instinct is to design systems, I find it difficult to continually adhere to the same system, which is part of what makes corporations successful. So you can rise up the ranks and change the system from within if you haven’t brainwashed yourself into believing in the system or you can revolt against the system and risk martyrdom or oblivion. I don’t know if that really answers the question.
Archie – the way I see it this country is run by the boomers. They are the principals in our firms, companies and governments. Responsibility and motivation start at the top so what began as motivation for boomers has become a steadfast complacency and contentment with what they have achieved and fear of losing control. It is the boomers that have run the field of Architecture into the ground. It is the boomers that have been content with less and less liability(responsibility) to the point that builders control the design of many of our residential enclaves. It is the boomers that have planted the stereotype that the Architect is a self-centered, egotist who has no idea how to build. What is the motivation there? I congratulate you on finding this channel on the TV.
great article evilplat... well maybe not the best article, but it was pretty interesting... i'd make an offer for some of burnham's plans, maybe some of the other drawings... too bad we like pizza more that architecture...
There was a thread back in February about at what age did you become licensed. It has a lot of information on the next stewards paths. I do agree that the some of the Gen y are a bit lacking in motivation and the millenniums – forget about it.
I also admit to ranting about the boomers and how they usurped the war babies and ran the country into the ground – Remember it was the war babies that pioneered most of the technologies that we use today – including the mouse.
Any one else feel the boomers sold out?
is the Graham, Anderson, blah blah blah article for reference.
burnham and root were each great designers and practitioners
When the architecture career doesnt work out, theres always in house pizza restaurant chain designer.
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