So I am an architectural professional, with experience as PA and designer, with a technical orienatation, and I am passionate about architecture and design, with alot of experience in corporate interiors. I am hard working, and I value creativity, and innovation and I do think I want to continue in the profession in the future...
I am currently employed at a design oriented firm, have a decent portfolio of design work which I have accumulated over the years in the profession, however here is my dilemma: I'm a little burnt out... Especially in this economy, seeing layoffs and constant deadlines and feeling underpaid and with not enough time to be with a young family, not enough time to study for and complete my ARE exams (I have only a few more to go), and I could really use a bit of a break from a long commute and continual project fires and deadlines to put out week in and week out... Project work right now is okay, but I've been losing inspiration, some of the work is tending to be towards the bread and butter type, at least it is repetitive... Corporate office TIs... Permit sets... VE exercises...
Here's the question: It's hypothetical as I haven't yet applied, but there is a Facilities Management type position at a large (kind of cool) tech company with a cool campus that is near my home. I can do everything that the position demands, and it's a nice office space, good design by an Architectural firm. Work would include both day to day facilities operations, space planning stuff, CAD management, as well as construction projects from time to time, but from the client side on their campus... Commute would save about 2 hours minimum each day, better benefits, and assuming pay is equal or even better than I am getting at an architectural office, I would have alot more time to finish up my ARE's, spend more time with my family, especially since my wife's new job is becoming very demanding (and she makes alot more money than I do as an Architect)... I suspect (I could be wrong) that the job would not be as stressful as working in an architecture office, but you could still be involved in architectural projects on the campus, and I could use a break from the Architecture grind.
If I got and took a facilities management job, would that be Architectural Career suicide? Is it possible to go back to working at a design oriented firm having gone over to the client side, or would that look like a wierd hiatus on the resume? Anybody done this before? Worked in a facilities group taken a design break, and gone back to being design focused at a later point in the career?
IMO - this will be good experience if you hope to eventually work for a firm that does largely commercial work. It's very eye-opening working on the client-side.
You are shaped by your experiences. That being said, I've worked with a number of architects who spent some time in facilities and then came back to the design side. They tended to be more technically oriented, more project architect-types than designers. I personally don't see anything wrong with it and given the circumstances of your personal life (that commute sounds like a total bitch), I'd probably pursue it.
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I think I am kind of headed career wise towards the technical side, and it would be nice to be able to handle taking care of my family and also finishing up my exams and getting registered... And picking up some variety in the experience.
once an architect always an architect bRink. you may even open up your own business venture since your spouse has a great paying job like you said, and the new job well i dont need to tell you will be easy p z compared with what you are doing now. Just dont forget to hire some of your old co workers. either way its a win win.
Go for it, dude.
Diverse knowledge and experience (in moderation) is never a bad thing. This would help you grow and reinforce your understanding of what happens on the client's side of the table. My guess is that you'll do this for a while and then open your own shop, with instant credibility for prospective clients.
I would say go for it as well. If you have experience on the client end, you could always go work for a developer as a designer and make way more $$$ than you will ever be able to at a 'normal' firm
A close family member of mine is a Facilities Manager. From close observation and many in-depth conversations, I would say that it would be a very useful experience for an architect - especially if you are interested in doing corporate interiors or anything like that. It's fascinating to get a chance to see things from the client's perspective, and that is INVALUABLE for any future design work. I would say this would be a great opportunity as it has the additional benefit of solving some other problems for you.
However, I would say that depending on your temperament & interest in doing actual design work, this kind of position might come with an expiration date - it might not hold your interest for more than a few years. For example, having learned from similar experience, I personally would really enjoy it but for me the limit would be about 2 years max, and I would get the itch to get back into a more direct design role. But of course - YMMV! You might end up loving it. I only make my comment so that you consider that aspect of it in advance - it can be helpful to you to enjoy a job more if you go into it with the right expectations and looking for the right experience. Don't harbor any illusions that you'd get a lot of designing in... that's not the role of a facilities manager. Know going in that this may be a short-term experience from you, and prepare yourself to flourish in that time!
It's also kind of odd to go from working on lots of different projects, with constantly varying clients & unique issues, to one "client" (your employer) and the same, or similar, sets of issues day in and day out. So that's another aspect of the work that may feed into it being a short-term experience for you, besides lack of creativity. (There's nothing wrong with that - I just think that it's important to be prepared for the experience so your expectations are aligned with the reality of the job.)
While my own experience is not precisely identical to what you're considering, you may find what I have to say useful. My career evolved from architecture to real estate development and then back to architecture. During the real estate portion of my career I found that I had much greater influence over the quality of design than I ever had as a practicing architect. This influence comes from a) having the authority to select the design firm, b) having the authority to control the design brief, and c) having the authority to decide when the design architect still hadn't got it right.
I suspect you will have a similar experience in facilities management. If your ultimate goal is to deliver great projects that demonstrate great design then you may never have that sort of influence in any other job.
Sep 9, 12 11:43 pm ·
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Facilities Management Position... Architectural Career Suicide?
So I am an architectural professional, with experience as PA and designer, with a technical orienatation, and I am passionate about architecture and design, with alot of experience in corporate interiors. I am hard working, and I value creativity, and innovation and I do think I want to continue in the profession in the future...
I am currently employed at a design oriented firm, have a decent portfolio of design work which I have accumulated over the years in the profession, however here is my dilemma: I'm a little burnt out... Especially in this economy, seeing layoffs and constant deadlines and feeling underpaid and with not enough time to be with a young family, not enough time to study for and complete my ARE exams (I have only a few more to go), and I could really use a bit of a break from a long commute and continual project fires and deadlines to put out week in and week out... Project work right now is okay, but I've been losing inspiration, some of the work is tending to be towards the bread and butter type, at least it is repetitive... Corporate office TIs... Permit sets... VE exercises...
Here's the question: It's hypothetical as I haven't yet applied, but there is a Facilities Management type position at a large (kind of cool) tech company with a cool campus that is near my home. I can do everything that the position demands, and it's a nice office space, good design by an Architectural firm. Work would include both day to day facilities operations, space planning stuff, CAD management, as well as construction projects from time to time, but from the client side on their campus... Commute would save about 2 hours minimum each day, better benefits, and assuming pay is equal or even better than I am getting at an architectural office, I would have alot more time to finish up my ARE's, spend more time with my family, especially since my wife's new job is becoming very demanding (and she makes alot more money than I do as an Architect)... I suspect (I could be wrong) that the job would not be as stressful as working in an architecture office, but you could still be involved in architectural projects on the campus, and I could use a break from the Architecture grind.
If I got and took a facilities management job, would that be Architectural Career suicide? Is it possible to go back to working at a design oriented firm having gone over to the client side, or would that look like a wierd hiatus on the resume? Anybody done this before? Worked in a facilities group taken a design break, and gone back to being design focused at a later point in the career?
IMO - this will be good experience if you hope to eventually work for a firm that does largely commercial work. It's very eye-opening working on the client-side.
You are shaped by your experiences. That being said, I've worked with a number of architects who spent some time in facilities and then came back to the design side. They tended to be more technically oriented, more project architect-types than designers. I personally don't see anything wrong with it and given the circumstances of your personal life (that commute sounds like a total bitch), I'd probably pursue it.
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I think I am kind of headed career wise towards the technical side, and it would be nice to be able to handle taking care of my family and also finishing up my exams and getting registered... And picking up some variety in the experience.
once an architect always an architect bRink. you may even open up your own business venture since your spouse has a great paying job like you said, and the new job well i dont need to tell you will be easy p z compared with what you are doing now. Just dont forget to hire some of your old co workers. either way its a win win.
"Suicide"? Really?
The fiction that true architects work only in architectural offices designing new buildings is a disservice to our profession.
Our training and experience makes us useful experts to a lot of folks in different settings, including facilities management.
Relax a little...
Go for it, dude. Diverse knowledge and experience (in moderation) is never a bad thing. This would help you grow and reinforce your understanding of what happens on the client's side of the table. My guess is that you'll do this for a while and then open your own shop, with instant credibility for prospective clients.
I would say go for it as well. If you have experience on the client end, you could always go work for a developer as a designer and make way more $$$ than you will ever be able to at a 'normal' firm
Mdler, hows Seattle treating you?
sameolddoctor,
I love Seattle...best move I have made. It is finally starting to get cold..50 days of 80 degree, cloud free skies were getting to me
A close family member of mine is a Facilities Manager. From close observation and many in-depth conversations, I would say that it would be a very useful experience for an architect - especially if you are interested in doing corporate interiors or anything like that. It's fascinating to get a chance to see things from the client's perspective, and that is INVALUABLE for any future design work. I would say this would be a great opportunity as it has the additional benefit of solving some other problems for you.
However, I would say that depending on your temperament & interest in doing actual design work, this kind of position might come with an expiration date - it might not hold your interest for more than a few years. For example, having learned from similar experience, I personally would really enjoy it but for me the limit would be about 2 years max, and I would get the itch to get back into a more direct design role. But of course - YMMV! You might end up loving it. I only make my comment so that you consider that aspect of it in advance - it can be helpful to you to enjoy a job more if you go into it with the right expectations and looking for the right experience. Don't harbor any illusions that you'd get a lot of designing in... that's not the role of a facilities manager. Know going in that this may be a short-term experience from you, and prepare yourself to flourish in that time!
It's also kind of odd to go from working on lots of different projects, with constantly varying clients & unique issues, to one "client" (your employer) and the same, or similar, sets of issues day in and day out. So that's another aspect of the work that may feed into it being a short-term experience for you, besides lack of creativity. (There's nothing wrong with that - I just think that it's important to be prepared for the experience so your expectations are aligned with the reality of the job.)
While my own experience is not precisely identical to what you're considering, you may find what I have to say useful. My career evolved from architecture to real estate development and then back to architecture. During the real estate portion of my career I found that I had much greater influence over the quality of design than I ever had as a practicing architect. This influence comes from a) having the authority to select the design firm, b) having the authority to control the design brief, and c) having the authority to decide when the design architect still hadn't got it right. I suspect you will have a similar experience in facilities management. If your ultimate goal is to deliver great projects that demonstrate great design then you may never have that sort of influence in any other job.
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