I know many who have worked at both places and I they have all done rather well for themselves - the ones that moved up in architecture and did not get sidelined as Cad coordinators that is.

5 years ago, i cringed at the idea of working for Gensler.

Then they got good.

i've worked at Gensler.. can't say anything but good things about them.  You have plenty of opportunities to move up and they treat their workers very well.  Plenty of perks working for them :)

i r giv up- can you expand on that?  what changed about them?

everyone- if you had to, what would you say gensler's 'reputation' is?

I've known many who have had successful and satisfying careers at both firms. Both companies are very 'corporate' but also very professional and well managed. However, since each has quite a few offices around the country, you should be aware that there can be quite a bit of variation from office to office -- i.e. some are stronger than others.

You might obtain better feedback here if you can specify the city (or cities) that apply to your situation.

Both are great firms and great resume builders.

However, I heard there was a bit of an implosion at HOK back this summer....

I think you have plenty of opportunity to move up in ranks at Gensler.. They deal with almost everything - consultation, interiors, marketing.  You can learn a lot about the business side and how to run your own firm someday.  I know many design architects there who went on to start their own firms.