I don't think it matters. What does help is if you are able to market your new found residential skills to a prospective corporate employer e.g. "I was project architect on this xxxx sf house and sole point of contact with contractor, client and the entire consultant team. I was intricately involved with all the mechanisms in getting this building designed and built and I know how to detail." I find it amusing how many colleagues (mainly younger) of mine in a corporate office "archi-wash" their experience, talk the big talk about how good they are at design and actually couldn't draw a decent flashing detail to save themselves.

Getting a broad range of experience in several different sized offices is a positive thing. You'll also learn whether you want to work in a smaller office or a large corporate firm.

well, i'll go against the grain on this one. yes, i think it does matter. i've worked in three offices now post-m.arch (probably one too many). all three quite different. first was boutique - just me and the principal and a satellite office for cad and some design. the second was a large corporate architecture plus m/e/p firm. the third is somewhere in between the first two. i've found that people that try to transition between smaller scale projects to big corporate projects struggle. even if licensed they don't have the skill set to coordinate large projects (though they all think they do, making things worse).

at such an early point in your career it may not matter, but then again it's easy to get caught up in a situation and not know what skills you are lacking in your professional development.

i have also been thinking about this issue a lot recently. i work in a very specialised company. the work does encompass a lot from major refurbishments to new builds to masterplanning, however, within one small field. i have been here 1.5 years, and it is my first serious job after graduating.

i'm very concerend about getting stuck in this field, as it is not something i want to do forever, however it's a great place to work and i have been given a lot of responsibility, more than my experience on paper would merit.

it's a real dilema, as i'm not ready to leave, but i do know if you stay somewhere a long time early in your career, it can be detrimental to your chances when you do move on...

I think this applies to any field. Your past experience and what's on your resume can force someone into a particular path in the profession. I'm currently in the IT industry and I've learned that if you have a specific job in mind for the future, it's a lot easier to start working towards it from the beginning. This has happened to me and it's extremely difficult to get out of it because of what is on your resume.

I wanted to add that certain types of experience is of course more transferrable than others. Think Project Manager.

i have found it harder to go from big to small - or commercial/intitutionial to residential. i had a hard time getting a job after moving from a well known firm. told by two firms that i had too much experience - wanted to call them on their bullshit but i looked at it as my gain. i wasn't asking for too much money, but i was expecting to get paid and to move into project management level - which i was at previously. i have an impressive resume - have worked for two starchitects, went to good schools and got good grades, know 3d very well, had projects published, etc. most times all that doesn't matter - a lot of firms are just looking for some devry graduates who will pump cad all day and give a shit for the design of the building. good luck & don't sell out!!!!