So what is the protocol for mentioning firm mergers on your resume? Would it be like something like: “ABC Architects formerly Apples and Bananas Design” or should you just mention the firm in its current form and risk some new secretary not knowing who you are and what you did at that firm’s newly acquired office.
I also found it necessary to check the contact info on professional references as the office phone numbers and email addresses keep changing as firms merge or downsize into smaller offices.
The parent company of my firm went on a buying spree and acquired about 7 other architecture and engineering firms over the past few years. Now everyone is transitioning into one firm -- i's very strange but business as usual I guess.
What is even more shocking is that both large and small firms haven't been replacing those that have left over the last three years... things have been progressively slowing down for a long, long time. So it seems to me it doesn't matter the size of the firm... everyone has lost 1 or 2 or 50, it all depends on when you want to start counting.
in my view, the majority of the job losses have occurred since September of 2008, when the financial markets froze. our mid-sized firm was hiring fairly aggressively until mid-September / we started contracting in size the last week of September. the shift was that sudden.
People start buying firms like this when the supply of Architects exceeds the client base. It happened in advertising. It usually is the death knell for the firms involved. It opens up opportunities for the rest of us.
blue- i wouldn't say any firm predicted what happened in fall 08- and yes that was a notable severe contraction... but there was a progressive contraction prior to the fall and our clients did ease up a bit. as people left on their own accord (various reasons), there was not an aggressive search to find replacements. sure there was an intern here or there, but if a mid-level person left there wasn't an all out search for a replacement as we had done in years past.
in more enlightening news... a fellow colleague's firm is doing okay- and they have a new project starting up in June.
also... my firm seems more willing to do more competitions now- as there almost isn't anything to lose when the choice is between deadfiling or enhancing your design skills. so in a way, there is a really terrific opportunity right now.
I was laid off from S.*.M London in Nov 08, huge layoffs there-probably half or more of the firm made redundant by now in comparison to a year ago. I was only there a few months in early '08 when the layoffs started, all the contractors were sent packing first.
Many other london firms are similar- according to BD magazine architect unemployment up by 800% in the UK from last year when the boom was happening and I had my choice of firms!
Was planning on coming home to the USA to sit for my ARE exams but didnt think I could get a job doing anything at the moment.
Amazingly- I was just hired today by a firm to work on a hospital here in west AUSTRALIA. I think I will just lay low here and get some sun until this whole thing blows over..... I wonder how long that will be..... crikey mate!
Just heard from a friend that the owner of the small (4 person) firm he's working for said he either buys in as a partner or cannot make any promises about future employment. Given how many small firms have folded my buddy is not sure if it's a wise investment right now.
aqua - i'd be very leery about buying into any small firm period. you have to ask what you're getting: is it access to a client base? is it a share of bigger profits?
make sure he asks for a balance sheet, financials for the past 5 years (taxes, balance sheets, etc.); a listing of all current accounts receivable, accounts payable, any debts owed, and how much backlog is contracturally on the books. my guess is the partner is trying to shore up his own finances by getting someone to pay in (pay him) to take over part of the debt load.
in any case, have him insist on an outside firm do the valuation. otherwise, i'd run far, far away.
things are starting to pick up a little around here - lots of smaller projects, so smaller firms doing mostly tenant fit-outs and renovations/additions are probably looking for at least some short-term help.
it might just be the typical spring bump, though...
Here in Chicago I've heard a few stories about small firm principals soliciting for "partners" amongst existing staff members, only for those offered "partnership" discovering that rather than receiving an income boost they would be acquiring firm debt. It's called diluting debt exposure. Many small offices are financially unstable even in normal times; now many firms are probably held together by the limited personal credit of their partners.
Long ago I worked at a small firm owned by one principal with five employees. He didn't pay office rent for a year, though he saw landlord daily. Utilities were paid upon shut-off notices. Firm was probably bankrolled by his father-in-law. Thankfully, my payroll check never bounced. He lived off his charms, which were many. He too tried to solicit "partners".
I would say if your looking at buying into a firm at this time, like any other person looking at a business have a lawyer on your side. It can save you alot of agony down the road. If they are in business law they will know what to look for and which proper questions to ask. No
one seeking a partner should question this type inquiry.
that's true, clients downsizing can be work too for architects... maybe even as people and organizations become more economical, this doesn't have to come at the expense of innovation... streamlining can maybe result in creative ideas about how to rethink program and how people live/work/play/communicate?
re: architecture firm restructuring and consolidation of practices, and how firms can profit, i wonder how firms might diversify or develop new models of integrated practice that make architecture as a profession more profitable? on one level we are an ideas profession, something like a think tank, we could also be consultants, as well as service and delivery providers... also how can we integrate with other specialized design disciplines such as sustainable technical consultants, interiors, landscape, acoustics, lighting, graphics, urban design, MEP and maybe even product manufacturers and contractors and real estate developers so that architecture firms aren't just in a service industry working for fee, but actually see ourselves more as delivering a *product*? That might be another type of consolidation that could happen, since it's not just architects that are hurting in this industry... Could be a bad thing, but on the other hand, it could also be just a different model of our business?
jojodancer: "please post names, locations of firms and what kinds of cars that the firms' owners drive"
What the hell difference does it matter what kind of car the firm owners drive? And yes, I did see the smiley face.
I'm a firm owner and about 2/3 of my staff drive better cars than I drive. Of course, I'm not wallowing in car loan debt like they are either.
If I follow your logic, then I should use the kind of car an employee drives as part of my selection criteria whenever our firm needs to have a lay-off -- obviously, any staff member who drives a fancy car doesn't really need this job!
At the vast majority of firms, the kind of car a firm owner drives doesn't makes any difference whatsoever in whether you remain employed or not -- if you think otherwise, then you don't have even a rudimentary understanding of economics or the cost of running a business.
why read that previous post Digger and still write what you wrote? Even after you saw the smiley face? Sounds like jojodancer hit a nerve, digger. Perhaps you wish the cost of business was not a factor and you could have a great car? Anyway, cars aren't everything.
My old boss drove a Subaru wagon, he was pretty frugal and a practical man. The funny thing was that he always had to have someone make his lunch for him and put it in front of him. If no one was around to do this, he would not eat. I kid you not. Even if it was heating up a soup...
He claimed he was not well off financially, and we (a team of 12)believed him. Then we all figured out from accounting that he got 45 million out of a 3 year, $450 million contract, and then he had the cojones to re-negg on our previously-promised overtime pay. After calculating expenses on that job, I think he was very well off.
My point is, I think he didn't want to appear flashy, in order to claim poverty and not pay us what he promised. We should have got it in writing...
In other notes, 2 friends working in DIFFERENT firms in NYC:
1 took a 15% pay cut and 1 day cut a week
the other took a 20% pay cut and 1 day cut a week.
Is this an attempt to get them to quit? Looks like a pattern there...
Those friends from school that are interns and first or second year after school are still employed, probably because they work for less $.
charlotte: the only nerve struck is the incessant repetition here - in jest or not - that owners of firm are, by their very nature, dishonest and greedy and abusers of the people they employ. the slander simply is not true in the vast majority of cases and I tire exceedingly of reading ill-informed and prejudicial accounts of "reality".
for the record, a) I can afford a much nicer car - I just don't need a much nicer car; b) I haven't taken a salary for the past two months so I can continue to employ several under-busy members of my staff; and c) the cost of running a business is very much a factor in how firms operate -- payroll and related benefits represent the single most significant cost of doing business.
digger - I'm not sure why you feel the need to defend your position.
In my mind, if they are relying on a paycheck from you they have no right to give a flying fuk about what you choose to drive...ferrari or fiesta.
architecture firms are not non profit charities. Firm owners that have paid their dues, taken risks, for years through the various downturns reserve the right. No matter what some snot nosed interns have to say about it.
:::sick of crybaby interns that think they are owed somthing because they know how to push a mouse around:::
digger, don't get too upset. You sounded like a decent employer and I salute you. You are a good man and same as other very rare, few good human being in this profession. My post wasn't intend to attack you.
So let's move on and back to my question.
Actually, I am more interested in checking their fancy published homes than their cars :) Most of the owners tend to drive old vintage European cars anyway :)
I remember one time there was a big slash (6+ workers) in an office on one Friday and the owner held a big office party to celebrate his newly built home the next Friday. Amazing!
I guess slashing few guys at his office would help him to compensate his over-budget fancy indoor swimming pool :0 or to acquire more fancy wines to store at his architecturally-designed cellar.
My boss who I'm sure actually makes some serious bank drives a beat up 1991 SUV that even *I* can afford. As a matter of fact I've never worked for an architect who spends lavishly on anything. I was just outy to lunch recently with some of my bosses at wendy's and they were complaining at how expensive their food had become. It makes sense -- most of them have been through the same exact kinds of financial hardship that we did. And as result, I've learned over time not to put myself in any kind of regretable financial situation (i.e impulse buys, splurging, credit cards, etc). I'm perfectly happy with living a comfortable lifestyle. It would be nice to be out of college debt, but welcome to the club, right?
I've heard quite a few stories about other firm partners, but it makes sense that even the most senior level architects at large firms wouldn't be too flashy even if they did earn a lot of money. The best I've seen a superior (of mine) drive around is a Mini-Cooper but apparently she had just graduated from owning a 1993 Honda Accord. And not to mention, it's not like they earn all that much money to begin with -- that is in comparison to senior level physicians and attorneys.
I don't really care what my boss drives so long as I still have a job and decent pay. That said, I think this recession has made the outward appearance of wealth a bad thing. It wouldn't look too good for a principal to go out and buy a new BWM or Lexus in this economy, especially if that same person has been letting staff go.
I've always worked for people that drove expensive foreign luxury cars. There was a time when I was an intern working long hours for low pay. Then one year I got zero raise because of the 2001-02 recession. Just weeks after I was told there was no raises the president of the firm bought a new Lexus to the tune of $75k. Close to half my salary at the time. Can't say it was the only reason, but one of the reasons I left that firm.
Now I understand why a principal/partner would get upset at a "class warfare" question like what kind of cars people drive, but it is a high image thing. If you want your staff to really believe you are feeling their pain maybe it's a good time to trade that bimmer in on a new corolla.
Conspicuous spending is definitely not the “in thing” unless it is green. Any Honda hybrid car is not that cheap despite their popularity and economies of scale. So instead of showing off that new beamer people will be showing off their new 100k Tesla roadster. Instead of waving their hands enthusiastically at their new cabana erected in their back yard they will point to the solar panels on top of it and the UGBC Plaque near the grilling chibouk salmon flown in from the opposite coast just for them. Greening a home can be a very expensive endeavor, I am glad that LEED ratings and solar panels are becoming a status symbol instead of hummers or other SAVs Suburban Assault Vehicles. Word on the street is that the marinas in Chicago are making extra space this year for sail boats as opposed to the $300 dollar an hour fuel guzzling motor boats. Green is the New Black in fashion as well. Hope this trend works out well and gains some serious traction because there are lots of wealthy and well off people who want to keep up appearances and be the biggest and beast on the block.
I'm sure a lot of people will dump on what I'm about to say... I don't care I'm going to say it anyways.
I think some people confuse personal finance with business enterprise. You are assuming one must be stealing from a firm in order to enjoy a home, car, etc...
You have no idea what they have done in their lives to earn the money they have. There is nothing wrong with someone who has worked hard, saved money, and built their dream home or bought a car they wanted or gone on vacations- even in the middle of a recession. Just because the firm loses business and staff is reduced does not mean that the owner or executive did not personally live frugally at one point in time- before your being- or invested wisely personally and separately from their business. So why can't someone have a brand new house or a porsche- who are you to say they can't? Are they supposed to be taking their own life worth and pour it down the drain for you?
As an owner of a business there is a point in time when you have to cut your losses. That doesn't always mean the owner has to dump all of their money into something to keep something afloat.
Maybe I should clarify...that Lexus a previous employer bought was not a personal car. All partners got company cars. Firm paid for the car, insurance, gasoline, etc.
The accounting excuse for company paid vehicles was they were traveling frequently and it was cheaper than paying mileage. Bakc then I was getting something like 30 cents/mile when going to site meetings as a lowly grunt.
So, this was NOT a case of someone's personal finance. This was something I had every right to bitch about. I can see the need for a someone to have a company car. My father drove them for years. That said, they were always stripper models with cloth seats and crank windows. Simple transportation, nothing more.
Now put yourself in my shoes. Got a few years of experience under my belt. Not quite earning $40k yet. Just got told there are no raises or bonuses because of a slowing work load. Gone too are other perks like company parties, etc. Ok, I can deal. I still have a job. Come to work a couple weeks later to see the firm just coughed up big for a vehicle that had a sticker price of over $70k, where a $25k vehicle would've been more than adequate. WTF???
What credentials, experience and or skills are going to make a difference in the inevitable and hopefully soon to come economic recovery.
Potential future employers please rank according to your particular needs when viable projects start rolling in the door.
NCARB exams passed
Master’s degree as opposed to B arch or other degree
LEED AP certification
AUTO CAD experience
Revit Experience
3d Rendering abilities
Construction document experience
Specifications writing experience
Hands on experience with a particular structural or construction system
Wood frame
Masonry
Cast in place concrete
Steel light frame construction
Precast concrete
Certification from other trade organizations
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
CSI
ISO
Real-estate licensure
Degree in civil engineering
Degree in landscape architecture
Recognition in regional and or international design competitions
Furniture design experience
Professional organization affiliation
AIA
Association of Licensed Architects ALA
Urban Land Institute
AIBD American inst of building Design
House Plan Marketing Association
National Council of Building Designer Certification
ASID American Society of Interior Designers
ACADIA Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture
The Congress for the New Urbanism
Institute of Transportation Engineers
American Planning Association
The Institute of Brownfield Professionals
National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Town Builders' Association
The New Urban Guild
All of these are things those of us out of work can do to better ourselves. But what I would like to know which ones really matter or would grab your attention and possibly land an invitation for an interview?
Layoffs....layoffs......
So what is the protocol for mentioning firm mergers on your resume? Would it be like something like: “ABC Architects formerly Apples and Bananas Design” or should you just mention the firm in its current form and risk some new secretary not knowing who you are and what you did at that firm’s newly acquired office.
I also found it necessary to check the contact info on professional references as the office phone numbers and email addresses keep changing as firms merge or downsize into smaller offices.
The parent company of my firm went on a buying spree and acquired about 7 other architecture and engineering firms over the past few years. Now everyone is transitioning into one firm -- i's very strange but business as usual I guess.
What is even more shocking is that both large and small firms haven't been replacing those that have left over the last three years... things have been progressively slowing down for a long, long time. So it seems to me it doesn't matter the size of the firm... everyone has lost 1 or 2 or 50, it all depends on when you want to start counting.
+i - an interesting perspective
in my view, the majority of the job losses have occurred since September of 2008, when the financial markets froze. our mid-sized firm was hiring fairly aggressively until mid-September / we started contracting in size the last week of September. the shift was that sudden.
People start buying firms like this when the supply of Architects exceeds the client base. It happened in advertising. It usually is the death knell for the firms involved. It opens up opportunities for the rest of us.
does anyone else think this thread has just become incredibly morbid? (perhaps it has been for months now.)
i would like to think this may be a sign that we are getting out of the worst of this recession.
I sent out two offers of employment today. I think we should post hiring here too to keep our yin-yang in order.
good call, houseofmud.
blue- i wouldn't say any firm predicted what happened in fall 08- and yes that was a notable severe contraction... but there was a progressive contraction prior to the fall and our clients did ease up a bit. as people left on their own accord (various reasons), there was not an aggressive search to find replacements. sure there was an intern here or there, but if a mid-level person left there wasn't an all out search for a replacement as we had done in years past.
in more enlightening news... a fellow colleague's firm is doing okay- and they have a new project starting up in June.
also... my firm seems more willing to do more competitions now- as there almost isn't anything to lose when the choice is between deadfiling or enhancing your design skills. so in a way, there is a really terrific opportunity right now.
h.o.mud is right.
today, heard several rumors of spot hiring (whatever that means), multiple firms looking - dfw area.
have a great weekend.
I was laid off from S.*.M London in Nov 08, huge layoffs there-probably half or more of the firm made redundant by now in comparison to a year ago. I was only there a few months in early '08 when the layoffs started, all the contractors were sent packing first.
Many other london firms are similar- according to BD magazine architect unemployment up by 800% in the UK from last year when the boom was happening and I had my choice of firms!
Was planning on coming home to the USA to sit for my ARE exams but didnt think I could get a job doing anything at the moment.
Amazingly- I was just hired today by a firm to work on a hospital here in west AUSTRALIA. I think I will just lay low here and get some sun until this whole thing blows over..... I wonder how long that will be..... crikey mate!
congrats drew.
Just heard from a friend that the owner of the small (4 person) firm he's working for said he either buys in as a partner or cannot make any promises about future employment. Given how many small firms have folded my buddy is not sure if it's a wise investment right now.
aqua - i'd be very leery about buying into any small firm period. you have to ask what you're getting: is it access to a client base? is it a share of bigger profits?
make sure he asks for a balance sheet, financials for the past 5 years (taxes, balance sheets, etc.); a listing of all current accounts receivable, accounts payable, any debts owed, and how much backlog is contracturally on the books. my guess is the partner is trying to shore up his own finances by getting someone to pay in (pay him) to take over part of the debt load.
in any case, have him insist on an outside firm do the valuation. otherwise, i'd run far, far away.
things are starting to pick up a little around here - lots of smaller projects, so smaller firms doing mostly tenant fit-outs and renovations/additions are probably looking for at least some short-term help.
it might just be the typical spring bump, though...
toast - where is "around here"
Here in Chicago I've heard a few stories about small firm principals soliciting for "partners" amongst existing staff members, only for those offered "partnership" discovering that rather than receiving an income boost they would be acquiring firm debt. It's called diluting debt exposure. Many small offices are financially unstable even in normal times; now many firms are probably held together by the limited personal credit of their partners.
Long ago I worked at a small firm owned by one principal with five employees. He didn't pay office rent for a year, though he saw landlord daily. Utilities were paid upon shut-off notices. Firm was probably bankrolled by his father-in-law. Thankfully, my payroll check never bounced. He lived off his charms, which were many. He too tried to solicit "partners".
I would say if your looking at buying into a firm at this time, like any other person looking at a business have a lawyer on your side. It can save you alot of agony down the road. If they are in business law they will know what to look for and which proper questions to ask. No
one seeking a partner should question this type inquiry.
"He lived off his charms"
That is an integral skill to being an owner of an architecture firm
cowgill - northeast... sadly - the tenant work is usually offices/stores downsizing. But it's work.
word
FXFOWLE in NY just had another round of lay offs this week, I heard.
Not sure how many though...still not looking good.
A few of my friends in L.A. just lost their jobs too at smaller firms.
The residential projects went on hold... indefinitely.
that's true, clients downsizing can be work too for architects... maybe even as people and organizations become more economical, this doesn't have to come at the expense of innovation... streamlining can maybe result in creative ideas about how to rethink program and how people live/work/play/communicate?
re: architecture firm restructuring and consolidation of practices, and how firms can profit, i wonder how firms might diversify or develop new models of integrated practice that make architecture as a profession more profitable? on one level we are an ideas profession, something like a think tank, we could also be consultants, as well as service and delivery providers... also how can we integrate with other specialized design disciplines such as sustainable technical consultants, interiors, landscape, acoustics, lighting, graphics, urban design, MEP and maybe even product manufacturers and contractors and real estate developers so that architecture firms aren't just in a service industry working for fee, but actually see ourselves more as delivering a *product*? That might be another type of consolidation that could happen, since it's not just architects that are hurting in this industry... Could be a bad thing, but on the other hand, it could also be just a different model of our business?
energy upgrades to conserve power, weatherizing
back to the top. this thread needs to continue.....
please post names, locations of firms and what kinds of cars that the firms' owners drive :)
jojodancer: "please post names, locations of firms and what kinds of cars that the firms' owners drive"
What the hell difference does it matter what kind of car the firm owners drive? And yes, I did see the smiley face.
I'm a firm owner and about 2/3 of my staff drive better cars than I drive. Of course, I'm not wallowing in car loan debt like they are either.
If I follow your logic, then I should use the kind of car an employee drives as part of my selection criteria whenever our firm needs to have a lay-off -- obviously, any staff member who drives a fancy car doesn't really need this job!
At the vast majority of firms, the kind of car a firm owner drives doesn't makes any difference whatsoever in whether you remain employed or not -- if you think otherwise, then you don't have even a rudimentary understanding of economics or the cost of running a business.
You're just trying to promote class warfare.
why read that previous post Digger and still write what you wrote? Even after you saw the smiley face? Sounds like jojodancer hit a nerve, digger. Perhaps you wish the cost of business was not a factor and you could have a great car? Anyway, cars aren't everything.
My old boss drove a Subaru wagon, he was pretty frugal and a practical man. The funny thing was that he always had to have someone make his lunch for him and put it in front of him. If no one was around to do this, he would not eat. I kid you not. Even if it was heating up a soup...
He claimed he was not well off financially, and we (a team of 12)believed him. Then we all figured out from accounting that he got 45 million out of a 3 year, $450 million contract, and then he had the cojones to re-negg on our previously-promised overtime pay. After calculating expenses on that job, I think he was very well off.
My point is, I think he didn't want to appear flashy, in order to claim poverty and not pay us what he promised. We should have got it in writing...
In other notes, 2 friends working in DIFFERENT firms in NYC:
1 took a 15% pay cut and 1 day cut a week
the other took a 20% pay cut and 1 day cut a week.
Is this an attempt to get them to quit? Looks like a pattern there...
Those friends from school that are interns and first or second year after school are still employed, probably because they work for less $.
charlotte: the only nerve struck is the incessant repetition here - in jest or not - that owners of firm are, by their very nature, dishonest and greedy and abusers of the people they employ. the slander simply is not true in the vast majority of cases and I tire exceedingly of reading ill-informed and prejudicial accounts of "reality".
for the record, a) I can afford a much nicer car - I just don't need a much nicer car; b) I haven't taken a salary for the past two months so I can continue to employ several under-busy members of my staff; and c) the cost of running a business is very much a factor in how firms operate -- payroll and related benefits represent the single most significant cost of doing business.
digger - I'm not sure why you feel the need to defend your position.
In my mind, if they are relying on a paycheck from you they have no right to give a flying fuk about what you choose to drive...ferrari or fiesta.
architecture firms are not non profit charities. Firm owners that have paid their dues, taken risks, for years through the various downturns reserve the right. No matter what some snot nosed interns have to say about it.
:::sick of crybaby interns that think they are owed somthing because they know how to push a mouse around:::
digger, don't get too upset. You sounded like a decent employer and I salute you. You are a good man and same as other very rare, few good human being in this profession. My post wasn't intend to attack you.
So let's move on and back to my question.
Actually, I am more interested in checking their fancy published homes than their cars :) Most of the owners tend to drive old vintage European cars anyway :)
I remember one time there was a big slash (6+ workers) in an office on one Friday and the owner held a big office party to celebrate his newly built home the next Friday. Amazing!
I guess slashing few guys at his office would help him to compensate his over-budget fancy indoor swimming pool :0 or to acquire more fancy wines to store at his architecturally-designed cellar.
Again digger, I salute you.
My boss who I'm sure actually makes some serious bank drives a beat up 1991 SUV that even *I* can afford. As a matter of fact I've never worked for an architect who spends lavishly on anything. I was just outy to lunch recently with some of my bosses at wendy's and they were complaining at how expensive their food had become. It makes sense -- most of them have been through the same exact kinds of financial hardship that we did. And as result, I've learned over time not to put myself in any kind of regretable financial situation (i.e impulse buys, splurging, credit cards, etc). I'm perfectly happy with living a comfortable lifestyle. It would be nice to be out of college debt, but welcome to the club, right?
I've heard quite a few stories about other firm partners, but it makes sense that even the most senior level architects at large firms wouldn't be too flashy even if they did earn a lot of money. The best I've seen a superior (of mine) drive around is a Mini-Cooper but apparently she had just graduated from owning a 1993 Honda Accord. And not to mention, it's not like they earn all that much money to begin with -- that is in comparison to senior level physicians and attorneys.
I don't really care what my boss drives so long as I still have a job and decent pay. That said, I think this recession has made the outward appearance of wealth a bad thing. It wouldn't look too good for a principal to go out and buy a new BWM or Lexus in this economy, especially if that same person has been letting staff go.
I've always worked for people that drove expensive foreign luxury cars. There was a time when I was an intern working long hours for low pay. Then one year I got zero raise because of the 2001-02 recession. Just weeks after I was told there was no raises the president of the firm bought a new Lexus to the tune of $75k. Close to half my salary at the time. Can't say it was the only reason, but one of the reasons I left that firm.
Now I understand why a principal/partner would get upset at a "class warfare" question like what kind of cars people drive, but it is a high image thing. If you want your staff to really believe you are feeling their pain maybe it's a good time to trade that bimmer in on a new corolla.
your salary in 2001 was $150,00? Nice
That should read close to double my salary, i.e. about $39k or thereabouts
For a brief moment you were my idol
$150,000 in 2001.....
were you a partner of something at ....... let's say SOM?????????
So your boss must be the CEO or President or the architectural god!!!!
SOM partners in the late 90s or later got paid waaaaaay more than 150.
Conspicuous spending is definitely not the “in thing” unless it is green. Any Honda hybrid car is not that cheap despite their popularity and economies of scale. So instead of showing off that new beamer people will be showing off their new 100k Tesla roadster. Instead of waving their hands enthusiastically at their new cabana erected in their back yard they will point to the solar panels on top of it and the UGBC Plaque near the grilling chibouk salmon flown in from the opposite coast just for them. Greening a home can be a very expensive endeavor, I am glad that LEED ratings and solar panels are becoming a status symbol instead of hummers or other SAVs Suburban Assault Vehicles. Word on the street is that the marinas in Chicago are making extra space this year for sail boats as opposed to the $300 dollar an hour fuel guzzling motor boats. Green is the New Black in fashion as well. Hope this trend works out well and gains some serious traction because there are lots of wealthy and well off people who want to keep up appearances and be the biggest and beast on the block.
Conspicuous consumption in board rooms, corporate offices, retail stores and expensive homes keeps architects in business.
"SOM partners in the late 90s or later got paid waaaaaay more than 150."
.....not for a just elected junior partner who got the very first invitation for the partners weekend retreat :)
well maybe not now that SOM is a truncated version of its previous self with some of the senior partners taking 100% paycuts.
I'm sure a lot of people will dump on what I'm about to say... I don't care I'm going to say it anyways.
I think some people confuse personal finance with business enterprise. You are assuming one must be stealing from a firm in order to enjoy a home, car, etc...
You have no idea what they have done in their lives to earn the money they have. There is nothing wrong with someone who has worked hard, saved money, and built their dream home or bought a car they wanted or gone on vacations- even in the middle of a recession. Just because the firm loses business and staff is reduced does not mean that the owner or executive did not personally live frugally at one point in time- before your being- or invested wisely personally and separately from their business. So why can't someone have a brand new house or a porsche- who are you to say they can't? Are they supposed to be taking their own life worth and pour it down the drain for you?
As an owner of a business there is a point in time when you have to cut your losses. That doesn't always mean the owner has to dump all of their money into something to keep something afloat.
Fair enough, +i.
Of course they could always be likes these guys:
link
well even associate partners at SOM make waaaay more than 150k / year now...
unsubscribe
Maybe I should clarify...that Lexus a previous employer bought was not a personal car. All partners got company cars. Firm paid for the car, insurance, gasoline, etc.
The accounting excuse for company paid vehicles was they were traveling frequently and it was cheaper than paying mileage. Bakc then I was getting something like 30 cents/mile when going to site meetings as a lowly grunt.
So, this was NOT a case of someone's personal finance. This was something I had every right to bitch about. I can see the need for a someone to have a company car. My father drove them for years. That said, they were always stripper models with cloth seats and crank windows. Simple transportation, nothing more.
Now put yourself in my shoes. Got a few years of experience under my belt. Not quite earning $40k yet. Just got told there are no raises or bonuses because of a slowing work load. Gone too are other perks like company parties, etc. Ok, I can deal. I still have a job. Come to work a couple weeks later to see the firm just coughed up big for a vehicle that had a sticker price of over $70k, where a $25k vehicle would've been more than adequate. WTF???
layoffs, layoffs, layoffs...
What credentials, experience and or skills are going to make a difference in the inevitable and hopefully soon to come economic recovery.
Potential future employers please rank according to your particular needs when viable projects start rolling in the door.
NCARB exams passed
Master’s degree as opposed to B arch or other degree
LEED AP certification
AUTO CAD experience
Revit Experience
3d Rendering abilities
Construction document experience
Specifications writing experience
Hands on experience with a particular structural or construction system
Wood frame
Masonry
Cast in place concrete
Steel light frame construction
Precast concrete
Certification from other trade organizations
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
CSI
ISO
Real-estate licensure
Degree in civil engineering
Degree in landscape architecture
Recognition in regional and or international design competitions
Furniture design experience
Professional organization affiliation
AIA
Association of Licensed Architects ALA
Urban Land Institute
AIBD American inst of building Design
House Plan Marketing Association
National Council of Building Designer Certification
ASID American Society of Interior Designers
ACADIA Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture
The Congress for the New Urbanism
Institute of Transportation Engineers
American Planning Association
The Institute of Brownfield Professionals
National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Town Builders' Association
The New Urban Guild
All of these are things those of us out of work can do to better ourselves. But what I would like to know which ones really matter or would grab your attention and possibly land an invitation for an interview?
how about an MBA?
talent & experience will only get you so far. attitude and/or "fit" rank higher up.
...as well as who you know.
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