At one of my previous firms (big corporate office) the partners first met with the IT staff about locking computers of all the architects and interiors people about to be laid off. After the 30 architects and interiors people got laid off the IT staff returned to give a report to the partners only to get laid off themselves. BTW, this was the week before Christmas last year.
Stupid assholes.
I was glad to have escaped that hell hole before shit hit the fan.
Aquapura - I actually found it a little less stressful towards the end at my old firm that they laid people off purely by numbers. Of course the first rounds of layoffs got rid of those who had slacked off, but after the 9th or 10th rounds everyone was equally talented and hard working. IMO there's just no need to build a nasty competitive environment with your fellow surviving colleagues to try and keep your job the longest. That's unnecessary stress on top of everything else. Once the realization settled in that a good chunk of the office was going to be laid off before the recession lifts, I could just focus on doing the best work I could for as long as I could.
I knew right away once the job I was working started wrapping up and there wasn't anything new on deck to start gathering my references. When I was finally laid off a few weeks later it was more of a "well, I gave it a good run" departure than a "what!? you're letting me go and instead of that guy??" one which helped me stay positive and not bitter while job hunting.
one of the larger firms here in atlanta laid off a number of associate principals recently - maybe 5 or 6. kind of stunning, since it's their first really 'high' level layoffs.
...and Parad0xx86 : I think you misunderstood my post --You aren't understanding this: The principals at the firm I worked at only hired the new HR staff to create a bufferzone between them and long time personal staff members.
The HR was responsible for doing the actual layoff, but the principals were the ones making decisions and choosing who to let go. The HR functioned strictly as an unknown "messenger", replete with shoulder rubbing and "I know how it feels" bullshit. This was done because the company principals prided themself on being friendly and personal with it's staff, and they didn't have the balls to tell us YOU'RE FIRED directly.
Not sure why this thread takes the approach of not naming the specific companies that are laying off employees if they have that information. What is the big deal? They would lay you off in a second, without notice, and you are not supposed to post their name here for everyone to see, to be forewarned, or to get a better picture of what is happening out of respect for their privacy? Odd.
Not sure why this thread takes the approach of not naming the specific companies that are laying off employees if they have that information. What is the big deal?
There is not one single firm that I know of in the USA that hasn't had a layoff or two in the past 18 months. It would be easier to list the firms that haven't let anyone go.
Why is it customary to give 2 weeks notice if you're leaving, yet the employer never gives any warning?
I know one company that announced layoffs with two months notice. Very generous IMO since those employees probably weren't at top productivity those eight weeks. Many companies will also ask someone to leave immediately when resigning for similar reasons.
I think most employers don't give advance notice of terminations for a variety of reasons:
a. Terminated employees who hang around tend to have an adverse impact on morale and tend to communicate with other employees and professional contacts in unhelpful ways;
b. Terminated employees have been known to cause mischief and misappropriate documents when they hang around for a while;
c. Terminated employees who leave immediately can start searching for new work right away;
d. Firms generally see the termination coming and can plan the necessary transition of duties in an orderly way, whereas when an employee resigns, the firm usually doesn't see it coming and needs that two week period to accomplish the transition of duties; and
e. Most firms provide at least two weeks of severance pay, which pretty much is what most people care about anyway.
I see the reasoning behind it, just think it is unfair and not a two-way street when it comes to leaving a job...
In the firm I worked for, CRI in NY, they had employees who would be retained meet with the person who was leading a project. That leader would transfer all of their contacts and important project details to the other. We soon came to realize that this would result in downsizing and near future lay-off of the person who transferred the information. It was a morbid feeling to have to go through that, knowing that after a few days of you introducing someone else to your project, you would be let go. Some senior employees have taken over as many as 4 or 5 projects this way at the firm, in order to downsize.
I thought there was going to be a termination today in the office but it turned out that the person got an official offer for full time employment when they were only half time. It's nice to get a small bit of good news.
It is all scary business and a strange grumbling inside your stomach when you hear the words: "Can you come into my office, I need to speak with you" Glad it turned out well!
Another scary situation: when there are mass layoffs happening, and you watch someone go into management's office --after that dreaded phrase above is uttered-- and then you see the employee come back to their desk with a grim look and a box for their stuff, and they start removing articles off of their desk.
I can only imagine what company morale is like, being in an office where half the seats are empty...
Echoing charlotte240's sentiments: that is indeed good news tagalong. We can all relate to that experience of being called into the office with no notice. Another of mine has been when your direct manager or supervisor passes you multiple times during the day, yet doesn't say anything to you -- are you on his/her bad side, are they going to let you go soon, or is he/she just too busy with other priorities and it has nothing to you? Not that I'm paranoid, but this recession feels like it's at the forefront of everyone's mind =/
On the flipside of all of these layoffs, I've recently shed the unemployed life with a job offer that just came in unexpectedly with a good administrative salary -- I'm excited because I changed my tactics from just sending my resume into the proverbial black hole on job boards and focused entirely on networking (phone and in-person, plus social media). Guess that's how to get a job nowadays.
The best layoff is when you find out at 6:30 P.M. that there is no more budget for you on the project , but not the HR or Principal Incharge tells you which is protocol.....but you heard by the project Architect asking you if someone has informed you of your next task!!!!!!!!! I just hopefor any who has recently been or for a long time has been unemployed; keep the dignity of a civilized person and dont sell yourself for low wages. That created precedence for a norm employerd will create when interviewing and discussing wages. I started working on this field at a time where in the 90's work was scarce and employers were offering minimum wages.............demand overtime to be paid, and most important don't sell out.................................from doing design build, I have experienced individuals who want to be cheap and there are people whoring their services.....................MOST IMPORTANT BE A POLITICIAN WHEN YOU GET A JOB AT A FIRM.......ITS THE ONLY WAY TO BE NOTICED AND HAVE JOB SECURITY.....STAB PEOPLE ON THE BACK......TALK CRAP ABOUT OTHERS, SMILE ALL THE TIME...........THESE TRAITS OF MOST WHO ARE EMPLOYED
You know the trouble is on the horizon when you start hustling people in the office to give you "something to do". If you have this problem,start updating your resume,references and portfolio.
Yeah we definitely need to put a new spin on this. New year, new train of thought. Let us all put our collective, creative minds together to form a network that never allows one of us to get the axe ever again!
2010 Baby! It is gonna be great! Positive attitudes people! Come on and cheer the hell up! Take it from me, I have been unemployed for eight months now!
Things are gonna get better, I can feel it comin' in the air tonight sort of like Phil Collins.
(having been laid off in April) my firm the third largest globally, went from 60 to 2 at this satellite and well they did just get the FAA contract... w/e that means, not new work for the laid off.
I'm with Aquilla. We need to stay POSITIVE people. There are too many folks on these forums to cynical, negative, and just plain freaking the f out.
"MOST IMPORTANT BE A POLITICIAN WHEN YOU GET A JOB AT A FIRM.......ITS THE ONLY WAY TO BE NOTICED AND HAVE JOB SECURITY.....STAB PEOPLE ON THE BACK......TALK CRAP ABOUT OTHERS, SMILE ALL THE TIME...........THESE TRAITS OF MOST WHO ARE EMPLOYED"
Really?? In architecture? For that measly 40-50k a year? I think I'd rather be cleaning toilets if my job security in architecture meant that I had to f people over constantly. Ridiculous.
Digital..............you would be very surprised of the BS that occurs at a corporate office, ha...specialy when others seek job security. Trust me I would rather install toilets........I hope that one day we all learn from this and let the work environment be more reasonable without feeling like you are working on a sweat shop........being Positive is the clue.........I guess it will help us all............ohhhh my if I could share the stories I have to tell, the things desperate people will do.
I am glad I posted what is on my mind......bcs I see we are all going through the same issue and altough we have different experiences, it is a common bond that makes us relate......I have read many posts about different issues and found people to be having a grudge..............being positive and sharing thoughts will help all of us..................STAY POSITIVE.........................................................
Perhaps "politician" isn't the correct word because it has a negative connotation, but there is value in being "visible" within the office while at the same time contributing to the positive advancement of your peers and colleagues.
A few years ago I read "The Big Sister's Guide to the World of Work: The Inside Rules Every Working Girl Must Know," and it helped me to focus my determination in the right direction.
(My bookshelf also hosts "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office 101: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers." That one hasn't been as meaninful to me as the first book I mentioned, but there are some good strategies, as well, like "How to Brand and Market Yourself." But the bottom line is that you must have a solid foundation of good work to back yourself up.)
"Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office 101"
I want to read that book sometime. I also recommend "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene who also wrote the "Art of Seduction".
In his book he gives 48 tips to acquire power.Some of them are:
Never outshine the master
Pose as a friend work as a spy
Crush your enemy totally
Stir up waters to catch fish
Get others to do the work for you but always take the credit
etc.. ;)
He also talks about why "building a fortress around yourself" is dangerous because you need to mingle with people to create allies to protect yourself from your enemies. Being isolated cuts you off from valuable information.
i was laid off at the beginning of november. i took my time sending resumes and stuff out... mostly because i wasn't in any hurry since i was 7.5 months pregnant at the time and it was the holidays. i really didn't expect to hear anything back from anyone until late january/early february. but yesterday i got called for an interview at a firm. should be interesting, since now i'm 9+ months pregnant and due any day. hope this baby has his portfolio ready!
JCA, maybe you need to find some other line of work. I’m going on 18 months outside of professional work. Am I bitter? Yes, do I take it out on my colleagues that I have worked for? No. I love design and if having to endure another 18 months is what it takes then so be it, I am committed to this profession.
However
It is going to be an interesting year as the profession reorganizes its self. The recession has sped this up but REVIT and the green revolution would have had some of the same results in the profession. Things are changing and instead of this happening at a slow deliberate pace things are moving swiftly and lots of good people are being left in the wake as the ship sails by.
Facts to keep in mind:
1. A lot of our buildings, single family, homes churches, and big box retail are tremendous energy wasters and have lots of room for improvement.
2. vacancies do exist even now, someone has quit, won the lotto, or got hit by a bus and their position is open, you need to know where that position is or stumble upon it, it is all about networks and luck, not how good of a person you are.
3. Doing nothing is the only way to guarantee failure
I have managed to, while unemployed, learn and master Google sketch up, Photoshop (there are always interesting tricks to learn), I have gotten my LEED AP credentials, I am working on becoming a CDT from the folks at CSI, I am also working on a Brown field Redevelopment certification, I am learning REVIT and I am contemplating a PHD in urban planning. This and a handful of design competitions have kept me busy despite being out of work.
As for survival stop gap jobs, Retail, Fed EX and now I am a sub teacher getting valuable classroom experience if I am shortlisted on the search to fill a faculty position where I went to undergrad.
Go back to your school and ask who is working and get in touch. Make yourself the first person the old friends and classmates want to call when work comes in.
Above all be a problem solver, firms don’t have clients well then go get some then go knocking on doors looking for work.
Once unemployed my days have been busier than ever and there is so much to do and to learn and take care of, it can be a little overwhelming.
Advice for keeping your sanity and your skills in good order.
1 set aside time to sketch each week
2 Have a friend or two serve as your job search coach, sometimes you just need someone to be a task master and force you to get out of bead and do something.
3 expand your professional involvement where ever practical, go to events, get on email list join AIA CNU ALA ASID ASLA, if you have a specialty in hospitality or some other industry get on that list get the journals and read them.
4 do some work with all the software you currently know and have access to each week.
5 exercise regularly, don’t let your health slide. Now is the time to get back into shape.
6 set goals to accomplish things that you still have control over, such as how many hours you will study for the ARE this week, how many blocks will you walk each day, or how many pages of your portfolio will you update.
Architecture is more of a lifestyle than just a job. But it is still a career.
@make i would not start a job and then leave immediately for maternity leave. i don't intend to begin a new job until after the baby comes. if it works out great, if it doesn't because they need someone RIGHT now, that's okay. i just thought it was positive news. and a friend of mine also got an interview yesterday in dc at a small firm. so there just might be a few lights in this tunnel...
@PJN26 i really like #5 in your post- everyone seems to forget this. while everything else holds true too, but most people get really lazy physically while they're laid off and it just effects everything. not to mention, often before you've been laid off you've been worked to the bone and probably didn't have time to eat right, etc.
PJN26.......................oh no, for all means why would I be bitter; I decided not to go back to my job anymore. There are more important things in life than spending 60+ hours at work. When you reach a point in your career where you have experienced all levels of the profession you get bored and it becomes monotonous. I am actually having a blast, I love my runs at the beach around noon.......running at the park, I actually enjoy Sunday's now without having to rethink why go to work on Monday's.................
Oh my, it has been a great path to take off from Architecture for a while, depending how much experience you have and have built a solid professional portfolio.....do it. The school of Architecture teaches you how to use every tool available to design almost everything, and yes, there is a lot of work out there that requires attention; eventhough it could be a bad neighborhood, reach out and provide alittle design intent to their property to embelish the urban context.
building on that idea just posted: After going through a layoff, and not being able to secure a full-time position, is it a good or bad idea to offer a firm you like to work for free for a week, just to see if they hire you and entice them a bit so you can "get in the door" ?
I guess I would stipulate that if they liked me and hired me afterwards, then that week I worked for them would be free of charge. If they didn't hire me, they would pay me for my time.
Not sure what course to take, the outlook is bleak here in NYC. I apply to many many job offers out there that I am qualified for, most of the time without any response.
thanks LB... it went really well. i didn't want to turn down an interview just because i'm expecting. i think a lot of firms are looking to hire- not necessarily tomorrow- but within the next 3-6 months. which is perfect for me. i wasn't really looking to go back until may or june, but i will go back to work in march/april if necessary. it was a good interview and i'm excited about it. i know i have a strong resume and portfolio, but i had to overcome my insecurities about walking in 9months pregnant.
but thanks nonetheless.
Working for Free is a problem and very controversial topic, so tread carefully.
My opinion is this, do not work for free, work for a contract or some other arrangement that takes the risk off the potential employer, but not free. Your services and the services of your colleagues are too valuable to be given away for nothing.
For example you could negotiate a fee or commission for delivering a client or an upgrade to REVIT or some other task. I do this task you pay me this amount.
On that note I could think of an exception, do you know of a non for profit organization that has a building or space that needs help, offer to donate your design services to the extent possible under law to help them, when you hit a regulatory barrier then find someone who is licensed to deal with that. It may be necessary for young designers to go out and make clients. Fundraise at your church for that ADA bathroom, or scrounge up materials and volunteers to build stalls for a local farmers market. Most of us have design skills, now we have to sharpen our fundraising and community building skills. If we help fund it they will build it and more offers may come. Again we need to be solutions to problems not job beggars.
good advice, PJN26. (your screen name is so hard to keep track of... like a british zip code--it boggles my brains!) On a side note -- in what city do you sub? I've been thinking of getting into that since I do have some educational background. Is it pretty easy to swing into?
PJN26 , thanks for the tips, getting off the bed in the morning is definitely the hardest thing to do when unemployed. Also, depression can sneak it very easily especially is you watch your bank savings evaporated each month. Exercise is very hard to do as well, because not enough money to eat healthy food.
Exercise is very hard to do as well, because not enough money to eat healthy food.
this is really not true...
my wife and i eat rather well and have been able to cut our weekly grocery bill to $35-40 a week. we'll eat out for 1 meal/week (at most, and that's rarely ever more than $25)
vegetables are inexpensive if you select appropriately and seasonally. bulk pasta, grains, tuna and legumes are your friend.
use everything, try not to waste.
leftovers are key.
oatmeal is one of the healthiest things you can eat for breakfast - and one of the cheapest.
don't buy name-brand
don't buy drinks
don't buy pre-processed foods
coupons can cut your bill in half
there are lots of websites that tell you how to eat nutrient-dense food for very little money at all. it just takes a bit of planning.
I'm in Central Illinois right now, CU to be exact making use of the Library at U of I and other connections.
As for sub teaching all states should have some system posted on line Just search for it on the web. Eg. Google search: Madison WI sub teaching and you will get the info eventually. You do need to do some lengthy paper work and criminal background check. I would count on at least two weeks before you start working.
Has anyone heard of or found out about census jobs this summer, and where to look?
The census thing -- they don't contact you back for months, and they'll tell you that. You have to go take a test (shamefully easy) and then they say "great you'll hear from us in 2-3 months". So, the earlier you sign up, the better.
Thanks for the info on subbing, will look into it!
The quality of groceries in Chicago (at the big chains) is much lower than what is available in Seattle. I think you have access to better produce and meat.
we might have better access to produce - there are 2 decent farmer's markets within 2-3 miles of our house, as well as a big chain, 2 co-ops and several CSAs in the city.
we used to rock a short-term CSA subscription that we split with 2 neighbors, but found that it could be difficult with both of us working, to find menus that used all of our share. having anything left over just makes us feel really guilty - and stupid.
in the future, i imagine we will probably get by with just a small undercounter refrigerator.
we don't eat much meat, except for chicken. meat will also wreck your budget.
We have a lot of neighborhoods that only have big chains or nothing. There are large food deserts here. We also have Jewel and Dominick's deserts where they charge more than Whole Foods and the quality is inferior. I did a CSA once and it was good but expensive.
There are some good Mexican and Italian grocery stores on the far north, far northwest and northwest sides. They have been priced out of a good portion of the popular areas where people live.
I have been laid off since August from a residential firm. Since them I have been waiting table and I am taking a photography class. Working on staying positive and doing things I like.
Layoffs....layoffs......
About the IT guy getting laid off....
pretty typical actually.
At one of my previous firms (big corporate office) the partners first met with the IT staff about locking computers of all the architects and interiors people about to be laid off. After the 30 architects and interiors people got laid off the IT staff returned to give a report to the partners only to get laid off themselves. BTW, this was the week before Christmas last year.
Stupid assholes.
I was glad to have escaped that hell hole before shit hit the fan.
Aquapura - I actually found it a little less stressful towards the end at my old firm that they laid people off purely by numbers. Of course the first rounds of layoffs got rid of those who had slacked off, but after the 9th or 10th rounds everyone was equally talented and hard working. IMO there's just no need to build a nasty competitive environment with your fellow surviving colleagues to try and keep your job the longest. That's unnecessary stress on top of everything else. Once the realization settled in that a good chunk of the office was going to be laid off before the recession lifts, I could just focus on doing the best work I could for as long as I could.
I knew right away once the job I was working started wrapping up and there wasn't anything new on deck to start gathering my references. When I was finally laid off a few weeks later it was more of a "well, I gave it a good run" departure than a "what!? you're letting me go and instead of that guy??" one which helped me stay positive and not bitter while job hunting.
one of the larger firms here in atlanta laid off a number of associate principals recently - maybe 5 or 6. kind of stunning, since it's their first really 'high' level layoffs.
not getting prettier for everyone yet.
...and Parad0xx86 : I think you misunderstood my post --You aren't understanding this: The principals at the firm I worked at only hired the new HR staff to create a bufferzone between them and long time personal staff members.
The HR was responsible for doing the actual layoff, but the principals were the ones making decisions and choosing who to let go. The HR functioned strictly as an unknown "messenger", replete with shoulder rubbing and "I know how it feels" bullshit. This was done because the company principals prided themself on being friendly and personal with it's staff, and they didn't have the balls to tell us YOU'RE FIRED directly.
Not sure why this thread takes the approach of not naming the specific companies that are laying off employees if they have that information. What is the big deal? They would lay you off in a second, without notice, and you are not supposed to post their name here for everyone to see, to be forewarned, or to get a better picture of what is happening out of respect for their privacy? Odd.
also,
Why is it customary to give 2 weeks notice if you're leaving, yet the employer never gives any warning?
I understand that employees might go "postal" , but it just seems unfair
There is not one single firm that I know of in the USA that hasn't had a layoff or two in the past 18 months. It would be easier to list the firms that haven't let anyone go.
Why is it customary to give 2 weeks notice if you're leaving, yet the employer never gives any warning?
I know one company that announced layoffs with two months notice. Very generous IMO since those employees probably weren't at top productivity those eight weeks. Many companies will also ask someone to leave immediately when resigning for similar reasons.
I think most employers don't give advance notice of terminations for a variety of reasons:
a. Terminated employees who hang around tend to have an adverse impact on morale and tend to communicate with other employees and professional contacts in unhelpful ways;
b. Terminated employees have been known to cause mischief and misappropriate documents when they hang around for a while;
c. Terminated employees who leave immediately can start searching for new work right away;
d. Firms generally see the termination coming and can plan the necessary transition of duties in an orderly way, whereas when an employee resigns, the firm usually doesn't see it coming and needs that two week period to accomplish the transition of duties; and
e. Most firms provide at least two weeks of severance pay, which pretty much is what most people care about anyway.
Just my take ... your views might be different.
I see the reasoning behind it, just think it is unfair and not a two-way street when it comes to leaving a job...
In the firm I worked for, CRI in NY, they had employees who would be retained meet with the person who was leading a project. That leader would transfer all of their contacts and important project details to the other. We soon came to realize that this would result in downsizing and near future lay-off of the person who transferred the information. It was a morbid feeling to have to go through that, knowing that after a few days of you introducing someone else to your project, you would be let go. Some senior employees have taken over as many as 4 or 5 projects this way at the firm, in order to downsize.
I thought there was going to be a termination today in the office but it turned out that the person got an official offer for full time employment when they were only half time. It's nice to get a small bit of good news.
It is all scary business and a strange grumbling inside your stomach when you hear the words: "Can you come into my office, I need to speak with you" Glad it turned out well!
Another scary situation: when there are mass layoffs happening, and you watch someone go into management's office --after that dreaded phrase above is uttered-- and then you see the employee come back to their desk with a grim look and a box for their stuff, and they start removing articles off of their desk.
I can only imagine what company morale is like, being in an office where half the seats are empty...
Echoing charlotte240's sentiments: that is indeed good news tagalong. We can all relate to that experience of being called into the office with no notice. Another of mine has been when your direct manager or supervisor passes you multiple times during the day, yet doesn't say anything to you -- are you on his/her bad side, are they going to let you go soon, or is he/she just too busy with other priorities and it has nothing to you? Not that I'm paranoid, but this recession feels like it's at the forefront of everyone's mind =/
On the flipside of all of these layoffs, I've recently shed the unemployed life with a job offer that just came in unexpectedly with a good administrative salary -- I'm excited because I changed my tactics from just sending my resume into the proverbial black hole on job boards and focused entirely on networking (phone and in-person, plus social media). Guess that's how to get a job nowadays.
The best layoff is when you find out at 6:30 P.M. that there is no more budget for you on the project , but not the HR or Principal Incharge tells you which is protocol.....but you heard by the project Architect asking you if someone has informed you of your next task!!!!!!!!! I just hopefor any who has recently been or for a long time has been unemployed; keep the dignity of a civilized person and dont sell yourself for low wages. That created precedence for a norm employerd will create when interviewing and discussing wages. I started working on this field at a time where in the 90's work was scarce and employers were offering minimum wages.............demand overtime to be paid, and most important don't sell out.................................from doing design build, I have experienced individuals who want to be cheap and there are people whoring their services.....................MOST IMPORTANT BE A POLITICIAN WHEN YOU GET A JOB AT A FIRM.......ITS THE ONLY WAY TO BE NOTICED AND HAVE JOB SECURITY.....STAB PEOPLE ON THE BACK......TALK CRAP ABOUT OTHERS, SMILE ALL THE TIME...........THESE TRAITS OF MOST WHO ARE EMPLOYED
You know the trouble is on the horizon when you start hustling people in the office to give you "something to do". If you have this problem,start updating your resume,references and portfolio.
anybody hear about a pittsburgh layoff last week of thirty or so from Astorino? Is that correct? Were they all architects or engineers too?
Yeah we definitely need to put a new spin on this. New year, new train of thought. Let us all put our collective, creative minds together to form a network that never allows one of us to get the axe ever again!
2010 Baby! It is gonna be great! Positive attitudes people! Come on and cheer the hell up! Take it from me, I have been unemployed for eight months now!
Things are gonna get better, I can feel it comin' in the air tonight sort of like Phil Collins.
only if we get rid of the banking corporations
(having been laid off in April) my firm the third largest globally, went from 60 to 2 at this satellite and well they did just get the FAA contract... w/e that means, not new work for the laid off.
I'm with Aquilla. We need to stay POSITIVE people. There are too many folks on these forums to cynical, negative, and just plain freaking the f out.
"MOST IMPORTANT BE A POLITICIAN WHEN YOU GET A JOB AT A FIRM.......ITS THE ONLY WAY TO BE NOTICED AND HAVE JOB SECURITY.....STAB PEOPLE ON THE BACK......TALK CRAP ABOUT OTHERS, SMILE ALL THE TIME...........THESE TRAITS OF MOST WHO ARE EMPLOYED"
Really?? In architecture? For that measly 40-50k a year? I think I'd rather be cleaning toilets if my job security in architecture meant that I had to f people over constantly. Ridiculous.
Digital..............you would be very surprised of the BS that occurs at a corporate office, ha...specialy when others seek job security. Trust me I would rather install toilets........I hope that one day we all learn from this and let the work environment be more reasonable without feeling like you are working on a sweat shop........being Positive is the clue.........I guess it will help us all............ohhhh my if I could share the stories I have to tell, the things desperate people will do.
I am glad I posted what is on my mind......bcs I see we are all going through the same issue and altough we have different experiences, it is a common bond that makes us relate......I have read many posts about different issues and found people to be having a grudge..............being positive and sharing thoughts will help all of us..................STAY POSITIVE.........................................................
regarding the idea of being a politician...
Perhaps "politician" isn't the correct word because it has a negative connotation, but there is value in being "visible" within the office while at the same time contributing to the positive advancement of your peers and colleagues.
A few years ago I read "The Big Sister's Guide to the World of Work: The Inside Rules Every Working Girl Must Know," and it helped me to focus my determination in the right direction.
(My bookshelf also hosts "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office 101: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers." That one hasn't been as meaninful to me as the first book I mentioned, but there are some good strategies, as well, like "How to Brand and Market Yourself." But the bottom line is that you must have a solid foundation of good work to back yourself up.)
"Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office 101"
I want to read that book sometime. I also recommend "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene who also wrote the "Art of Seduction".
In his book he gives 48 tips to acquire power.Some of them are:
Never outshine the master
Pose as a friend work as a spy
Crush your enemy totally
Stir up waters to catch fish
Get others to do the work for you but always take the credit
etc.. ;)
He also talks about why "building a fortress around yourself" is dangerous because you need to mingle with people to create allies to protect yourself from your enemies. Being isolated cuts you off from valuable information.
Oh well,good stuff. I recommend it.
i was laid off at the beginning of november. i took my time sending resumes and stuff out... mostly because i wasn't in any hurry since i was 7.5 months pregnant at the time and it was the holidays. i really didn't expect to hear anything back from anyone until late january/early february. but yesterday i got called for an interview at a firm. should be interesting, since now i'm 9+ months pregnant and due any day. hope this baby has his portfolio ready!
Good stuff, +i. In DC? Corporate or small?
in DC... small to mid-size firm
i+
Are you going to work for 2 weeks and then take off 8 weeks?
I hope it works!
And the baby is good!
Or 2 days?
Are you having a cesarean?
JCA, maybe you need to find some other line of work. I’m going on 18 months outside of professional work. Am I bitter? Yes, do I take it out on my colleagues that I have worked for? No. I love design and if having to endure another 18 months is what it takes then so be it, I am committed to this profession.
However
It is going to be an interesting year as the profession reorganizes its self. The recession has sped this up but REVIT and the green revolution would have had some of the same results in the profession. Things are changing and instead of this happening at a slow deliberate pace things are moving swiftly and lots of good people are being left in the wake as the ship sails by.
Facts to keep in mind:
1. A lot of our buildings, single family, homes churches, and big box retail are tremendous energy wasters and have lots of room for improvement.
2. vacancies do exist even now, someone has quit, won the lotto, or got hit by a bus and their position is open, you need to know where that position is or stumble upon it, it is all about networks and luck, not how good of a person you are.
3. Doing nothing is the only way to guarantee failure
I have managed to, while unemployed, learn and master Google sketch up, Photoshop (there are always interesting tricks to learn), I have gotten my LEED AP credentials, I am working on becoming a CDT from the folks at CSI, I am also working on a Brown field Redevelopment certification, I am learning REVIT and I am contemplating a PHD in urban planning. This and a handful of design competitions have kept me busy despite being out of work.
As for survival stop gap jobs, Retail, Fed EX and now I am a sub teacher getting valuable classroom experience if I am shortlisted on the search to fill a faculty position where I went to undergrad.
Go back to your school and ask who is working and get in touch. Make yourself the first person the old friends and classmates want to call when work comes in.
Above all be a problem solver, firms don’t have clients well then go get some then go knocking on doors looking for work.
Once unemployed my days have been busier than ever and there is so much to do and to learn and take care of, it can be a little overwhelming.
Advice for keeping your sanity and your skills in good order.
1 set aside time to sketch each week
2 Have a friend or two serve as your job search coach, sometimes you just need someone to be a task master and force you to get out of bead and do something.
3 expand your professional involvement where ever practical, go to events, get on email list join AIA CNU ALA ASID ASLA, if you have a specialty in hospitality or some other industry get on that list get the journals and read them.
4 do some work with all the software you currently know and have access to each week.
5 exercise regularly, don’t let your health slide. Now is the time to get back into shape.
6 set goals to accomplish things that you still have control over, such as how many hours you will study for the ARE this week, how many blocks will you walk each day, or how many pages of your portfolio will you update.
Architecture is more of a lifestyle than just a job. But it is still a career.
PJN26 -- great post !
@make i would not start a job and then leave immediately for maternity leave. i don't intend to begin a new job until after the baby comes. if it works out great, if it doesn't because they need someone RIGHT now, that's okay. i just thought it was positive news. and a friend of mine also got an interview yesterday in dc at a small firm. so there just might be a few lights in this tunnel...
@PJN26 i really like #5 in your post- everyone seems to forget this. while everything else holds true too, but most people get really lazy physically while they're laid off and it just effects everything. not to mention, often before you've been laid off you've been worked to the bone and probably didn't have time to eat right, etc.
PJN26.......................oh no, for all means why would I be bitter; I decided not to go back to my job anymore. There are more important things in life than spending 60+ hours at work. When you reach a point in your career where you have experienced all levels of the profession you get bored and it becomes monotonous. I am actually having a blast, I love my runs at the beach around noon.......running at the park, I actually enjoy Sunday's now without having to rethink why go to work on Monday's.................
Oh my, it has been a great path to take off from Architecture for a while, depending how much experience you have and have built a solid professional portfolio.....do it. The school of Architecture teaches you how to use every tool available to design almost everything, and yes, there is a lot of work out there that requires attention; eventhough it could be a bad neighborhood, reach out and provide alittle design intent to their property to embelish the urban context.
PJN26 when did you Graduate? just curious?
+i congrats and good luck! Getting face time with an office that might be able to hire you later can only be good.
PJN26, you are my personal hero of this recession. You are so right with all your advice.
Oh well I graduated in 03 and 07 had a few years working between.
I have worked in 4 very different professional environments, but a mega firm 100+ people is not among them.
building on that idea just posted: After going through a layoff, and not being able to secure a full-time position, is it a good or bad idea to offer a firm you like to work for free for a week, just to see if they hire you and entice them a bit so you can "get in the door" ?
I guess I would stipulate that if they liked me and hired me afterwards, then that week I worked for them would be free of charge. If they didn't hire me, they would pay me for my time.
Not sure what course to take, the outlook is bleak here in NYC. I apply to many many job offers out there that I am qualified for, most of the time without any response.
thanks LB... it went really well. i didn't want to turn down an interview just because i'm expecting. i think a lot of firms are looking to hire- not necessarily tomorrow- but within the next 3-6 months. which is perfect for me. i wasn't really looking to go back until may or june, but i will go back to work in march/april if necessary. it was a good interview and i'm excited about it. i know i have a strong resume and portfolio, but i had to overcome my insecurities about walking in 9months pregnant.
but thanks nonetheless.
+i nothing more beautiful than a 9 month pregnate woman in my book! Cheers to you, I'm sure you will be landing a job!
Working for Free is a problem and very controversial topic, so tread carefully.
My opinion is this, do not work for free, work for a contract or some other arrangement that takes the risk off the potential employer, but not free. Your services and the services of your colleagues are too valuable to be given away for nothing.
For example you could negotiate a fee or commission for delivering a client or an upgrade to REVIT or some other task. I do this task you pay me this amount.
On that note I could think of an exception, do you know of a non for profit organization that has a building or space that needs help, offer to donate your design services to the extent possible under law to help them, when you hit a regulatory barrier then find someone who is licensed to deal with that. It may be necessary for young designers to go out and make clients. Fundraise at your church for that ADA bathroom, or scrounge up materials and volunteers to build stalls for a local farmers market. Most of us have design skills, now we have to sharpen our fundraising and community building skills. If we help fund it they will build it and more offers may come. Again we need to be solutions to problems not job beggars.
good advice, PJN26. (your screen name is so hard to keep track of... like a british zip code--it boggles my brains!) On a side note -- in what city do you sub? I've been thinking of getting into that since I do have some educational background. Is it pretty easy to swing into?
PJN26 , thanks for the tips, getting off the bed in the morning is definitely the hardest thing to do when unemployed. Also, depression can sneak it very easily especially is you watch your bank savings evaporated each month. Exercise is very hard to do as well, because not enough money to eat healthy food.
this is really not true...
my wife and i eat rather well and have been able to cut our weekly grocery bill to $35-40 a week. we'll eat out for 1 meal/week (at most, and that's rarely ever more than $25)
vegetables are inexpensive if you select appropriately and seasonally. bulk pasta, grains, tuna and legumes are your friend.
use everything, try not to waste.
leftovers are key.
oatmeal is one of the healthiest things you can eat for breakfast - and one of the cheapest.
don't buy name-brand
don't buy drinks
don't buy pre-processed foods
coupons can cut your bill in half
there are lots of websites that tell you how to eat nutrient-dense food for very little money at all. it just takes a bit of planning.
I'm in Central Illinois right now, CU to be exact making use of the Library at U of I and other connections.
As for sub teaching all states should have some system posted on line Just search for it on the web. Eg. Google search: Madison WI sub teaching and you will get the info eventually. You do need to do some lengthy paper work and criminal background check. I would count on at least two weeks before you start working.
Has anyone heard of or found out about census jobs this summer, and where to look?
Here's the link for census jobs. Looks like you apply to your local census office:
http://www.census.gov/hrd/www/index.html
The census thing -- they don't contact you back for months, and they'll tell you that. You have to go take a test (shamefully easy) and then they say "great you'll hear from us in 2-3 months". So, the earlier you sign up, the better.
Thanks for the info on subbing, will look into it!
Holz,
Very good advice!
The quality of groceries in Chicago (at the big chains) is much lower than what is available in Seattle. I think you have access to better produce and meat.
make,
we might have better access to produce - there are 2 decent farmer's markets within 2-3 miles of our house, as well as a big chain, 2 co-ops and several CSAs in the city.
we used to rock a short-term CSA subscription that we split with 2 neighbors, but found that it could be difficult with both of us working, to find menus that used all of our share. having anything left over just makes us feel really guilty - and stupid.
in the future, i imagine we will probably get by with just a small undercounter refrigerator.
we don't eat much meat, except for chicken. meat will also wreck your budget.
We have a lot of neighborhoods that only have big chains or nothing. There are large food deserts here. We also have Jewel and Dominick's deserts where they charge more than Whole Foods and the quality is inferior. I did a CSA once and it was good but expensive.
There are some good Mexican and Italian grocery stores on the far north, far northwest and northwest sides. They have been priced out of a good portion of the popular areas where people live.
How are things in the college towns? I heard they are holding there own right now as there are always little jobs to do, fixing roof, ADA and such?
I have been laid off since August from a residential firm. Since them I have been waiting table and I am taking a photography class. Working on staying positive and doing things I like.
Interesting piece in yesterday's New York Times:
Out-of-Work Architects Turn to Other Skills
This is the #1 most emailed article on the Times web site right now.
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