I realize the timing could be considered odd for job switching but I'm really intrigued by the idea of moving to a small (3 peeps) arch/design/fabrication firm in order to gain some valuable experience and re-firm up my brain which has become soft as pudding during my first year of internship. The move would be a step up to a major city and open a lot of doors for an ass-buster like myself. I had an interview that went great and now we are starting to talk salary.
Aside from the usual... "it's small and therefore volatile" response, what else should i be thinking about.
what are the impressions of those who have worked in small studios...?
Whew! Okay, cowgill, puerile humor out of the way.
All other things equal, I think experience in a small firm is invaluable. With so few employees, there's no way to escape doing the many kinds of tasks (some fun, many not, but all important) that you'd never get a shot at in a larger firm.
You're already aware of the potential pitfalls of small in a volatile economy. If you're braced for that, I say go for it!
howdy cow - my office is pretty much that size. Two principles, one junior designer, one technical specialist, one office manager. Architecture VOILA!
The experience has been all kinds of amazing and all kinds of frustrating - you really are in the thick of it ALL. THE. TIME. However, you learn more than you ever will at a huge corpo firm in the same amount of time.
That's our set up too and we work at on a full range of projects, from planning communities to commercial buildings and residential towers. You know that even in large offices only 2-3 people manage any job / project. We have worked at being diversified and are very profitable. I don't think I'd make more working in a huge office anyhow. Key is being effective and keep a high % of time billable for everyone. I've had management companies try to push consulting time on me claiming they can increase my revenue but once i tell them that 85-90% of my time is billable and that 90-95% of my staff is billable then don't have much to say.
Now of course that takes a few years to get to that point but it does point to the fact that a small office need not be a step backward for a career move and can be a step forward for an intimate, up close relationship with builders / clients, creative challenges, critical and strategic decision making and profit, its what I got into the business for!
I don't agree with the job volatility argument, from my experience, it is the big firms that tend to lack job security. Smaller offices tend to grow more intimate, even family like relationships, and I've seen, and heard many stories of owners/bosses in smaller firms really sticking their neck out and doing their best to hold onto people as long as they absolutely can, through the toughest times, while big firms can be really impersonal and are willing to shed people off in waves with far fewer qualms about it.
Be aware though, the office culture may be quite a bit different in a small firm. It is very possible you will lose some of the formality of corporate culture. Personally, I prefer this, but for someone who is less at ease joking around and opening up, the professionalism of a corporate environment might be comforting.
Synergy is right, the up close and personal atmosphere of a small office was very hard for me, since my social skills are still in development. However, I learned a lot there and was involved in all phases of several types of projects. residential, mid-rise, planning, civic, etc. It was definitely an office I regret leaving, but I needed to earn an actual living.
The small office provides lots of personal freedoms and a bit of security if personalities mesh, but there is far less personal insulation which can be an issue if said personalities refuse to mesh. The huge office seems to be the reciprocal, with all the hierarchies providing insulation for the top ones to stay where they are and make more of your work. I say small to medium size firm is best for field exposure, really.
I guess my comment about the volatility of a small company is usurped by the fact that the architect/bossman is extremely well connected to paying clients. The mentioned benefits of making a move to a more intimate setting is exactly what I’m looking for, plus I feel the architect I’ll be working with/for has a considerable amount to teach me about “A”rchitecture… which I’m starving for professionally where I am. The move for me has to be about density of the experience and getting the exposure that will fulfill my early career. I feel like working in this small office for a year would equal 2-3 (if not more) where I am currently, plus I wouldn’t have to deal with office politics/bullshit/asskissing and will actually like the work that I’m doing. I simply want to be in a situation where my “talent” and capacity determines how much I contribute.
Thanks all… this was exactly what I needed to help make the decision.
You probably won't have to deal with (as much) office politics/bullshit/asskissing.
But if this is a 3 person firm you probably will have to deal with a lot of phone answering, taking out the trash, ordering supplies, computer/IT troubleshooting, paperwork, invoicing, filing, etc.
I worked in small firms and loved them and didn't mind doing the full range of things that needed doing, even though it meant some menial tasks sometimes.
But i've had some coworkers over the years who were horrified that they were expected to "do secretarial work" as part of an architecture job, or who expected the office to magically clean itself every night and be restocked with coffee and tylenol, like in the big firms they left.
haha - true, you can never totally get away from the politics unless you work in isolation.
I have no problem doing the menial tasks that keep things humming ~ in a weird (and perhaps personal) way, i think it helps provide "ownership" of the place and practice.
Dec 8, 08 6:32 am ·
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moving to a smaller firm...
I realize the timing could be considered odd for job switching but I'm really intrigued by the idea of moving to a small (3 peeps) arch/design/fabrication firm in order to gain some valuable experience and re-firm up my brain which has become soft as pudding during my first year of internship. The move would be a step up to a major city and open a lot of doors for an ass-buster like myself. I had an interview that went great and now we are starting to talk salary.
Aside from the usual... "it's small and therefore volatile" response, what else should i be thinking about.
what are the impressions of those who have worked in small studios...?
thanks + PROST!
First of all, any self-described "ass buster" should be considering a career shift to adult entertainment!
Sorry... sometimes I just can't help myself.
that's how i moonlight friend! ... this whole architecture thing is just for kicks.
Whew! Okay, cowgill, puerile humor out of the way.
All other things equal, I think experience in a small firm is invaluable. With so few employees, there's no way to escape doing the many kinds of tasks (some fun, many not, but all important) that you'd never get a shot at in a larger firm.
You're already aware of the potential pitfalls of small in a volatile economy. If you're braced for that, I say go for it!
be sure they're actually building stuff, if that's what you are looking for.
eg. don't get hired and told you'll be working on xyz projects and get pigeonhold to interiors, if that's why you left your previous job.
like they say you don't have to be gay to dance at the gay club right ?
howdy cow - my office is pretty much that size. Two principles, one junior designer, one technical specialist, one office manager. Architecture VOILA!
The experience has been all kinds of amazing and all kinds of frustrating - you really are in the thick of it ALL. THE. TIME. However, you learn more than you ever will at a huge corpo firm in the same amount of time.
Best of luck to you on that move!
That's our set up too and we work at on a full range of projects, from planning communities to commercial buildings and residential towers. You know that even in large offices only 2-3 people manage any job / project. We have worked at being diversified and are very profitable. I don't think I'd make more working in a huge office anyhow. Key is being effective and keep a high % of time billable for everyone. I've had management companies try to push consulting time on me claiming they can increase my revenue but once i tell them that 85-90% of my time is billable and that 90-95% of my staff is billable then don't have much to say.
Now of course that takes a few years to get to that point but it does point to the fact that a small office need not be a step backward for a career move and can be a step forward for an intimate, up close relationship with builders / clients, creative challenges, critical and strategic decision making and profit, its what I got into the business for!
I don't agree with the job volatility argument, from my experience, it is the big firms that tend to lack job security. Smaller offices tend to grow more intimate, even family like relationships, and I've seen, and heard many stories of owners/bosses in smaller firms really sticking their neck out and doing their best to hold onto people as long as they absolutely can, through the toughest times, while big firms can be really impersonal and are willing to shed people off in waves with far fewer qualms about it.
Be aware though, the office culture may be quite a bit different in a small firm. It is very possible you will lose some of the formality of corporate culture. Personally, I prefer this, but for someone who is less at ease joking around and opening up, the professionalism of a corporate environment might be comforting.
Synergy is right, the up close and personal atmosphere of a small office was very hard for me, since my social skills are still in development. However, I learned a lot there and was involved in all phases of several types of projects. residential, mid-rise, planning, civic, etc. It was definitely an office I regret leaving, but I needed to earn an actual living.
The small office provides lots of personal freedoms and a bit of security if personalities mesh, but there is far less personal insulation which can be an issue if said personalities refuse to mesh. The huge office seems to be the reciprocal, with all the hierarchies providing insulation for the top ones to stay where they are and make more of your work. I say small to medium size firm is best for field exposure, really.
Wow, thanks for all the insightful comments.
& they are building stuff.
I guess my comment about the volatility of a small company is usurped by the fact that the architect/bossman is extremely well connected to paying clients. The mentioned benefits of making a move to a more intimate setting is exactly what I’m looking for, plus I feel the architect I’ll be working with/for has a considerable amount to teach me about “A”rchitecture… which I’m starving for professionally where I am. The move for me has to be about density of the experience and getting the exposure that will fulfill my early career. I feel like working in this small office for a year would equal 2-3 (if not more) where I am currently, plus I wouldn’t have to deal with office politics/bullshit/asskissing and will actually like the work that I’m doing. I simply want to be in a situation where my “talent” and capacity determines how much I contribute.
Thanks all… this was exactly what I needed to help make the decision.
bow-chica-wow-wow ;)
An architect "extremely well connected to paying clients"? Now I am aroused!
Good luck with the new gig, cowgill...
You probably won't have to deal with (as much) office politics/bullshit/asskissing.
But if this is a 3 person firm you probably will have to deal with a lot of phone answering, taking out the trash, ordering supplies, computer/IT troubleshooting, paperwork, invoicing, filing, etc.
I worked in small firms and loved them and didn't mind doing the full range of things that needed doing, even though it meant some menial tasks sometimes.
But i've had some coworkers over the years who were horrified that they were expected to "do secretarial work" as part of an architecture job, or who expected the office to magically clean itself every night and be restocked with coffee and tylenol, like in the big firms they left.
I was lead in an office and was the coffee maker, IT specialist and copy master - come to think of it, I wondered why we had paid staff
I am an army of one
haha - true, you can never totally get away from the politics unless you work in isolation.
I have no problem doing the menial tasks that keep things humming ~ in a weird (and perhaps personal) way, i think it helps provide "ownership" of the place and practice.
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