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How employed are you? Rate 1-10

remus + romulus

5.7

What up leonel! it's roman

Mar 4, 10 5:29 am  · 
 · 
mycatlikesMies

I'd say I'm like a 2 for employment... but considering I'm a full time student, you could say maybe that's a 4. I work in fabrication lab at my school so it's architecture-related work! :)

Mar 4, 10 7:39 am  · 
 · 
general acres

Not sure what my number is per your criteria. I'm at the office for 40 hours per week, get paid for 40 hours, but only accomplish 1 or 2 hours of billable work per week. Sometimes zero.

I mostly get paid to surf the web all day.
I'm looking for a new job.

Mar 4, 10 3:49 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

I think somebody needs to put up a new post with a clear criteria. There are at least four here. Do you want to look at % of time billable or just whether you are collecting a full-time salary or not? Even billability doesn't really make much sense for those who are supposed to spend, say, 1/5th or more of our time marketing or developing new business or just doing mgmt admin type stuff or just plain admin stuff. So if I'm 1/5th rseponsibility for internal admin/mgmt, 1/5th resopnsible for marketing and 3/5th client billability, does that mean I should be a 6 out of 10 on our scale?

I'm kinda with roobqt.. y'all should make it multiple choice:

0 = unemployable
1 = unemployed
2 = employed part-time on contract
3 = employed full-time on contract (generally without bennies)
4 = employed full-time and salaried
5 = retired
6 = dead

Mar 4, 10 4:42 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

7 = undead

Mar 4, 10 4:44 pm  · 
 · 
wurdan freo

9...er...10...i mean 4... employed... yes.

Mar 4, 10 5:31 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

Allow me to suggset a refined rating system:

-4 = Dead
-3 = Comatose or Effectively So
-2 = Incarcerated or Institutionalized or In Hiding
-1 = Enslaved or Indentured
0 = Unemployable (includes slackers)
+1 = Unemployed (involuntary)
+2 = Full-time Student (even if employed)
+3 = Employed but Unpaid
+4 = Employed Off the Books (gray or black market)
+5 = Employed Part-time on Contract/as Contractor (includes temps)
+6 = Employed Full-time on Contact/as Contractor (includes temps)
+7 = Employed Full-time and Salaried
+8 = Housewife, Househusband, Gentleman/Lady of Leisure
+9 = Retired
+10 = Undead

Mar 4, 10 5:37 pm  · 
 · 
pdigi

with Urbanist's rating system, I would say my last gig was a -1 AND +3.5.

I'm thinking I should just be a +8 though.

Mar 4, 10 6:01 pm  · 
 · 
9unknownMen

almost 0. get paid sometimes, don't get paid most times.

Mar 4, 10 9:02 pm  · 
 · 
bRink

urbanist, that makes no sense... clearly there are plenty of undead people who are also incarcerated, unemployed, employed off the books, or a housewife, househusband, gentleman/lady of liesure, or retired, etc...

Mar 4, 10 10:01 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

good point. the vampires amongst us. I'll have to stay ont the lookout for peopel allergic to silver, garlic, mirrors and daylight.

I'm with pdgigi. We should all aspire to category 8.

Mar 4, 10 10:27 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

9unknown - you get paid SOMETIMES? WTF?

Mar 4, 10 11:45 pm  · 
 · 
cajunarch

I'm a 10 but feel like a 15 - meaning I think I need at least a 50% clone to help me keep up with my work!

Mar 5, 10 4:54 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

And cajunarch is an example where firms have reduced their staff to such levels to which the ones left are doing twice the work for the same pay. This isn't just in architecture, either... all industries are doing this - output by employees are at an all time high, and firms are reluctant to add staff.

So, sorry cajun - that's the other (ugly) side of this period.

Mar 5, 10 5:08 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

yes.. this it the new American reality for the fortunate: work harder for longer hours, get paid less. I'm probably luckier than most here, but last night I left work at 11:00pm. .. then I got an email from a colleague, first thing in the morning. The tag said 4:00am. It's not like that everyday, but this phenomenon is definitely a recession-era thing. No real new hires (other than internal transfers) for nearly two years + layoffs = increasing misery for those left. Economists always cheer over the productivity-increasing effects of recessions. I'm not sure they really understand what such productivity increases mean in practice.

US Workers Caught in Vicious Cycle:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35709370/ns/business-answer_desk/

Households Left Behind as Productivity Surges:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35705431/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

The problem is, there's work to do, but backlogs aren't emerging, which means the firms can't hire. Instead, they have to make do with the people they have,who must work harder than ever, for less, while still under threat themselves once the thin backlog runs out. It's ugly.


Mar 5, 10 9:38 pm  · 
 · 
mespellrong

for urbanist's new rating, am primarily a +8, ad I was paid as a +6 until wednesday afternoon when I was notified that from May to august I'll become a +5. I'm thinking about becoming a +3 for the second part, just so I can be undead when you do the math.

Mar 5, 10 10:55 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

:)

Mar 5, 10 11:08 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

Urbanist, you hit it right on the head. Friends of mine still working are working harder than ever.

Mar 6, 10 1:19 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

The future of the firm:

Mar 6, 10 11:04 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist
Mar 6, 10 11:06 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

better version.

Future of the firm:

Mar 6, 10 11:20 pm  · 
 · 
rethinkit

after 15 months w/o work in SF, I am now working temp doing Revit work for med/large office here.

Mar 7, 10 5:22 pm  · 
 · 
90four

1 to 5
depends on the week. I do some contract work, but I'm mostly unemployed.
But if I had to pick a number I'd say 2.

Mar 7, 10 6:00 pm  · 
 · 

Well, I'm sitting here trying to remove all this malware from my system.... I could further calc the average, but it's looking pretty weak, like under a "4" rating easily.

I have a friend looking to relocate back to NYC from Europe and she asked me what the employment picture looked like....I tried to be optimistic, but gave her some real stats, I honestly think we are looking at a 30-50% unemployment rate for people in the business, and that means there are a tremendous amount of very qualified people chasing a very small number of jobs.

Yes, to the notes above, a byproduct of this is that people still in firms will be working much harder (sometimes with less pay) to pick up the slack. This is the case in some other industries as well, the business community likes to call this "productivity".

Mar 7, 10 6:49 pm  · 
 · 

Hi, a little help? I have a chart I would like to post, not quite sure how to do it? I have it on flicker, or I can email. thanks

Mar 7, 10 7:07 pm  · 
 · 
hobbesie

Right now, 1. Within the next few weeks it should be up to 7.

Mar 10, 10 9:01 pm  · 
 · 
chupacabra

0

Mar 11, 10 12:06 am  · 
 · 
bRink

+1 or +8 by urbanists rating... I prefer to consider myself househusband... I like it, I'm employed in a way...

Mar 11, 10 12:09 am  · 
 · 
9unknownMen

we're 6 months behind in pay checks. i need to get out, but where do i go?

Mar 11, 10 7:58 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

omg... 6 months??? wow... eeuuh. Why does this employer keep you hanging on so long if they can't pay you?

Mar 11, 10 8:04 pm  · 
 · 
9unknownMen

coz the only people left in the firm are those that can't leave unless you leave to another job....US visa issues. we know we're being exploited but most of us have almost no choice.

Mar 11, 10 8:18 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

Really sounds like something that needs to be reported... of course, you would most likely be sent back to your country -but that firm your at would be fined, big time - probably shut down... that's slave labor, akin to sweat-shops.... I can't believe they would do that to you - love the hypocritical nature of this industry - we all are told to hold ourselves in high integrity, then, this sort of thing happens. Sorry bud!

Mar 11, 10 8:31 pm  · 
 · 

Whoa, I can't believe that. 9unkown, I mean you really should talk to your co-workers and figure something out, that is complete exploitation.

Let me see if this works:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/06/job-loss-chart-what-36-mi_n_164828.html/jobsrecessions_545x398.shkl.jpg

Mar 11, 10 9:29 pm  · 
 · 

Well, if someone can post this chart, would be appreciated:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/06/job-loss-chart-what-36-mi_n_164828.html

Mar 11, 10 9:30 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

no pay in 6 months? do they still have you working hard for no pay or are y'all just kinda hanging out at the office? If it's the former, they should be reported to your state and the Dept of Labor. Sued too.

Mar 11, 10 10:50 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

what happens when you're a loser who doesn't pay your employees the wages due to them:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/02/04/1067267/haiti-missionary-left-trail-of.html

Mar 11, 10 10:54 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

You just can't make this stuff up - I've forwarded that article to friends... thanks Urbanist...

Mar 11, 10 11:34 pm  · 
 · 
Urbanist

yes. douchebag employers should take note: not paying your employees can result in karma putting you into a third world jail, and leaving you there without any friends back home to bail you out or even to say a kind word about you when you are justifiably set up as laughing stock on the front page of every newspaper in the western world ;P

Mar 12, 10 1:40 am  · 
 · 
roobqt

rotf... Urbanist, you rock....

Mar 12, 10 12:45 pm  · 
 · 
pdigi

WOW!

9unknownMen, I thought I had it bad. Your employer is probably going to hell.

The answer is clear now, being a HOUSEHUSBAND is priority!

Mar 12, 10 7:52 pm  · 
 · 
roobqt

lol... I'm a house husband, too....just did a bang up job re-landscaping the front yard... getting it ready for spring...

Mar 12, 10 8:41 pm  · 
 · 
archrise

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Mar 12, 10 9:21 pm  · 
 · 
doctorzaius

seven?

Mar 13, 10 2:03 am  · 
 · 
herrarchitekt

5; The past 2 years ('08 & '09) have been interesting since being employed full-time until Dec. 2007.
In March 2008, I opened up my own shop (out of my condo) and picked up small commercial & residential jobs. There is not enough room here to put down what I've learned personally and professionally since going on my own. And no matter how hard that some of the lessons I've learned have been, I wouldn't have it any other way.
What has helped me survive is teaching AutoCAD, Revit, & architectural design as an adjunct (part-time) at local community colleges.

Mar 13, 10 7:20 pm  · 
 · 

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