First a little background...30 yrs old. nearly finished with ARE's. 10 yrs of experience in all phases of private sector work. yes i worked my way through college in firms.
Have been offered the position to take a director of facilities position for a county school system.
Obviously the public sector has its benefits right off the bat. Almost double the salary, retirement, good healthcare, etc....AND the downside its not a design role which means no more drawing but more of a leadership role in hiring architects and managing construction etc..
Has anyone else switched sides before and can possible give me some insight into figuring out if this is a good career move?
chigurh
Oct 12, 15 1:02 pm
if you want to design, no.
if you want to be a paper pusher that works 9-5 on the dot, gets benefits, stable state income, yes.
if you stay in a position like that for too long, it will become increasingly difficult to come back to a traditional architecture/design office, I would consider that, prior to making the move. Imagine the 20 somethings willing to do what you are doing now for 30k/year, 80 hours a week, no bathroom breaks.
Miles Jaffe
Oct 12, 15 1:25 pm
There is much more to this than you are considering. Bureaucracy is a whole world unto itself, but some time spent in that particular arena could give you a valuable education and connections that could be leveraged later. You don't have - and might not be able - to work there until you retire. Considering what a shitty living this is for a lot of people you might want to consider taking the offer and doing creative work on the side. If something better comes up or if you simply can't stand it you can always quit. A bird in the hand and so on.
quizzical
Oct 12, 15 3:49 pm
This is just one person's opinion, but I think you should accept the position. I worked in a similar role for about 10 years and have long believed that spending time on the owner's side of the table makes one a better architect over the long term. You'll have a much better understanding of what motivates owner decisions and, if you do return to the profession at some later date, you'll be in a much better position to work with clients and manage the decision making process.
However, if you do want to return to private practice at some future date, beware of a potential - but very real - "trap". When you do try to return, it's not likely the profession will provide the same level of pay and benefits that you'll enjoy in this job. Once you get accustomed to such pay and benefits, it will be very hard to 'go backwards' -- especially if you've made financial commitments (i.e. mortgage, life style, etc.) that depend on the higher pay.
First a little background...30 yrs old. nearly finished with ARE's. 10 yrs of experience in all phases of private sector work. yes i worked my way through college in firms.
Have been offered the position to take a director of facilities position for a county school system.
Obviously the public sector has its benefits right off the bat. Almost double the salary, retirement, good healthcare, etc....AND the downside its not a design role which means no more drawing but more of a leadership role in hiring architects and managing construction etc..
Has anyone else switched sides before and can possible give me some insight into figuring out if this is a good career move?
if you want to design, no.
if you want to be a paper pusher that works 9-5 on the dot, gets benefits, stable state income, yes.
if you stay in a position like that for too long, it will become increasingly difficult to come back to a traditional architecture/design office, I would consider that, prior to making the move. Imagine the 20 somethings willing to do what you are doing now for 30k/year, 80 hours a week, no bathroom breaks.
There is much more to this than you are considering. Bureaucracy is a whole world unto itself, but some time spent in that particular arena could give you a valuable education and connections that could be leveraged later. You don't have - and might not be able - to work there until you retire. Considering what a shitty living this is for a lot of people you might want to consider taking the offer and doing creative work on the side. If something better comes up or if you simply can't stand it you can always quit. A bird in the hand and so on.
This is just one person's opinion, but I think you should accept the position. I worked in a similar role for about 10 years and have long believed that spending time on the owner's side of the table makes one a better architect over the long term. You'll have a much better understanding of what motivates owner decisions and, if you do return to the profession at some later date, you'll be in a much better position to work with clients and manage the decision making process.
However, if you do want to return to private practice at some future date, beware of a potential - but very real - "trap". When you do try to return, it's not likely the profession will provide the same level of pay and benefits that you'll enjoy in this job. Once you get accustomed to such pay and benefits, it will be very hard to 'go backwards' -- especially if you've made financial commitments (i.e. mortgage, life style, etc.) that depend on the higher pay.
Good luck.