I'm getting ready for my yearly performance review/raise. I ask throughout the year how I'm doing to the partners I work with, and I'm anticipating a positive review. However, I'm having a little difficulty determining what I should reasonably expect/ask for in terms of a raise. I am 4.5 years post-grad, licensed, and work mostly independently with limited oversight from partners. I've used the AIA's salary calculator in the past with luck, but as I have become licensed I really don't fit in any of these categories. There is no category for licensed architects with 3-5 years of experience, and the closest match is an architect with 5-8 years of experience -- in my region the median (including bonus) is approximately 73k. Conversely, an unlicensed design professional with 5-8 years of experience clocks in at approximately 62k (including bonus), which matches my yearly salary/bonus.
Thoughts, or maybe someone in a similar situation? I'm in the mid-atlantic region for reference.
randomised
Nov 12, 17 1:28 am
Your work pre-license was already worth the equivalent of a salary of someone with 5-8 years experience. If licensure normally means an 11k pay raise, simply ask for that. They obviously value you.
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 6:53 am
I received a .50 cent raise for my license! Hahahahahaha
randomised
Nov 12, 17 8:32 am
Per...
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 10:33 am
????
geezertect
Nov 12, 17 10:57 am
When a firm puts a 50 cent premium on being licensed, aren't they saying that you (and they) are in a meaningless occcupation? Freudian slip?
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 2:12 pm
I was told I was lucky to receive a raise!
randomised
Nov 12, 17 3:54 pm
You know...50ct per month,week,day or hr ;)
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 4:05 pm
Sorry per year... had to calculate it cause they only gave it to me after 3 years
randomised
Nov 12, 17 6:32 pm
You're very patient and generous.
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 7:20 pm
Patient yes... not sure how generous that was... more like a slap to the face.
randomised
Nov 13, 17 1:40 am
Yep, but you're generous for accepting that "raise". Probably the reason for starting the other thread about quitting ;)
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 2:07 pm
well I calculated it over 3 years... since I got a raise after three years... so it’s 50 cents per year... and I should be thankful!
Non Sequitur
Nov 12, 17 2:31 pm
I got 9k when I got licensed.
DeTwan
Nov 12, 17 5:41 pm
you also got ur gay card when you got licensed...shuu...pineapple juice is my 'safe' word. What's yours?
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 7:20 pm
Wtf
curtkram
Nov 12, 17 8:55 pm
my safe word is 'don't stop'
molten
Nov 12, 17 9:17 pm
Actually I got my gay card when I uttered my first word. When did you get yours?
OneLostArchitect
Nov 12, 17 10:04 pm
Are all architects this weird?
tduds
Nov 13, 17 12:36 pm
You need a card to be gay now?
DeTwan
Nov 13, 17 5:37 pm
No, the card more or less gets you discounts at places like body works, chanel, and starbucks in the mall
OneLostArchitect
Nov 13, 17 6:18 pm
I’m scared to ask... but what’s a safe wor
d?
thatsthat
Nov 13, 17 7:57 am
People really get raises once they get licenses? I was told in my firm by the managing partner that no one gets a raise simply for earning their license. Do you ask for one the day it's official or wait a year or so and prove that you can do more than you could before?
spiketwig
Nov 13, 17 12:48 pm
My firm offered a bonus ($1,500) for initial license but no pay increase. But I was able to push for an increase of a total of $10k thru in the ~18 months following getting my license. It came incrementally (asked and received an increase about 9 months after getting licensed and then got the max standard increase at annual reviews on top of that).
But the reason for the raise was ostensibly that I had taken on more responsibility - not because of the license per se, but I really only could have taken on the responsibilities WITH the license, so...it's related.
s=r*(theta)
Nov 13, 17 2:29 pm
I got a $1,000 bonus for license plus reimbursement for exams passed, and $5k raise after license. Truth be told, to an owner $5k is not a lot of money especially of you are making then 3x$5k. I think the problem with most people is they get licensed but they are still thinking like a cad drafter employee. but sometimes its a trade off what you are learning/working on compared to a pay increase
thatsthat
Nov 13, 17 5:09 pm
Thanks for the responses! I've been told no raises for license or other reasons, but am hoping I can show I'm worth it (by taking as much as I can volunteer for) and intend to stick around for the long-term. I love the people I work with and the projects, but it's hard to stay when the pay is below average.
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 12:55 am
I was told I wouldn't be getting a raise. Firm paid for exams and license. .... A few months later I was talking with the owners casually and they bumped me $10k. A few months later they repeated that. But I think my experience isn't normal. My salary is significantly higher than nearly all of my peers. (And I still don't own a suit).
s=r*(theta)
Nov 14, 17 5:29 pm
thank God Ive made it through the really dark part of this career and have got a little breathing room. But at this point in my career I dont really concern myself w/ raise's & bonus's as much as I do building relationships
DeTwan
Nov 14, 17 12:06 am
Architecture license remind me of the scene in Tommy Boy where Chris Farley start talking about how 'anyone can shit in a box and slap a guarantee on it'...
But then again I am a firm owner that clears over $100k in contracts a year, so you could say that I receive a lot of resumes that starchitects receive in their inbox....
I usually start my Harvard grads at $15 an hour and then we see where they stand after a 9 month trial period...most quit in the first 6.
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 12:50 am
Too funny.
I'm not a robot
Nov 14, 17 10:55 am
$100k revenue a year and you can afford employees?
Non Sequitur
Nov 14, 17 12:21 pm
I remember rejecting my first job offer straight out of grad school... and the offer was $15/hr and that was 10 years ago.
sameolddoctor
Nov 14, 17 5:19 pm
100k in an year hahaha. And you get Harvard graduates? GTFO
s=r*(theta)
Nov 14, 17 5:23 pm
Any one can put turds in a box but not everyone has an architecture license, so im hearing you put
extreme value on the latter
archiwutm8
Nov 14, 17 10:48 am
You guys don't get a consistent yearly raise? I get 1.5% automatically every year.
randomised
Nov 14, 17 11:13 am
Working in Europe I suppose.
Non Sequitur
Nov 14, 17 12:19 pm
1.5% is typical for me too, as a base for everyone. More than that is dependant on performance.
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 12:56 pm
I know I'm going to hit a ceiling soon, but if I was offered less than ~6% per year, I'd definitely walk. I've averaged over 15% year-over-year, the last 5 years at the same firm. If you get less than 5%, you really don't value your own work (and neither do they).
archiwutm8
Nov 14, 17 1:33 pm
If I got 6% in the UK every year I'd be in the top 1% earners in the UK.
Non Sequitur
Nov 14, 17 1:55 pm
6% or 15% per year is not sustainable and definitively not a minimum bench mark in any reasonable world. If that's what your getting, you likely accepted a position below market value.
s=r*(theta)
Nov 14, 17 5:36 pm
I dont get a consistent raise but I typically always get an annual bonus of $2k or more, one year it was $5k
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 6:28 pm
NS - only slightly true that I took a position for less than I thought I was worth, but I was unemployed and needed work. And at my first review 5 months later, I got a 20% raise. I've more than doubled my salary since starting here in early 2013. I've also become licensed and have taken on huge responsibility. I just wrapped up a $50M job and I'm starting another $35M project right now, both as PM.
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 6:29 pm
Like I said, I'm the exception and I'm fortunate. And I stand by my assertion that at least at the beginning of your career, you should be climbing the pay scale very quickly. I also said that this slows down.
archiwutm8
Nov 14, 17 6:39 pm
I can't tell if you earn a standard amount and started low or you're one of the top earners in our profession.
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 6:49 pm
I'll clarify further and say that while I took this job for less than I was probably worth, it was still more than my previous job by a couple percent. I have been very fortunate.
Non Sequitur
Nov 14, 17 8:21 pm
Bowling, that makes more sense... I can't imagine any junior wanker starting at, say 40k and moving to 46, 52, to nearly 60 in 3 years based on a 15% raise. You need to bring something seriously wicked to the office to get that level scratch.
Non Sequitur
Nov 14, 17 8:26 pm
come to think of it, my raises at year one and two was 6% each time... then licensed in year 3 jumped me up another 20%. That quick increase made the next few years' cost of living only adjustments easier to manage.
archiwutm8
Nov 15, 17 2:00 am
It's different but I did double my salary when I went to construction...
molten
Nov 15, 17 10:54 am
Our firm has a 5k automatic raise when you get licensed. I got licensed two months after my raise at the end of last year (+8.5%).
Unless you're an associate/principal, you're billed at 3x your direct expense so the firm is earning no less money as a result of raises. Unless you're inefficient and slow.
bowling_ball
Nov 15, 17 8:34 pm
NS, since I'm anonymous here and open, I'll tell you that I started at 40k in early 2013 and my raise and bonus this coming year will bring in $95k. So yes I'm doing something right, when you look at it that way.
spiketwig
Nov 14, 17 4:12 pm
^ in response to the annual raise thread
it's varied for me by office (west coast, US), but generally between 5%-10% annual increase is what I've seen. I've been told that 5% is the max allowable annual increase at my current place, but I'm equally confident that that's a line they feed us to keep our expectations low..
bowling_ball
Nov 14, 17 6:31 pm
If they say 5%, remember that 2% is just a straight cost of living increase, in which case you're really getting an increase of 3%. It's something, but it's not much. The largest jumps in salary come by getting a new job.
zonker
Nov 14, 17 4:34 pm
fees are down and schedules are shorter - more demands - its getting harder to prove value to justify increases
spiketwig
Nov 14, 17 5:49 pm
not if you can still deliver..
Non Sequitur
Nov 14, 17 8:19 pm
No problems here.
Le Courvoisier
Nov 14, 17 6:06 pm
Xenakis, sounds like everyone only views you as a CAD monkey. No wonder you're so damn pessimistic.
I'm getting ready for my yearly performance review/raise. I ask throughout the year how I'm doing to the partners I work with, and I'm anticipating a positive review. However, I'm having a little difficulty determining what I should reasonably expect/ask for in terms of a raise. I am 4.5 years post-grad, licensed, and work mostly independently with limited oversight from partners. I've used the AIA's salary calculator in the past with luck, but as I have become licensed I really don't fit in any of these categories. There is no category for licensed architects with 3-5 years of experience, and the closest match is an architect with 5-8 years of experience -- in my region the median (including bonus) is approximately 73k. Conversely, an unlicensed design professional with 5-8 years of experience clocks in at approximately 62k (including bonus), which matches my yearly salary/bonus.
Thoughts, or maybe someone in a similar situation? I'm in the mid-atlantic region for reference.
Your work pre-license was already worth the equivalent of a salary of someone with 5-8 years experience. If licensure normally means an 11k pay raise, simply ask for that. They obviously value you.
I received a .50 cent raise for my license! Hahahahahaha
Per...
????
When a firm puts a 50 cent premium on being licensed, aren't they saying that you (and they) are in a meaningless occcupation? Freudian slip?
I was told I was lucky to receive a raise!
You know...50ct per month,week,day or hr ;)
Sorry per year... had to calculate it cause they only gave it to me after 3 years
You're very patient and generous.
Patient yes... not sure how generous that was... more like a slap to the face.
Yep, but you're generous for accepting that "raise". Probably the reason for starting the other thread about quitting ;)
well I calculated it over 3 years... since I got a raise after three years... so it’s 50 cents per year... and I should be thankful!
I got 9k when I got licensed.
you also got ur gay card when you got licensed...shuu...pineapple juice is my 'safe' word. What's yours?
Wtf
my safe word is 'don't stop'
Actually I got my gay card when I uttered my first word. When did you get yours?
Are all architects this weird?
You need a card to be gay now?
No, the card more or less gets you discounts at places like body works, chanel, and starbucks in the mall
I’m scared to ask... but what’s a safe wor
d?
People really get raises once they get licenses? I was told in my firm by the managing partner that no one gets a raise simply for earning their license. Do you ask for one the day it's official or wait a year or so and prove that you can do more than you could before?
My firm offered a bonus ($1,500) for initial license but no pay increase. But I was able to push for an increase of a total of $10k thru in the ~18 months following getting my license. It came incrementally (asked and received an increase about 9 months after getting licensed and then got the max standard increase at annual reviews on top of that).
But the reason for the raise was ostensibly that I had taken on more responsibility - not because of the license per se, but I really only could have taken on the responsibilities WITH the license, so...it's related.
I got a $1,000 bonus for license plus reimbursement for exams passed, and $5k raise after license. Truth be told, to an owner $5k is not a lot of money especially of you are making then 3x$5k. I think the problem with most people is they get licensed but they are still thinking like a cad drafter employee. but sometimes its a trade off what you are learning/working on compared to a pay increase
Thanks for the responses! I've been told no raises for license or other reasons, but am hoping I can show I'm worth it (by taking as much as I can volunteer for) and intend to stick around for the long-term. I love the people I work with and the projects, but it's hard to stay when the pay is below average.
I was told I wouldn't be getting a raise. Firm paid for exams and license. .... A few months later I was talking with the owners casually and they bumped me $10k. A few months later they repeated that. But I think my experience isn't normal. My salary is significantly higher than nearly all of my peers. (And I still don't own a suit).
thank God Ive made it through the really dark part of this career and have got a little breathing room. But at this point in my career I dont really concern myself w/ raise's & bonus's as much as I do building relationships
Architecture license remind me of the scene in Tommy Boy where Chris Farley start talking about how 'anyone can shit in a box and slap a guarantee on it'...
But then again I am a firm owner that clears over $100k in contracts a year, so you could say that I receive a lot of resumes that starchitects receive in their inbox....
I usually start my Harvard grads at $15 an hour and then we see where they stand after a 9 month trial period...most quit in the first 6.
Too funny.
$100k revenue a year and you can afford employees?
I remember rejecting my first job offer straight out of grad school... and the offer was $15/hr and that was 10 years ago.
100k in an year hahaha. And you get Harvard graduates? GTFO
Any one can put turds in a box but not everyone has an architecture license, so im hearing you put extreme value on the latter
You guys don't get a consistent yearly raise? I get 1.5% automatically every year.
Working in Europe I suppose.
1.5% is typical for me too, as a base for everyone. More than that is dependant on performance.
I know I'm going to hit a ceiling soon, but if I was offered less than ~6% per year, I'd definitely walk. I've averaged over 15% year-over-year, the last 5 years at the same firm. If you get less than 5%, you really don't value your own work (and neither do they).
If I got 6% in the UK every year I'd be in the top 1% earners in the UK.
6% or 15% per year is not sustainable and definitively not a minimum bench mark in any reasonable world. If that's what your getting, you likely accepted a position below market value.
I dont get a consistent raise but I typically always get an annual bonus of $2k or more, one year it was $5k
NS - only slightly true that I took a position for less than I thought I was worth, but I was unemployed and needed work. And at my first review 5 months later, I got a 20% raise. I've more than doubled my salary since starting here in early 2013. I've also become licensed and have taken on huge responsibility. I just wrapped up a $50M job and I'm starting another $35M project right now, both as PM.
Like I said, I'm the exception and I'm fortunate. And I stand by my assertion that at least at the beginning of your career, you should be climbing the pay scale very quickly. I also said that this slows down.
I can't tell if you earn a standard amount and started low or you're one of the top earners in our profession.
I'll clarify further and say that while I took this job for less than I was probably worth, it was still more than my previous job by a couple percent. I have been very fortunate.
Bowling, that makes more sense... I can't imagine any junior wanker starting at, say 40k and moving to 46, 52, to nearly 60 in 3 years based on a 15% raise. You need to bring something seriously wicked to the office to get that level scratch.
come to think of it, my raises at year one and two was 6% each time... then licensed in year 3 jumped me up another 20%. That quick increase made the next few years' cost of living only adjustments easier to manage.
It's different but I did double my salary when I went to construction...
Our firm has a 5k automatic raise when you get licensed. I got licensed two months after my raise at the end of last year (+8.5%). Unless you're an associate/principal, you're billed at 3x your direct expense so the firm is earning no less money as a result of raises. Unless you're inefficient and slow.
NS, since I'm anonymous here and open, I'll tell you that I started at 40k in early 2013 and my raise and bonus this coming year will bring in $95k. So yes I'm doing something right, when you look at it that way.
^ in response to the annual raise thread
it's varied for me by office (west coast, US), but generally between 5%-10% annual increase is what I've seen. I've been told that 5% is the max allowable annual increase at my current place, but I'm equally confident that that's a line they feed us to keep our expectations low..
If they say 5%, remember that 2% is just a straight cost of living increase, in which case you're really getting an increase of 3%. It's something, but it's not much. The largest jumps in salary come by getting a new job.
fees are down and schedules are shorter - more demands - its getting harder to prove value to justify increases
not if you can still deliver..
No problems here.
Xenakis, sounds like everyone only views you as a CAD monkey. No wonder you're so damn pessimistic.
dude is the saddest bot on archinect.