so last year I was working at an interior design company and really did not like the work environment. My boss knew very little about architecture, procrastinated on everything, and constantly belittled me.
I am now starting a new job at a residential architecture firm and was wondering if people had any tips when starting out? I really want to prove that I am an important asset to the firm and want to be as involved as possible.
thanks!
mission_critical
Feb 29, 24 9:24 pm
1. Specialists are more valuable than generalists. Find out (aka ask the higher ups) what the firm is lacking and how you can best be of service to the long term interests of the firm. Also ask ChatGPT what are the specialties in your career path and find out which ones resonate with you. Pick one and become irreplaceable.
2. See what groups there are at your company. Volleyball? Ragnarok race? Research committees? Best practices committees? It’s a good way to socialize with others in a less hierarchical setting. Even company events need organizers, then you get to run elbows with the bosses and show off soft skills and become a familiar trustworthy face around the office.
I apologize for any weird auto correct induced typos.
Chad Miller
Mar 1, 24 10:04 am
Specialists are only valueable if your team has a solid base of '
Chad Miller
Mar 1, 24 10:21 am
Sorry for the weird reply above - I got distracted and lost my post.
I agree with most of what MC said.
I would add that specialists are only possible if your team as solid base of 'generalists'. The amount you can specialize all depends on firm size.
In smaller firms you have to do a bit of everything so becoming too specialized can be an issue if you ignore everything else. You can still specialize though by being the 'go to' person in that area.
In larger firms it's possible to become so specialized that you'll only work in one area of the process (details, concepts, specs, ect).
Regardless of firm size, if you're interested in being the 'specialist' or 'go to' person in a area(s) then really develop those skills. Just don't ignore everything else.
Just my opinion.
reallynotmyname
Mar 1, 24 2:42 pm
Unless the OP's residential firm is gigantic, I doubt there will be a lot of specialists in the office.
mission_critical
Mar 2, 24 9:22 pm
Not really. Maybe I wasn’t specific. In my last form we had a lot of specialties, and I’m not talking BIM specialist or spec writer. Example: passive house certified, Red list specialist, Well certified,
mission_critical
Mar 2, 24 9:36 pm
Alternative construction specialty (CLT, high performance wall assembly, rain screen and air tightness). These are just some examples from my own experience. While comments above say generalists are better in a small firm, I agree. But even in my case, our specialists were still very capable generalists
Chad Miller
Mar 4, 24 10:37 am
MC - Ah - I thought you were promoting a specialty over a base of general knowledge. Thanks for clarifying. I completely agree with you that you should be a capable generalist and a specialist.
Non Sequitur
Feb 29, 24 9:25 pm
Ask questions other than where can I copy X information
Pay attention to red lines and revision comments and make sure you pick up everything before sending again to supervisor
Don't bring up problems unless you also have made a decent attempt at a solution
Don't wear crocs in the office
Review your work before sending anything to anyone. Review again after reviewing.
Always assume everything you do will be presented to a client. That means attention to detail layouts, spelling, line weights, graphics, etc, etc.
bowling_ball
Feb 29, 24 11:38 pm
These are all excellent points that I (as an owner, PM, and architect in general) totally agree with. The one thing that I would add, specifically for a recent grad/new employee - if you can pick up the phone, it means you can get it done in half the time. I'm introverted, shy, and autistic, and even I can clearly see that the most efficient way to make contacts, obtain information, and grow your network, is by calling on the phone. Highly recommended.
westcoastarchitect35
Mar 1, 24 11:59 am
Can you elaborate on what you mean by pick up the phone?
Chad Miller
Mar 1, 24 12:13 pm
BB means to literally call people and ask questions. Don't rely only on email or direct message.
bowling_ball
Mar 1, 24 7:58 pm
Exactly as Chad says - literally pick up the phone instead of emailing, especially if you need something in a hurry. It took me a long time to realize it, but ANYBODY you call during business hours is going to not only be happy that you called, but they'll almost always put you at the top of the list for questions, product samples and info, even the local inspectors. These people have information to give, and services and products to sell - like I said, they'll be happy to hear from you and this will put you at an advantage in your office, or at least show your ability to get things done (well and quickly).
Chad Miller
Mar 6, 24 12:46 pm
As our most senior partners says: "One phone call is worth ten e-mails"
smaarch
Feb 29, 24 11:49 pm
I couldn't imagine a more simple question. You prove how important you are by the valuable work you do.
bowling_ball
Mar 1, 24 12:05 am
That solves that!
smaarch
Mar 1, 24 1:37 am
Well, in theory that's how it is suppose to work. LOL
Wilma Buttfit
Mar 1, 24 2:47 am
Don’t be too enthusiastic. It makes the slackeys feel bad and then they’ll sabotage you behind your back.
Chad Miller
Mar 1, 24 10:01 am
Good advice from a slackey! ;)
In all seriousness though. It's important to set boundaries. Don't allow team members to simply 'drop' new work on you without having a discussion about your current work load.
westcoastarchitect35
Mar 1, 24 11:55 am
Thank you all for your responses.
For context, I am 25 now, and I see other people my age in architecture firms who look to be much more involved in at their firms than I am. They work one-on-one with clients and actively propose new designs.
The problem with my job last year is that I essentially just felt like a servant at the firm. I would just do as I was told and my boss gave me little wiggle room for more. I would draft plans in AutoCAD (and be very rushed since my boss would procrastinate) and accompany him on site visits, although I rarely was able to provide my own input or suggestions. It also felt like I was treated with much more disrespect than my co workers because I was so young and less experienced.
To the point someone made about how you should always triple check your work (which I couldn't agree with more!), my boss would always be press me on projects to the point I didn't even have time to look over plans before submittal to him. The problem again was my boss was an interior decorator who did not know a single command of any CAD program, so he did not understand the time it actually takes for drawings to be drafted.
Now that I am working at an actual architecture firm and doing more work that I want to be doing, I hope things will go better. I am working remotely for the next few weeks which can be a bit frustrating because my co workers will try to guide me on AutoCAD commands over zoom (which is much more difficult), but I am hoping once I am back in person things will go smoother.
reallynotmyname
Mar 1, 24 4:06 pm
"They work one-on-one with clients and actively propose new designs" Some firms are set up to work that way, but just as many are not. You need to find out if that's even possible in your current firm. If it is possible, figure out what you need to do to make your supervisors comfortable enough with your skills to give you those assignments. At most places, greater autonomy comes after you have proven your skills and reliability.
You should also buy an AutoCad reference book and also do some online study to improve your CAD skills outside of office hours. You don't want to become known in the office as the person who is always asking for help because of their weak CAD skills.
zonker
Mar 3, 24 9:08 pm
Exactly, be resourceful and self sufficient. In my office we use Rhino in addition to Revit. When things get slow on the production side, it's necessary to increase the design proposal and concept work to get actual projects. I spent two years on my own time learning Rhino, creating my own side project and demonstrating my skills in order to participate in a design phase of a project, had I not done that, I would have been booted. Architecture school never ends.....unless you want to retire
kjpn
Mar 6, 24 12:06 pm
The simple reality is you have to be good and efficient at what you do to be valued as an employee by an owner or manager. Having a positive, humble and collaborative attitude is appreciated if the people are good people. Pretentious a-holes won't value you for any of the above reasons and you shouldn't work for / with them if it can be helped.
reallynotmyname
Mar 6, 24 12:21 pm
Agree. Knowing how to be a good worker won't help you in a toxic workplace. You have to be prepared to walk away from those places and suck up whatever the consequences may be for your resume. Unfortunately, it can take several tries to find a good firm!
whistler
Mar 6, 24 2:57 pm
Earn your place by being really good a specific things. IE 3D rendering, building code, building performance metrics, making coffee. Become essential to the operation / team.
Hi everyone,
so last year I was working at an interior design company and really did not like the work environment. My boss knew very little about architecture, procrastinated on everything, and constantly belittled me.
I am now starting a new job at a residential architecture firm and was wondering if people had any tips when starting out? I really want to prove that I am an important asset to the firm and want to be as involved as possible.
thanks!
1. Specialists are more valuable than generalists. Find out (aka ask the higher ups) what the firm is lacking and how you can best be of service to the long term interests of the firm. Also ask ChatGPT what are the specialties in your career path and find out which ones resonate with you. Pick one and become irreplaceable.
2. See what groups there are at your company. Volleyball? Ragnarok race? Research committees? Best practices committees? It’s a good way to socialize with others in a less hierarchical setting. Even company events need organizers, then you get to run elbows with the bosses and show off soft skills and become a familiar trustworthy face around the office.
I apologize for any weird auto correct induced typos.
Specialists are only valueable if your team has a solid base of '
Sorry for the weird reply above - I got distracted and lost my post.
I agree with most of what MC said.
I would add that specialists are only possible if your team as solid base of 'generalists'. The amount you can specialize all depends on firm size.
In smaller firms you have to do a bit of everything so becoming too specialized can be an issue if you ignore everything else. You can still specialize though by being the 'go to' person in that area.
In larger firms it's possible to become so specialized that you'll only work in one area of the process (details, concepts, specs, ect).
Regardless of firm size, if you're interested in being the 'specialist' or 'go to' person in a area(s) then really develop those skills. Just don't ignore everything else.
Just my opinion.
Unless the OP's residential firm is gigantic, I doubt there will be a lot of specialists in the office.
Not really. Maybe I wasn’t specific. In my last form we had a lot of specialties, and I’m not talking BIM specialist or spec writer. Example: passive house certified, Red list specialist, Well certified,
Alternative construction specialty (CLT, high performance wall assembly, rain screen and air tightness). These are just some examples from my own experience. While comments above say generalists are better in a small firm, I agree. But even in my case, our specialists were still very capable generalists
MC - Ah - I thought you were promoting a specialty over a base of general knowledge. Thanks for clarifying. I completely agree with you that you should be a capable generalist and a specialist.
These are all excellent points that I (as an owner, PM, and architect in general) totally agree with. The one thing that I would add, specifically for a recent grad/new employee - if you can pick up the phone, it means you can get it done in half the time. I'm introverted, shy, and autistic, and even I can clearly see that the most efficient way to make contacts, obtain information, and grow your network, is by calling on the phone. Highly recommended.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by pick up the phone?
BB means to literally call people and ask questions. Don't rely only on email or direct message.
Exactly as Chad says - literally pick up the phone instead of emailing, especially if you need something in a hurry. It took me a long time to realize it, but ANYBODY you call during business hours is going to not only be happy that you called, but they'll almost always put you at the top of the list for questions, product samples and info, even the local inspectors. These people have information to give, and services and products to sell - like I said, they'll be happy to hear from you and this will put you at an advantage in your office, or at least show your ability to get things done (well and quickly).
As our most senior partners says: "One phone call is worth ten e-mails"
I couldn't imagine a more simple question. You prove how important you are by the valuable work you do.
That solves that!
Well, in theory that's how it is suppose to work. LOL
Don’t be too enthusiastic. It makes the slackeys feel bad and then they’ll sabotage you behind your back.
Good advice from a slackey! ;)
In all seriousness though. It's important to set boundaries. Don't allow team members to simply 'drop' new work on you without having a discussion about your current work load.
Thank you all for your responses.
For context, I am 25 now, and I see other people my age in architecture firms who look to be much more involved in at their firms than I am. They work one-on-one with clients and actively propose new designs.
The problem with my job last year is that I essentially just felt like a servant at the firm. I would just do as I was told and my boss gave me little wiggle room for more. I would draft plans in AutoCAD (and be very rushed since my boss would procrastinate) and accompany him on site visits, although I rarely was able to provide my own input or suggestions. It also felt like I was treated with much more disrespect than my co workers because I was so young and less experienced.
To the point someone made about how you should always triple check your work (which I couldn't agree with more!), my boss would always be press me on projects to the point I didn't even have time to look over plans before submittal to him. The problem again was my boss was an interior decorator who did not know a single command of any CAD program, so he did not understand the time it actually takes for drawings to be drafted.
Now that I am working at an actual architecture firm and doing more work that I want to be doing, I hope things will go better. I am working remotely for the next few weeks which can be a bit frustrating because my co workers will try to guide me on AutoCAD commands over zoom (which is much more difficult), but I am hoping once I am back in person things will go smoother.
"They work one-on-one with clients and actively propose new designs" Some firms are set up to work that way, but just as many are not. You need to find out if that's even possible in your current firm. If it is possible, figure out what you need to do to make your supervisors comfortable enough with your skills to give you those assignments. At most places, greater autonomy comes after you have proven your skills and reliability.
You should also buy an AutoCad reference book and also do some online study to improve your CAD skills outside of office hours. You don't want to become known in the office as the person who is always asking for help because of their weak CAD skills.
Exactly, be resourceful and self sufficient. In my office we use Rhino in addition to Revit. When things get slow on the production side, it's necessary to increase the design proposal and concept work to get actual projects. I spent two years on my own time learning Rhino, creating my own side project and demonstrating my skills in order to participate in a design phase of a project, had I not done that, I would have been booted. Architecture school never ends.....unless you want to retire
The simple reality is you have to be good and efficient at what you do to be valued as an employee by an owner or manager. Having a positive, humble and collaborative attitude is appreciated if the people are good people. Pretentious a-holes won't value you for any of the above reasons and you shouldn't work for / with them if it can be helped.
Agree. Knowing how to be a good worker won't help you in a toxic workplace. You have to be prepared to walk away from those places and suck up whatever the consequences may be for your resume. Unfortunately, it can take several tries to find a good firm!
Earn your place by being really good a specific things. IE 3D rendering, building code, building performance metrics, making coffee. Become essential to the operation / team.