Showing posts from category: Architecture Careers
Architecture offers promising growth opportunities for those who continuously learn and develop their skills. There are several paths for career advancement within the architecture profession, including:
- Obtaining licensure: Becoming a licensed architect opens up opportunities for career advancement, such as taking on leadership roles in firms or starting your practice.
- Pursuing specialized knowledge: Architects can pursue technical expertise in sustainable design, historic preservation, or healthcare design, leading to new career opportunities and higher salaries.
- Advancing to management or leadership roles: Architects can progress to management or leadership roles within firms, which can involve overseeing multiple projects or teams.
- Pursuing academic or research roles: Some architects seek educational or research roles in universities or research organizations, which can involve teaching or researching new design technologies and strategies.
- Starting their practice: Architects can start their practice and be free to take on the types of projects they are interested in and build their brand.
Overall, the architecture profession can provide numerous opportunities for growth and advancement. Still, it requires a commitment to continuous learning and staying up-to-date with new technologies and trends in the industry.
Whether you are in architecture or another industry, workers
today are finding advantages to switching jobs periodically rather than
remaining with the same company over a lifetime. From bigger paychecks to
higher positions, the benefits of mobility cannot be understated. However, the
way you move from one job to another speaks volumes about your professionalism
as well as your capacity for working well with others. Consider these five tips
to help you change architect positions without burning bridges.
The Time Factor
Giving notice is usually the first step toward moving up and
on. However, how you handle your notice will make a significant impact on how
your current employer views you once you are gone. While two weeks is the general
rule for resignations, you may need to give time depending on your specific
situation. The primary goal is to make the transition from you to your
replacement as smooth as possible without sticking around long enough to make
people feel awkward. When deviating from the two-week guideline, it is not
usually advisable to change that by more than a week either way.
It’s Not What You Know
You know the adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you
know.” Every architect position you hold gives you the opportunity to build
your professional network. You likely have some potentially valuable
connections at your current company, which may prove beneficial in the future.
Take the time to nurture those relationships before and after you switch
companies and be sure to keep your contact information current in case previous
contacts need to be in touch with you.
You Can’t Take it With You
Some things you should leave behind when you leave your
position, such as company data, clients and fellow employees. Soliciting
clients or employees is not an admirable practice and may be a violation of
your contract. Take steps to separate your personal information from the
company data file to avoid any suspicion of impropriety as you move to your
next architect position. An attitude of transparency will make the difference
in leaving your current employer on good terms.
Tie Up Loose Ends
At the same time, you also want to make sure you don’t leave
any loose ends as you walk out the door. Personal belongings should be taken
home with you as soon as you give notice. CNBC
recommends you transfer benefits like your 401k as well. You also want to arrange
to extend your healthcare benefits if your insurance coverage at your new
company does not become effective right away.
Interview at the End Like You Did at the Beginning
Many companies have an exit interview at the end of an
employee’s tenure. While this might seem like a tempting time to raise concerns
or voice complaints, it is always best to keep this meeting just as
professional and positive as your first interview was with the company. If you
do have issues to bring up, do so in a positive way – in the interest of
creating a better environment for your replacement and others.
Architecture Careers
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Successful architecture careers don’t happen by accident. Just like well-designed buildings, they’re the result of careful planning.
While there are countless metrics you can consider when going about this planning, one of the most important is the city within which you’ll work.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the three best cities in the country for professionals who are serious about pursuing successful architecture careers.
We based this list on the all-important factor of salary but also on other unique traits worth considering.
1. Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia is one of the best states for architects, so it should come as no surprise that many point to its capital as the best city for this profession.
Even though Atlanta is home to countless high-paying careers, architects are among the top 50 best-paid. Architectural managers even crack the top 20, alongside lawyers, several doctors, and even physicists.
Of course, Atlanta also has an impressive history of hosting incredible buildings from a number of different styles, so you won’t be lacking for inspiration. That said, you won’t be lacking for competition, either. Atlanta is home to a few award-winning architects, though that also means plenty of impressive firms looking for new talent.
2. West Palm Beach, Florida
Located about an hour-and-a-half north of Miami, West Palm Beach has plenty going for it aside from the incredible weather. On average, the highest-paid architects in the country call West Palm Beach home. That average salary is an impressive $120,380 a year. Florida does not have a State income tax either.
The city is also full of architecture firms – well over three dozen of them – so you shouldn’t have too much trouble beginning your job search.
Many world-class architects choose West Palm Beach for their headquarters because there is no lack of developers with large budgets who appreciate beautiful designs.
The city also attracts talent from across the world for the same reason. As just one example, look no further than the $100-million expansion of the Norton Museum, which was designed by Norman Foster, a winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
3. Chicago, Illinois
For our third spot on the list, we head north to the Windy City. Chicago’s history as a city of architectural wonders probably began in 1893 during the World’s Fair. It debuted the first ever Ferris Wheel but also brought in some of the time’s most prominent architects to contribute their talents.
Though only one major structure survived, Chicago’s tradition of welcoming incredible architects has carried on. Over the years, famous architects like William Le Baron Jenney and Frank Lloyd Wright have all left their mark on Chicago.
Modern architects looking to do the same won’t be disappointed. While the pay isn’t as much here, the cost of living is also much lower, meaning your salary will stretch a lot further.
Work with Experts Who Specialize in Launching Architecture Careers
Want more help getting your career off the ground?
At Consulting For Architects, we specialize in both project placement and permanent placement for professionals who are dedicated to pursuing successful architecture careers. If you’d like the help of an experienced team of experts, please feel free to contact us today.
No matter what you hope your destination will be, if you want to make a career out of architecture, it’s going to start with an entry-level job.
While that may not seem quite as exciting as your long-term goal, entry-level architecture jobs have a lot of potential if you know exactly how to approach them.
4 Ways to Make the Most Out of Entry-Level Architecture Jobs
Finding out you’ve been hired for your first architecture job is an absolutely incredible feeling.
However, don’t forget about the following four ways people have successfully taken full advantage of their entry level-architecture jobs, so you can make the most of this opportunity.
1. Consider the City the Job Is In
If you’re still applying for jobs, be sure to consider which city those jobs are in. Ideally, you want it to be a great city for architects, so you’ll be surrounded by opportunities.
That said, no matter where it is, brush up on your networking skills. This will help you on the job (more on that in a minute), but it will also go a long way toward helping you eventually find an even better role if you use these skills within your local industry.
2. Firm Up Your Soft Skills
Your duties as an architect include more than just preparing drawings and structure specifications.
Success will also depend on your soft skills, which include proficiency with:
- Team-building
- Communicating
- Problem-solving
Look for every opportunity in your entry-level role to sharpen these skills and the road ahead of you will become much easier.
3. Come Up with a 90-Day Plan
Every entry-level employee should come up with a 90-day plan to hit the ground running. This is especially true in architecture, though. You should also have a plan for the first week and the first month.
For example, during your first week, meet everyone on your team, department, or inside the entire firm, depending on its size. Become 100% clear on what your responsibilities are, too.
Over the first 30 days, finish meeting everyone if you haven’t already. Make it a point to ask at least one question a day, provided you genuinely don’t know the answer and you’re not slowing down your coworkers. It’s vital that you learn as much as possible.
During the first 90 days, you should look for a “mentor.” This doesn’t have to be an official capacity, but get a sense for whom – aside from your boss – you can learn the most from and keep asking them questions.
Of course, if they ever need help, go out of your way to repay their kindness.
Want Help Finding the Best Entry-Level Architecture Jobs?
As you can see, entry-level architecture jobs can be so much more than just an opportunity to get your foot in the door.
When you take the right approach, they can become a real launching point for the rest of your career. You may even be surprised to find just how quickly the above advice can bring you to your next step.
Of course, long before that happens, you need to land that first position. That’s where we come in. At Consulting For Architects, Inc. we’ve helped people just like you land their first jobs. Contact us today and let’s talk about how we can help you with your specific goals.
Congratulations on your recent graduation.
It probably feels pretty amazing to have that degree.
Of course, the longer you go without using it, the more that degree is going to become an irritating reminder. So, let’s look at four of the best architecture careers you can start pursuing right away.
The 4 Best Architecture Related Careers to Get Started in Right Now
The field of architecture is at least as broad as it is old. As such, it’s probably fair to say that there are countless architecture careers out there for you to consider.
However, the following four fields will give you plenty of diverse options beyond the traditional versions. Best of all, each features plenty of job openings throughout the country.
- Landscape Architect
Landscape architects are responsible for planning and creating landscapes, which can include manmade features, as well. Oftentimes, landscape architects need to collaborate with others, so that their creations complement buildings that will share the same environment (and vice versa).
This career may also involve the long-term care of the landscape, as well. This is when a talent for the natural sciences is very helpful.
- Urban Planner
While urban planners and architects are not the same thing, the former relies on the latter. In fact, many architects make a career out of leveraging their skills specifically to help with urban planning.
As a huge part of this field involves the buildings in urban environments, it requires an architect who’s able to take the resources available (including money and space) and make the most of them. An architect who becomes proficient at this will never be long without work.
- Architecture Journalist
Architecture is such a massive industry that it requires an equally impressive army of journalists. Unfortunately, most journalists don’t have a very good understanding of architecture. They might be able to cover the topic for those outside the industry, but their lack of knowledge wouldn’t go unnoticed by those who depend on a high-level expertise for a living.
If you understand everything from the vocabulary unique to architects to its history and current trends, you’ll be a priceless asset as a journalist for this industry.
- Architectural Historian
Finally, if you have a passion for history and architecture, you will be uniquely qualified to become an architectural historian.
In short, as an architectural historian, your job will involve advising restoration projects aimed at buildings of historical significance. This often involves researching the building to better understand the materials and methods that were used to build it.
Want an Expert’s Help Considering Architecture Careers?
While we hope that the above list of possible architecture careers is helpful, we know that this decision is a big one and you may want some help with it.
At Consulting For Architects, Inc. Careers we’ve helped recent graduates just like you with this important next step, ensuring that they find jobs which fall in line with their interests and career goals. Contact us today at (212) 532-4360 or [email protected] to learn more about how we can help you do the exact same thing.
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Happy architects? Today, we are.
Architecture & Interior Design Careers – Why are we happy architects today? This is the best time to consider a career move in the last 30-years. Firms are exploding with projects and cannot fill their opening positions. Everyone is competing for people from the same talent pool. Engineers are in even higher demand. Happy Friday, happy architects!
Employers Ask. They All Got Jobs.
6 Crucial Ways to Repopulate Your Workforce
Introduction
Unemployment rates are still uncomfortably high across the nation, there is a misperception that architectural talent must be plentiful, but for specific experience, the exact opposite is true. The shortage is so acute that it has been associated with a rise in offshoring, a bidding war and comparisons to college recruiting. To secure the architecture talent they need, hiring managers must adopt a competitive hiring strategy or lose to someone who does.
Architects had to get even more creative after the economic recession that began around December 2007. The built-in versatility from their studies in areas such as civil engineering, math, art history, and physics positioned them well for thinking outside the box. Jumping ahead seven years, the demand for architectural talent in the wake of the recession has re-stabilized, but talent availability lags behind. No hiring firm could have possibly predicted this rapid shift. To remedy the imbalance between supply and demand, hiring firms must shift their perception of what is viable and consider potential candidates on more realistic criteria.
Supply and Demand
Within the last 10 years, supply and demand in the architecture industry have moved in opposite directions. Uncertainty about capital access discouraged building development, leading to dormant projects and a lack of ambition in both the commercial and residential markets. In 2012, a study by Georgetown University revealed that architecture graduates had experienced the highest rate of unemployment (13.9%) when compared to other fields. Prior to the recession, this problem was not nearly so pronounced.
The Recession’s Effect
The poor economy challenged architects to get creative. According to the Department of Labor, 39,900 jobs were lost in 2010 alone. Architects were forced to think flexibly in order to sustain a livelihood and many did. For example, take 26-year-old architect Natasha Case: she was laid off from a prestigious position at Walt Disney Imagineering. Within a year, Case developed a homemade mobile ice cream business with a friend. Flavors were inspired by architecture. One such flavor was the “Frank Behry,” named after renowned architect Frank Gehry. The startup was such a hit that Case’s former employer, Walt Disney Imagineering, became a customer.
Case is not the only person who resorted to new endeavors during the recession. After years of uncertainty, architects have settled into new careers both in and outside of the industry, leaving the talent pool depleted.
Demand is Rapidly Growing
As the architecture industry attempts to bounce back from economic instability, the landscape has changed significantly. According to MNI News, hiring firms in New York, Los Angeles, and North Carolina report explosive growth; the American Institute of Architects released a billing index in August 2014, showing its highest growth rate since 2007. There are no signs of this pattern slowing.
Industry spending is projected to increase by 10 percent for non-residential construction in 2015. Kermit Baker, chief economist at the American Association of Architects, attributes this growth to more capital access and recovering business confidence.
Institutional projects, which were sluggish in early 2014, are generating growth as well, with public, private and charter school projects popping up in New York City, Long Island, and beyond. Better access to capital has allowed for the renewal of projects that were once dormant, and for the launching of new ones. The Housing Studio, an 18-year-old firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, is billing at its highest rates.
According to the Federal Reserve’s economic forecast, growth is expected to rise 3 percent in the second half of 2014, followed by another 3 percent in 2015. At the same time, the national unemployment rate is projected to fall to 5.5 percent in 2015. Design projects are regenerating, demand snowballing nationally, and architectural demand outpaces supply.
The Talent Pool
Like Natasha Case, many architects have scattered into new industries since the recession. Architecture graduates have been forced out of the field due to a lack of opportunities and inadequate levels of experience.As many hiring firms know, several factors must fall into place for talent to be hired for a project. Candidates are expected, at a minimum, to be proficient in design software, have at least three to seven years of experience in a specific type of work, be eligible to work in the U.S, and be a good cultural fit. The rise in both residential and commercial design projects in 2014 qualified architects, who are still in the talent pool, simply cannot meet the demand.
On top of this, federal and state laws provide a slew of other obstacles for hiring firms to secure the right candidates. Even small firms must comply with the requirements laid out by the Affordable Care Act and the Department of Labor and Homeland Security. Further complications arise when determining exempt vs. nonexempt employees, contractors and overtime eligibility. Considering this myriad of complications, it is no surprise that firms are experiencing an imbalance of supply and demand.Aside from this, cultural changes have caused Millennials to leave their firms after an average of just three years. This puts an extra layer of pressure on firms to continuously cycle through the recruitment process. Retention levels have dipped due to this shift toward a freelance-style career.
In combination, these factors lead to significant stress and a continuous lack of stability at firms, who must constantly process recruitment materials and decide on new candidates. A simple attitude adjustment by hiring firms is necessary for the industry to regain its economic footing. This does not refer to a lowering of standards but rather an expansion in considerations during the hiring process.
In Order to Compete for Quality Talent, Hiring Firms Must Be More Flexible in 6 Crucial Areas:
1. Experiential Requirements
Considering the sluggish pace at which design projects progressed in recent years, newer architects were unable to acquire extensive experience in various areas. With larger commercial projects handed off to established architects, those with less experience are continuously overlooked.
2. Cultural Fit
While a person’s character and their ability to mesh with current company values are important, the decision to hire should primarily be determined by the candidate’s ability to execute the design. Assessing perfect cultural fit is generally a matter of opinion, best made flexible during times of talent shortages.
3. Compensation
Considering the level of competition currently face by hiring firms who are in need of talent, flexibility in compensation is crucial. Approaching candidates confidently with a reasonable figure will motivate them and assure them that they are in the right place.
4. Hiring Time
Architects are at an advantage as the industry currently stands. When the correct candidate is found, hiring firms should work to reduce the time between the initial meeting, and the extension of an offer; under lengthier circumstances, architects may move on to other available firms.
5. Employment Duration
While it may be frustrating for both firms and architects to be floating in a sea of uncertainty, this post-recession period of adjustment are unavoidable. It’s worth considering a candidate regardless of the amount of time he or she plans to stay with a firm, and the training time required.
6. Project Placement
In a talent shortage such as this, it may not be feasible to have every employee working as a full-time staff member. While it may sound like a hassle, temporary employees can provide the extra energy burst needed to push a project beyond original expectations. These employees could also serve as a more objective third party with unique backgrounds and perspectives while stabilizing the peaks and valleys associated with architectural practice.
Conclusion
As projects slowly resume and capital becomes available, a full recovery from the recession is in sight. The final puzzle piece involves architects being reacquainted with hiring firms. At least a few decades will pass before for the talent pool can catch up with demand. With many senior architects out of the game for good, and waves of graduates who’ve yet to mature, this problem won’t diminish anytime soon.In order to bridge the gap, hiring firms must be willing to adapt. If the above changes are implemented, hiring firms will be better able to thrive in the industry’s current climate.
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