Part of the ‘write-it-all down’ path includes dealing with things head on that you’d rather internalize.
All of this began by sharing my personal path thru setting something up, exploring ideas, seeing if I can garner support – and stepping back into the arena of life online, after over a decade of radio silence.
My time to accomplish this while maintaining my residency in the Twin Cities, is running out.
If you’ve been reading any of this, firstly – thank you. You’re also undoubtedly aware that traffic here is minimal, and the free exchange of ideas that I was hoping for hasn’t really materialized.
I’m probably to blame for that, favoring organic & real exchanges over click-baiting and trying to buy affection thru giveaways. I’m just a guy, who loves the career of architecture and wants to help people. If you know me, I’m the guy that’ll jumpstart your car on a cold winter’s night in a random parking lot, or literally has helped old ladies across the street while carrying her groceries. Cliché as that might be.
I need to get back in the game, in some fashion in order to keep the lights on and support my family, and that has to happen – this month.
Programs run out in September, and housing is my largest bill. If I can’t find employment here in this collection of firms – I can’t afford to live here.
I need to get back into the career and that needs to happen by the end of August. If that doesn’t occur, I’m officially in trouble. I will be marching toward uncertainty, and not in that good way. More like that soul-crushing walk of shame that somehow I wasn’t good enough to achieve in this profession, for the second time. If you’re wondering what a ‘dark night of the soul’ is? That’s where it begins if you tug on that thread of thought.
It’s that simple. I need meaningful employment in a career I’ve given my life to, otherwise – I lose.
Jobs are peppering the boards, and things are coming back. In fits and starts. The rest of my thoughts are based on experience, and educated guesses into the industry.
A lot of these roles are based on project teams that I have limited experience in. If you’re a firm getting 300 resumes in for every position posted – obviously you’re going to short-list to the 4-5 people who best fit within the scope of the immediate need.
Shoe on the other foot? Can’t say I blame anyone for that. You’re not going to want a guy designing freezer facilities and industrial plants who came from residential (there’s a fast and cheap caveat to this – but mostly it stands up).
You have to know someone. Have an ‘in’ to pass the first gate. I’ve been a ghost – my fault.
OR I haven’t specialized and the firm with the open position has an all-in approach on software I’m not familiar with.
There are a myriad of reasons that someone doesn’t make it beyond the first gate. Judging by how the resumes that I’ve sent, tend to perform against a return email or communication – spending the last 6 years designing hotels isn’t a benefit to jumpstarting employment outside of that building typology.
I didn’t start with the knowledge of that building type, or any other for that matter. I’d argue that there’s a set of rules that go along with any project type that can be learned. (and likely can get translated into an algorithm).
Right now? The firm that I was working for is hiring – for leadership roles in Education K-12 & Workplace, and they must’ve merged with another firm – because they didn’t t have a Healthcare/Lab arm a few months ago. I’ve been ‘Specialized’ out.
Levels of experience & billable rates.
When the projects pick back up, the roles that come back the quickest are what I call ‘the doers’. The early-career keyboard warriors, with lower salaries and lower billing rates who can crank out the work and tackle the redlines.
(I’m one of these guys – except I also do the redlines, while being peppered with tech and project questions)
I came from a place where nearly everyone there was a Senior PA – and I do self-perform… I know what grinding out a project looks like.
Combining my age + Experience + Job Titles = Senior Project Architect on the AIA list.
Which isn’t the right billing rate to fit in the ‘first wave’ of profit needed to hit to keep the firm afloat. At least regionally – people don’t hire you below your pre-determined career level unless you beg. Last time this happened – I couldn’t get a gig in a lumber yard because I was over-qualified. I was broke. Levels of qualification didn’t bother me. Eating every other day, did.
This gate is usually traffic-jammed with guys my age who are going to lose everything if they don’t get a position.
I understand a firm’s position. I’d feel like crap under-paying someone just to abuse their knowledge base – but hey, bills are bills.
It’s this gate where you end up with mid-career applicants for entry-level positions, but you’ve got to take care of the family, and school shopping is around the corner. Desperation – meet limited opportunity.
Unless one has an inside track to this position – I’m not getting beyond this gate either.
Even though we’ve proven that WFA works, most of the positions being posted right now are location-dependent. Firms want butts in the chairs.
I posted the other week about how desperately I miss the free exchange of ideas and the discourse that happens in the office environment (despite creating a sound-bubble to defend against it).
You can see how I might agree with them. I know that you can get most of the way there, digitally – but the analog face-to-face is still optimal. Never send an email when you can walk across the room and have a conversation.
BUT, unless I can physically occupy a seat in the place where the position is located – I’m not getting that gig.
I’m open to relocating, but in this environment where the market is flooded with a local talent pool – I assume firms aren’t going to import talent.
As anyone else does – I have preferences, but they fall under ‘wants’, not ‘needs’.
Smaller to Mid-sized firm, with day-to-day autonomy, youth culture because I love teaching people things, and the freedom and ability to play on the edges of tech to make things better, faster, cheaper.
OR
A position on a team where my physical location isn’t a detriment to being employed. If I can do a split week in & out of an office environment, or go in for meetings, etc. That may be beneficial.
If part of your building maintenance program includes repairing bullet holes – that might not be an ideal place to pull an all-nighter.
My buddy runs an auto shop in the Uptown area. His bullet hole count is 25, and the shop has customers looking for bullet-hole repair or damage from car-jackings.
OR
Startup? A web-based startup firm that’s exploring an alternate delivery path and needs a way to translate things to functional working drawings? I’d love that.
OR
A support position, operating independently where I’m your ‘BIM model guy’ or your ‘Existing Conditions Guy’ or red-lining drawing packages so your team can keep moving.
I’ve been 3-layers deep behind the public face of a project and an ‘unknown’ outside of the project team. Its a familiar spot. I’m fine with that if it allows me the freedoms of living anywhere.
Any of these is attainable – in a world that actually has projects and momentum.
The realities of the situation, suck.
I’m not going to sugar-coat it. In the 2008/09 situation, I lost over $250k in salary by sitting on my ass and chasing every job that I could find.
I went dead broke.
Not a nickel to my name. I sold my furniture and guitars to pay rent. I moved everything I didn’t want to lose to a basement, and was preparing for a life that included sleeping in the car.
This, might not be that. More importantly it CAN’T be that. I have a family to look after. I have more at stake here than what it means to eat every other day to stretch out the Ramen packets. I survived that once – so I have proof that I can actually survive it again and how.
Right now, I have choices. I have moves I can make.
Unless something positive happens in the next month. That’s going to put into action that which I’ve been trying to avoid. I spent last night packing the non-vital items from the kitchen and bathroom, and lining garbage cans for a purge.
My time, is running short. I’ve been trying to get out in front of it, start something and get involved.
Its a tough club to get into when the cover charge is $400 with a 3-software minimum.
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