Another architect bites the dust

[Archigeek]

Company laid off another 13 today, bringing the office staff total down from 135 at peak to about 85, and I'm one of them. Not going to be easy to find a job in a profession with a 40% unemployment rate, but I know some people and have a shot at one good oportunity at least. Wish me luck!

[kookiegod]

Company laid off another 13 today, bringing the office staff total down from 135 at peak to about 85, and I'm one of them. Not going to be easy to find a job in a profession with a 40% unemployment rate, but I know some people and have a shot at one good oportunity at least. Wish me luck!

Ugh, sorry bro. You'll do well though.

~Paul

[Archigeek]

Yeah I've got some decent connections, I think I'll be fine, though my career might take an interesting step. Have a friend who's starting a new company, hope to catch on with him on the ground floor.

[AnticorRifling]

Sucks man. Just make sure you put proper effort into finding the new job and you'll do well.

[Keller]

I am sorry to hear it.

Good luck in your search.

[oneillseanm]

I can relate to your situation. I'm an architect as well and was laid off a year ago. The company I was in had 15 employees and now it has 5 that only work 4 days per week.

My unemployment has been great, though. I've been receiving unemployment pay that's almost to-the-penny as much as I was getting in wages. Since there aren't ANY architecture jobs out there (I've seen THREE job postings in the state of Washington in the last year), I've basically just gotten to hang out for a year. The free time allowed me to start playing GS again after a seven-year break.

Interestingly enough, I've actually got a job interview today. I'm not sure if things are turning around here in Seattle or not, though. I just happened to talk to the right guy at the right time.

Good luck to you.

[Parkbandit]

I can relate to your situation. I'm an architect as well and was laid off a year ago. The company I was in had 15 employees and now it has 5 that only work 4 days per week.

My unemployment has been great, though. I've been receiving unemployment pay that's almost to-the-penny as much as I was getting in wages. Since there aren't ANY architecture jobs out there (I've seen THREE job postings in the state of Washington in the last year), I've basically just gotten to hang out for a year. The free time allowed me to start playing GS again after a seven-year break.

Interestingly enough, I've actually got a job interview today. I'm not sure if things are turning around here in Seattle or not, though. I just happened to talk to the right guy at the right time.

Good luck to you.

And this is the problem with the handout programs.

You basically got to hang out for a year, playing GS.

Awesome.

[Keller]

And this is the problem with the handout programs.

You basically got to hang out for a year, playing GS.

Awesome.


And we got to pay for it.

Yippee.

[Kuyuk]

Shitty news :(

[Sean]

Of all the Architects I know who got laid off the only one who had problems finding employment (who didn't do what oneillseanm did and float for a year on unemployment) was a friend who insisted on staying in a parametric modeling field instead of doing more traditional architecture.

I think we had this discussion before, I got lucky to latch on with a 12 person firm who found ways to weather the storm and didn't lay anyone off. Although we did have a reduction in hour for a few months at one point and have pay freezes. But we did got yearly bonsuses so that was nice at least. I don't know the situation out in middle usa but these are the type of firms I see surviving around here instead of everyone who works for SOM, KPF, Rosen, etc. Basically I'm not really to concerned about the industry so long as you don't work for a large firm like you were.

I wish you the best of luck of luck man in finding your next job at least in our profession you can freelance under the table on the side and collect unemployment if you want to optimize your earning power which would actually probably get you more than you were making before.

[Drew]

Bad news. Take a week off and then get out there and pound some pavement.

[oneillseanm]

And this is the problem with the handout programs.

You basically got to hang out for a year, playing GS.

Awesome.

At least I was using the money for the intended purpose of supporting myself while I find another job. I spent the majority of my time during the last year doing everything I could to get work. There hasn't been any, so I haven't gotten anything. Most of the people I know who are receiving unemployment pay are using it to do what I assume you assume I did - hang out all day on someone else's buck. When unemployment pay is used as intended it seems wonderful. It's been an enormous boon to me that's saved me from I can't imagine what. And it's not like I didn't pay into unemployment before I was laid off.

Edit:


Of all the Architects I know who got laid off the only one who had problems finding employment (who didn't do what oneillseanm did and float for a year on unemployment)...

This is the notion I was trying to dispel. In my original post I made it sound like I was a loaf. I wasn't and I worded the post wrong. I worked my ass off trying to get a job. I wasn't limiting my job search either. I tried in related industries, even for jobs pounding nails. There isn't anything, however, so I ended up being unemployed for a really long time.

Edit 2:

Sorry for hijacking the thread.

[oneillseanm]

To the person who left this anonymous rep comment:

Another architect bites... 03-11-2010 02:26 PM for this: The free time allowed me to start playing GS again after a seven-year break.
Please refer to my previous post. Hopefully that clears it up. Aside from that, though - I don't care how hard a person searches for a job; when you go from working 10 hours each day to working 0 you're going to have some free time on your hands. I don't see anything wrong with picking up a leisure activity or two.

[Archigeek]

Around here, most of the out of work architects I know have been out of work, OR under employed doing something else, for a year or more. No, let me correcct that, ALL of the out of work architects I know are in that situation except two, and one of those two got a temp job and then was laid off again, and the other is short of a year by 3 months, and is about to launch his own firm.

It's just a particularly hard hit profession during this recession, that's all there is to it. The rate of unemployment here in Minneapolis amongst architects is 40%. Compare that to the 10% the rest of the world is dealing with, AND consider that just about every firm has implemented reduced hours for their remaining staff as well as salary freezes. It will come around eventually, but in the mean time a person has to work twice as hard to find any sort of work, and is probably not going to find it in the field of architecture for a while, unless they have a good connection. I have one connection with a guy who's starting his own company and just signed a memorandum of understanding to do some work for some people. Hopefully he has enough work that I can join him.

As for unemployment insurance, I guess Washington's got an awefully nice program. I thought ours was nice here in Minnesota, but it doesn't pay even enough to make your house payments and eat and heat. I prepare for this sort of thing though, so I'm good for a year if I need to be.

[Kuyuk]

I prepare for this sort of thing though, so I'm good for a year if I need to be.


But are you prepared for that - and zombies too?

[Stanley Burrell]

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5158/thearchitectmatrix.png

[Archigeek]

But are you prepared for that - and zombies too?

Only if they take credit.

[Ker_Thwap]

I know little about the architect world, but are the online home plans available impacting the industry a great deal, or is the home market only a portion of what you do?

[Victor Mancini]

I hope you find a job soon (I hope your friend is the next Bill Gates!).

Your first post made me think of Art Vandelay (just the architect part, but when I actually read your post that went away).

People are building and building and you have a kicka$$ background. I hope you find a great and even better job! Come over here to Japan and build me a giant building that is 9.0 earthquake-proof. I would like that very much, Sir! Bye bye.

[Archigeek]

I know little about the architect world, but are the online home plans available impacting the industry a great deal, or is the home market only a portion of what you do?

Residential is only a small part of architecture. I have only done a few residential projects. Almost all of my work has been commercial: retail, manufacturing, cold storage, museums, and one jewel of a meditation center.

[Parkbandit]

Your first post made me think of Art Vandelay (just the architect part, but when I actually read your post that went away).


He's an architect? I thought he was all about latex?