How Can Architects Survive the Recession?

(page 3 of 3)

Those forced to take a non-professional job should try aligning it with their design interests. Architects with a proclivity for hospitality projects, for instance, could get a job at a hotel. It's not the most uplifting solution, but when the recession ends—and it will—they will have experience in their area of design expertise, rather than a résumé gap. "You really have to focus on connecting the dots for people," Clark says. "Weave the story so it makes sense."

Stay involved

Ben Robbins, a Denver architect who has logged five years in the profession, was halfway through taking his licensing exams when he was let go from a small firm in October. He hasn't sat idle. In addition to completing his exams and becoming a registered architect, he's kept busy sprucing up his résumé, combing the Internet for job posts, and networking. He also is volunteering at the local art institute. "What I've really gotten into is doing student juries," he says. "It's a way to stay fresh and keep my skills polished."

For jobless architects who want to stay in the profession—and keep their spirits elevated—staying active is crucial. This could mean taking continuing education courses, preparing for exams, serving on community boards, organizing city tours, or volunteering at local schools or civic organizations. It could also mean embarking on a more personal endeavor, such as building furniture or starting a blog. Alec Heehs, a 48-year-old jobless designer in Manhattan, says he's preparing to take the licensing exams, while also helping a local nonprofit, Friends of the High Line, manage its Web site. "It's nice to be in a bustling office environment," he says.

Heehs also is attending Not Business As Usual workshops at New York's Center for Architecture, where topics include advocacy work, résumé building, and improving presentation skills. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA, principal of PKSB Architects and president of AIA New York, says the local chapter wasn't proactive enough in past downturns, when architects fled the profession. "This time we're trying to be prepared," she says. "We're trying to keep people engaged, trying to keep people involved in design and construction."

Robbins and his wife—she's a still-employed architect at a Denver firm—often joke that they spent so much time in school, and racked up so much student loan debt, that they should have become doctors. But despite the pitfalls, and the dismal job market, Robbins says he is determined to stick with architecture. "It's almost a curse, an affliction," he says of his trade, "but I don't think I would be content doing anything else."

Provided by Architectural Record—The Resource for Architecture and Architects