Random weblinks for another busy week

In the spirit of being lazy with my blog so I can be busy as hell at work, I bring you a few more links today. This week's theme is optimism, especially as it relates to architecture.

Is it finally a good time to be an architect? Maybe, says this article.

More interns are getting licensed and employed these days, or so the figures are showing.

In other news, compliments may have a similar effect on a person as giving them cash. While on the face of it, that doesn't sounds like good news, it means that your firm can't just throw money at you and hope you'll be quiet and happy--they're actually going to have to treat you like a human being. Money in the form of raises, bonuses, and additional paid time off can bost morale, but it only goes so far. Research shows that at some point, people feel like they're being bought off, and morale dips again.

Deadline after deadline...

Please forgive the recent silence, especially because it's going to be quiet here for all of May. My project has three deadlines in the next five weeks, so I'm pretty slammed of late.  (And my staff, God bless them, have been handling the relentless deadlines pretty well, even when I haven't been terribly pleasant.)  So instead of making a real post, I'm just going to post a few interesting links now and then.

Today's theme: abandonment (since that's what I'm going to have to do to Intern 101 until my deadlines are over in June):

First, actual abandoned architectural structures that look like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Speaking of abandoned buildings, this photographer takes pictures of elegant, abandoned buildings in Europe and produces some amazing images.

Then, a British mental hospital that was closed and is being turned into apartments--talk about adaptive reuse! But is this the right reuse for this type of building, especially one with a mixed history in a community?

Making the most of your yearly performance and pay review

I've written previously about what a performance review should be like here, but the topic of reviews is worth some elaboration.  There are two primary things to remember about a performance review: one, it should be a conversation between you and the managers/colleagues/people reviewing you; and two, its focus should be on the three Ps: performance, plans, and pay.

• Performance: What is your job description, and how well are you carrying out the tasks outlined in that job description?  What have you enjoyed doing in the past year?  What did you learn to do better?  What did you struggle with?  What do you need more practice doing?  What were processes, etc. that worked for you this year, and what didn't?
• Plans: Are you pursuing IDP and/or licensure?  How far along are you?  What hours are you still lacking to finish IDP?  If you're taking tests, how far along are you?  Are you planning to acquire any other accreditations (e.g. LEED AP, EDAC, etc.)?
• Pay: What increase in pay if any are you receiving?  Upon what criteria is that raise (or lack thereof) based?

That last point is one that I want to hammer home, but with a caveat.  If you want to ask for a certain level of raise, that's fine.  But you have to be prepared in multiple ways.  First, review the AIA's job descriptions and figure out which one you most closely resemble (Intern 2, Unlicensed Architect I, etc.).  Then research what people at your perceived level and in your type/size of firm in your geographical area typically earn.  (Supposedly, there are copies of the 2011 AIA Compensation Report floating around on the internet.  I wouldn't know--I paid for mine.)  Then, play a little devil's advocate with yourself--what might be the counterarguments against you getting the raise or income that you believe you've earned?  Figure out a professional response to those arguments.

I know interns talk to each other about what they make, and good on them for not keeping secrets about that. Having said that, I'm cautious of walking into a review and saying, "Well, I do the same stuff that So-and-So does, and I know she makes 10% more than I do."  You may very well hear what it is that So-and-So does a whole lot better than you, and it might not be something you want to hear. If you're willing to hear the truth and learn from it, then fire away.  (It's more acceptable to say that you're aware that some of your colleagues with very similar job descriptions and experience levels make x% more than you.)  

The main piece of advice I can give in a review is to remain professional and grateful.  Avoid defensiveness--if given an inaccurate or exaggerated criticism, respectfully disagree and ask for specifics.  If your raise isn't what you were hoping, say thank you very much and then follow it with, "It's not quite what I was hoping for--I'd like to think about that a bit and get back to you."  Your ability to be professional and have tact and diplomacy in a tense situation can be the thing that sets you apart from your colleagues, and a review is as good a time to show your skills as any.

Architecture doesn't always mean having to say you're sorry

Because a coworker has been traveling a lot lately, I've been answering questions for the intern working on her project.  This young man is learning more about healthcare,which is somewhat new to him as a project type, and he's learning more about our office's standards.  Several times a day, this bright, eager young man approaches me, taps on my desk and says, "I'm so sorry to bother you..." and then asks me a question about healthcare planning or how we do things at our firm.  I always reply, "Oh, no worries, ask me anything!" but I'm not sure he understands that I really mean that.  Because I do.

I've said many times on this blog that architects would rather you bother them twenty times a day with questions than suffer along in silence. I cannot strees this enough, even if you have several years of experience: if you are learning something new, working on a new project, working with a new person, whatever, never apologize for asking questions.  You have the right to information tht helps you do your job, no matter how basic or self-evident that info might be.  If you're worried about interrupting people a dozen times, then you may want to work as far as you can while compiling questions, then interrupt once with several questions--that's fair.  But never apologize for asking for information that helps you get your job done.

Another intern asked me a few questions regarding our upcoming reviews.  Those questions included "What should we expect for raises?" and "What do we do if we think we should have gotten more of a raise?"  The email from this intern ended with an apology for being "maybe too forthright."

Again: don't apologize for asking questions that affect your job and indeed your wellbeing.  Questions about money, job description and tasks, pay rates, and job security can affect someone's ability to concentrate on (and care about) their work.  Regardless of what field someone works in, a person should know two things: what their job description is, and what the pay typically is for that  job description.  Never apologize for asking for information tht affects your wellbeing.

People are understandably hesitant to be seen as pushy or rude at work, especially when the economy isn't exactly on fire and a new job would be hard to find if they were somehow to lose the job they have. However, there's no need to apologize when you ask for information that you need to do your job and to assess how well you're doing it.

What to do with that pesky tax refund

Many if not all of you reading this received tax refunds this year.  This is the case for most architectural interns--filling out a fairly simple tax refund and maybe only deducting for your student loan interest puts you in the running for a decent refund and the ensuing feeling of "yeah, I hit the jackpot, yo!" when you get that refund check in your hand.  It's tempting to go out and spend it, though some of the more disciplined among you might decide to pay down (or pay off) some credit card debt with it.  But I have a third option to suggest: invest it in a Roth IRA.


In an article in the Wall Street Journal section of the Sunday 4/29/12 Denver Post, readers were reminded that some recent reports from the entities in charge of Medicare and Social Security funds state that these funds are currently slated to run dry in 2033 (barring any action between now and then to stem this tide).  This  means that anyone who is under the age of 41 right now in 2012 should expect to only receive 70% to 75% of what he or she is "supposed to" receive.  While this sounds like it's a million miles away and may very well be a Doomsday prediction, it's a vital reminder that there's never a bad time to start planning for retirement.  Time is on your side when it comes to retirement planning--even a few bucks socked away when you're 25 and then left alone will make a huge difference in 30 years when you suddenly need it. (Here's a good chart that breaks down how time is on your side when it comes to investing.)


A Roth IRA is easy enough to set up at a bank, credit union, or online investment entity, like TD Ameritrade, E-Trade, Charles Schwab, etc.  Look for one that has minimal to no fees (i.e., they won't charge you management fees as long as you only make three transactions on the account per month, etc.)  You can only put up to $5,000 into it each year, and it's after-tax income (unlike your 401(k), which is pretax income and can also help you at tax time by lowering your taxable income), but when you take out the Roth IRA money in 30+ years, the government can't tax it.  Boo-yah.  Now that's hitting the jackpot.  

The 2011 AIA Compensation Report: What are the job descriptions?

A commentor last week asked what are the different intern descriptions for the AIA Compensation Report.  Good question:


Intern 1: Full-time entry-level intern on the path to licensure with fewer than two years of experience; develops design or technical solutions under the supervision of an architect.


Intern 2: Full-time intern on the path to licensure with two to three years of experience; works from the design of others under supervision, and performs routine and limited architectural assignments.  Performs specific/limited portions of assignments using prescribed methods.  Under general supervision, works from the design of others and performs routine architectural assignments.  Limited judgment is required on work details.  Assignments may include higher-level work for training/development purposes.


Intern 3: Full-time intern on the path to licensure with three to six years of experience; works under direction of others, responsible for projects' technical design, provides planning/design/coordination consultation on large projects; reviews/approves conceptual designs.  Responsible for specific technical design aspects of an assigned project including investigation, evaluation, and recommendation of design solutions.  Performs assignments under direction with limited responsibility for design.  Provides professional architectural consultation in the planning, design, and coordination of large, complex projects.  Independently makes decisions on significant architectural design problems and methods.  Reviews and approves conceptual designs.  Carries out complex or novel assignments requiring the development of new or improved techniques and procedures.




From here, we get into architects and design staff.  For example, an Architect 1 is licensed and has 5+ years experience and "exercises independent judgment in evaluation, selection, and use of standard techniques, solves problems when encountered, and receives guidance on complex projects."  The description in the Compensation Report then says that an Unlicensed Architecture/Design Staff 1 is the same definition as Architect 1, just unlicensed.  Architect 2 has 8+ years of experience and has more knowledge, more responsibilities, etc., and is licensed; Design Staff 2 does the same stuff but isn't licensed.  Architect 3 has 10+ years of experience and even more responsibilities; Design Staff 3 is the same but unlicensed.


Just before I got licensed, I was more of a Design Staff 1: I was definitely exercising independent judgment on standard questions and techniques and asking for direction on more complex questions.  Getting licensed gave me a boost in pay along with a little less supervision--I didn't have to clear every single thing I did with my boss, just the larger stuff.  Nowadays, I'm an Architect 3.  


Knowing these job descriptions is helpful because these can be used to gauge how much responsibility you're taking on versus how many years of experience you have.  It allows you to standardize (or at least begin to define) your job description even if your boss or firm has not done so.  It also allows you to compare apples to apples better, either within your firm or between you and another firm.  

Knowing your worth: the 2011 AIA Compensation Report

First of all, Happy New Year to all my readers.  I've received some good questions and post topics from some of you in the past month, and I hope to get those topics/questions posted on and answered in the next couple of months here.  


I wanted to kick the year off with a little something on the 2011 AIA Compensation Report, which was finally released for purchase in mid-December 2011.  It's available for purchase here for $249 if you're not a member and $195 if you are a member.  (A summary of the nationwide averages is here, if you're interested.)  As usual, I'm frustrated with AIA that the report is so ungodly expensive, especially for a document that is only available via emailed PDF.  By charging so much for the report, interns end up being excluded from having access to an arguably vital piece of information for our profession--the going rate for our specific experience level in our specific state or city.  


My husband and I bought it and split the cost, which I recommend all of you doing.  By doing so, we found out that my husband was on par with his colleagues and I was underpaid.  I used the information to bargain for (and receive) a good raise that put me level with others at my experience level in my geographical area.  This report could be worth having, especially if the cost is shared among a group of recent graduates or interns with little experience.  If you're looking to move to a different state or city, it's good to know what to ask for in those new locales and at your experience level.  (Regional reports are also available for $50 less than the full national report price, but I say spring for the whole shebang.)

Lulu's Mailbag: following up on some comments

I've gotten some new readers recently who posted some good questions on old blog posts.  Being that they were good questions, and being that I'm about to go on vacation and am not feeling particularly motivated to say anything fresh or new, I thought it might be helpful to post responses to these questions.  First, a question from Anthony, on this post about whether or not to go to grad school:


I have a B.Arch already, is there any need to get an M.Arch besides 20% salary boost? Just curious for an outside and well experienced view. Especially from one that has an M.Arch. 


Good question.  The short answer is no, the M.Arch probably isn't worth your time in the eyes of an employer.  If you have a B.Arch, then you already have a professional degree--you'll be required to work for the same number of hours to complete IDP as someone with an M.Arch.  The longer answer is that more than just education gets you a boost in salary.  For example, you and Intern X might work at the same firm with the same amount of experience, but you make a dollar less an hour than Intern X because he has an M.Arch.  But let's say you get licensed a year before Intern X--you keep on top of your IDP hours, make sure you get them, and don't drag your feet when it comes to signing up for and taking the exams.  In general, bam, you get a raise over Intern X.  Let's say you then decide a year or so later that you're ready to move on and you change firms.  Again, in general, bam, you get another raise over Intern X.  Suddenly, you've closed the pay gap and passed Intern X without having to add another degree.  (Also, I think there's a rule against having more than one professional degree in architecture, unless you go from a B.Arch to a Ph.D. Arch.)  Bottom line: there's more than one way to increase your pay in architecture, and an M. Arch is only one of those ways.


Next question is from Drob26, who commented on a post about being underpaid.  When I mentioned that up until about three years of being out of school, interns are mostly interchangeable, Drob26 asked:


Why is it three years of experience? Is that because that's, normally, how long it takes to get licensed or finish the IDP?


Not at all.  Technically, it's supposed to take three years to complete the IDP if all goes according to plan, but it's more about experience.  After three years in a firm, it's highly likely that you've experienced all the phases of a project at least once (or at least have passing knowledge of the phases), know how to act professionally in a firm, and are skillful with multiple types of software.  Three years of experience has given you a chance to figure out where your skills lie--planning, CA, software, rendering, code research, etc.  Also, if you've spent all three of those years at the same firm, it means you have a great deal of firm understanding--you know what the standards are, what typical details the firm uses, how the firm's drawings look, and so on.  Having those skills makes you more valuable, especially when a lot of work needs to be done quickly in a short amount of time--you know what you're doing, and no one has to train you on the majority of typical tasks for the project.


Got a question you'd like to ask or a topic you'd like to see discussed here?  Drop me a line in the comments or via email in the sidebar.  Thanks!

Putting the "perform" in performance reviews

I got a performance review at the end of 2010, which was nice since I hadn't had one since 2008. Overall, I like performance reviews, and when they're done right, they can be very useful (or even enjoyable). First of all, they serve as a great opportunity to have some uninterrupted time with you manager(s) to just talk about work: what's working, what's not, and what are some ways to improve. If you take a moment to prepare for your review, it can be a conversation that works in your favor.

Note that I said "conversation". It's true: a good performance review is a conversation, a back and forth between you and your manager(s) about your job, your career, the company, and even your manager's job and career. It's a chance to ask them for their perspective on the company and the economy as well as how they've handled the kinds of challenges that you're facing now. By making this a true conversation, you can learn things about your boss' point of view that might help you do your own job better: does she see work as something that permeates every aspect of her life? Does she buy into the "work hard, play hard", or is she interested in just putting in her time and going home?

Before you go into a performance review, have ready the answers to some basic questions:

• What do you most like doing and why?
• What were some tasks or experiences you really enjoyed or at least valued in the past year?
• What would you like to learn more about in the coming year? What do you still need some experience in (CDs, code study, CA, etc.)?
• What are some tasks you've struggled with in the past year?
• What are some problems or gaps in responsibilities/tasks that you've noticed in the office? How would you fix them?
• What were some achievements you had this year that you could point to as being positive?

As you're wrapping up, ask about doing this again in three to six months. Performance reviews are supposed to help an employee know what they're doing well and what they need to improve, and it can be hard to know how well you're doing on both of those fronts if you only get feedback once a year. Touching base more often--even if it's over lunch or a mid-morning coffee--can help you know if you're on the right track. Performance reviews are also supposed to protect companies, by the way: if you get fired for a performance problem that no one ever brought to your attention, you could sue your former employer for not giving you a chance to rectify the problem. that being said, if your manager gives you some ideas on ways to improve your performance, then you need to act on those suggestions or expect to have problems with the manager later. (If the suggestions are things you're not sure you can do for whatever reason, then now is the time to discuss them, up front with your boss, not later at the bar with your pals.)

New Year, new chances, and new challenges

Happy New Year to all my readers, and many many thanks for continuing to visit this nonsense of a blog and sending me questions. I was sent some great questions at the end of last year, and I know I need to get to them (and so I shall). As we step into this new year and say goodbye and good riddance to 2010, I do have a few observations, comments, and predictions:

1. 2011 is shaping up to be a decent year economically, but don't dare expect a good, solid recovery to 2007 levels. Here in Colorado, we've seen a sizeable uptick in healthcare and smaller movements in educational work, but it might be a while (six months, perhaps) before we see movement in other sectors. Real estate has to get moving again for some sectors to move forward.
2. That slooow increase in work should add some entry level jobs in architecture for interns, but some of you may benefit in unexpected ways from the downturn. Some of your cohorts have left the profession due to being laid off for too long, or due to being laid off from a profession that they've realized they really didn't like. Either way, depending on your market, you might be able to find a job more so than in 2009 and 2010.
3. Tired of the public debating who designs better museums, Frank Gehry will fight Daniel Liebskind in a no-time-limit MMA match on pay-per-view. I predict that Gehry will win by tapout.
4. Personally, I think some firms are going to lose people as the economy comes back, especially if those firms didn't treat their employees very well. (Some of you may fall into this category. If so, I say carpe diem.)
5. Some of you who are still at firms will find yourselves getting stretched a little thin when the work comes back but your firm is scared to hire more folks. While this can be frustrating and exhausting at times, use this lack of staffing as a reason to learn about more/unusual parts of a project and a firm and get those overdue IDP credits.
6. If you haven't had a performance review, now is a good time to ask for and/or schedule one. It's a good opportunity to ask for feedback on what you do well and what you could better as well as share your thoughts on what can make work easier and more productive for you and your colleagues.

I don't really make resolutions each year, but I do plan to learn how to set some limits and use my energy a little more wisely this year. What about you?

'Tis the season to give...and give.......and give.....

If you've been at a firm of more than five people since perhaps August, then you know what I mean by "giving at the office": once school is back in, colleagues with children bring in order forms for fundraisers, hitting up everyone from the firm partner to the copy room guy for cookie dough, candles, wrapping paper, and the like. This kind of fundraising is so prevalent that some companies forbid it. That seems a little extreme, but I can't say as I blame them. It gets to the point that almost every other week, there's an order form for something or other taped to a cabinet door in the office break room, and I'm practically praying for my property taxes to skyrocket so that we can fund these schools well enough that they don't have to resort to organized panhandling in order to support field trips and art supplies. That being said, I also like to support my colleagues, especially if it's something that I'm actually going to use--like cookie dough or wrapping paper. And school fundraisers aren't the only sort of giving that you see at an office; sometimes it's a colleague asking for donations as they participate in a charity event.

Charitable solicitations and sales in the workplace can be a great way to make up your sales fast--I've got twenty people in one place, and if ten of those people buy a container of cookie dough or donate $10 each to my 5K run for trichotillomania awareness, then everybody wins. But the process leaves your coworkers in an uncomfortable spot, especially in a smaller office: either I say yes to everybody's solicitations and find my pockets empty by the end of the month, or I say no to everybody and look like a total Scrooge, or worst of all, I say yes to some but not all the solicitations and look like I'm playing favorites. So, what to do?

The first thing I do is this: I actually have picked a few charities that I really like, that champion causes that I support and that are efficient with their funds, and then I support those charities by having them bill a manageable monthly amount to my credit card every month. They get regular support, I get to help a cause that I like, and I also get the cash back points by using the card. What this also does for me is it allows me to budget my charitable donations--I want to give x percent to charity each month, and I've done so. As cold-hearted as it sounds, this process can allow you to give to worthy causes and then legitimately say to your colleagues, "I wish I could help, but I've already spent my charitable donation allowance for the month." That will allow you to graciously bow out of at-work giving without looking like a jerk.

But not all giving at work is bad. Because I work in a large office and don't work with everybody all the time, I generally only buy from those people I know and work with on a regular basis. I'll look for something that isn't too pricey, for example, or even better I'll just make a donation. Some school fundraisers allow you to donate to send cookies to overseas military, and some allow you to simply donate an amount without having to accept any wrapping paper or whatever from them. I like both of these options because they sometimes allow you to name your price (which is handy if the stuff they're selling is out of an intern's price range), plus you don't have anything cluttering up your house when it's all said and done. (Just remember--if you say you'll donate and the money is due later and not now, don't back out on the person/cause.)

Saving for a rainy day, part 2 of 2

If you have a job right now or have managed to get a job this year, first let me say WOOHOO!!! Things are very slowly turning around economy-wise in my area, and hopefully they are doing the same in yours. I'm always heartened when I hear of someone getting a job these days or when I see job postings on job boards, whether it's the AIA or someone else's listings. If you've managed to score or keep a job as an intern, it's probably a relief to you to finally have some cash coming in so you can move out of your parents' house, or get a better apartment, pay off some credit card bills and student loans, and maybe finally splurge on that new iPhone you've been craving since you got out of college last year and couldn't have because you could barely afford to put gas in the car. And good on you--enjoy that financial relief (and new iPhone), but spare a moment's thought for your future, both short-term and long-term.

Over the past two years, my office cut my (and all my remaining coworkers') hours and pay by 10%, and we lost some other benefits as well (though our healthcare coverage remained, the costs went up). Making ends meet was a struggle, but my husband and I got through in pretty good shape and with fewer bouts of insomnia than many others in this economy. When the economy first started sliding big-time in early September of 2008 and the first round of layoffs hit my office, the hubby and I immediately cut back on our 401(k) contributions for several months so that we could stockpile easily-accessible cash into online savings accounts (which tend to have better interest rates than bricks-and-mortar banks). After we stockpiled between us six months' worth of mortgage payments on our condo, we went back to our normal levels of 401(k) contributions. At the same time, we figured out ways to cut our expenses and decided to forego a few of our usual trips and splurges. Now on the seemingly-other side of the Great Recession, we find ourselves with a nice chunk of savings to build on or use, but had one of us been laid off, we could have paid the mortgage for six months without ever having to use our unemployment to do so.

When I first began my architectural career in 2000, it used to annoy me to no end to have someone tell me to put money into my 401(k) and to chuck a little of my meager paycheck each month into an emergency savings account. Hell, I wasn't making that much in the first place, and now you want me to not have access to even more of it?! But thinking through the rainy-day point of view began to make more sense. First of all, saving for retirement was really easy for three reasons:

a) they take the money out of my paycheck before it ever gets to me, so it's not like I ever had it to miss in the first place;

b) my company matches up to a certain percent, so even if the market is crap, I put in that percentage that they match and doubled my money (and everything I put in over that matching percentage helps too, because;

c) the younger you are when you start to save for retirement, the better off you are because overall, time is on your side (investments with Bernie Madoff notwithstanding).

But saving for the short term, the rainy-day/emergency fund, is a really good idea for those just starting out. It is precisely because you don't have a lot of extra cash lying around that makes the emergency fund so important. A couple of years ago, I sprained my ankle really badly and had to go to the emergency room. Even though I had good health insurance that paid for everything I had done that day, there was still a $100 copay to get in the door of the ED. That's a big chunk of cash to drop, especially if you're just starting out and aren't making a lot. Having a little saved up can make surprise expenses--car repair, emergency room visit, trip home for a funeral, vet bill for a pet--easier to swallow.

So how much to save? I've seen different estimates on this, depending on the financial guru. The supposed "rule" is that you should have three to six months' worth of living expenses saved, but depending on your situation you could get by with more or less. I'd say aim for one month's worth of expenses saved up and go from there. And if you're paying off student loans and credit cards while all this is going on? Just get into the habit--even putting aside $20 per paycheck can help. Think about it: if you get paid every two weeks, you can save up $100--my emergency room copay--in two and a half months. That might seem like a long time, but it's a longer time if you have to put yet another surprise expense on a credit card and then pay it off at 19%.

Saving for a rainy day, part 1 of 2

During this most recent summer, I consulted on a reality construction TV show for a production company. I was excited to get the chance to work on a TV show, and I really enjoyed learning how those reality construction & remodeling shows go together. I have to say that the extra cash I earned from it was nice, too; they gave me two checks for my work, totaling a little under a grand. During a time when my entire office's pay had been cut, a little extra in the pocket sure helped. It was even invigorating, until I looked a little closer at the check.

The receipt-accounting-stub-thingy attached to the check showed that it was straight pay--no taxes or anything had been withheld. Hmm...suddenly things got sticky. If you earn money during the year, you have to claim it. And if you earn money and claim it, you'll have to pay taxes on it, especially if it wasn't taxed before. What this meant for me is that even if I wanted (or needed) to spend that money somewhere, I'm still going to have to account for having to pay taxes on it at some point in the spring of 2011. So even if I need to use that money now or in the near future, I need to set aside at least a third (probably more like 40%) in case I have to pay taxes on it. The same thing occurred to me (well, it occurred to my husband first) when I recently returned from a speaking engagement. I had been given a handsome check to cover my travel expenses and my speaker's fee, and as I looked at the check I realized the same thing had happened here--there was no sign that the non-profit had withheld any taxes on my pay. I realized that, at least for now, I was going to have to set aside my actual speaker's fee for now in case I was going to owe major taxes on this.

It would be tempting not to claim any of this income. However, each of these companies and organizations that has cut me a check and paid me for my efforts is going to claim that expense on their taxes in the spring of 2011, and that money is going to have to turn up somewhere else. While I didn't fill out a W2 for the speaking engagement, I did fill out one for the TV production company, so I'm definitely going to show up on their books. They may very well mention my social security number in their taxes, so what happens when I act like I never received anything from them? Quite possibly an audit of my and my husband's taxes, that's what. And before anyone tries to get political here, let me say that I've never seen any difference in this situation regardless of what political party is in the White House or is in charge of the national or state Congress--taxes on this kind of income is 30% to 40%, give or take a few.

I mention this on Intern 101 because I imagine that some of you have taken on extra or side jobs in order to make ends meet in this economy, much as I have. Depending on how that income was given to you, it will behoove you to consider the tax consequences of that income. Putting aside at least 30% of that windfall for a while does two things for you: one, it allows you to build up a little interest on it, depending on the kind of account you save it in; and two, it allows you not to be blindsided by the Tax Man come April.

Can (and should) interns work for free?

I found an interesting (and informative) article on the AIA's website regarding the AIA's rules regarding the circumstances under which an intern can work at a firm for free. The whole article is worth reading, but here are the six criteria that determine if an internship does not qualify for governance/protection under the Fair Labor and Standards Act:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.

4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

Fair enough, but I think there's a bigger question at stake here. As one of my friends used to say in Studio, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should--consider the consequences." Working for free tells a firm--and a profession--just exactly how much you'll work for. Furthermore, I've noticed when interns have been super-underpaid or have worked for free, it does something to their souls, even their notion of self-worth. And yes, I know interns don't make a lot, but there are some interns who are getting paid even more poorly than the average intern, and that scars you. And I know that the present intern generation is supposed to be entitled and self-centered, but a) I've yet to meet any interns that are really all that entitled and self centered (six years of studio will beat the "entitled" right out of you), and b) if you go to school for six years and work your butt off, you have earned the right to be paid a fair wage for the work you're about to do, especially if the organization for which you toil is about to profit or otherwise benefit from the work you're doing. So I do strongly urge interns to think twice--nay, thrice--before accepting an unpaid internship at a firm--never sell yourself short.

What not to ask in an interview

I apologize for the lack of posts lately; while I've become really busy in the past month and a half, this week has been extra busy. I have to travel for work during the early part of next week, so I'm having to work extra right now to make up for the lost time. Meanwhile, I love this article on six questions you shouldn't ask in an interview and wanted to share with all of you. Even I learned something in this article--it never crossed my mind, for whatever reason, that it might look rude and even lazy to ask about working from home in an interview.

We're seeing the market come back very slowly here in Denver. A friend of mine at a Denver firm put an ad for an intern on one job website and received two hundred resumes in less than one month. Some firms here in the larger markets in Colorado are hiring a couple of folks here and there, but there hasn't been a rush of hiring. How's work in your area? Are many jobs being advertised for in your city? Have you or anyone you know been able to get in for interviews?

Lulu's Mailbag: Should I relocate for a job?

Intern 101 reader Joe asks:

I’m a recent grad. From IIT in Chicago. I’m originally from Florida, I had wanted to stay in Chicago but couldn’t find a job and have made the move back home to my parents in Florida. At this point I have my degree but I’m working a job in a completely unrelated field and can’t say I enjoy it at all. I’ve come to the point of applying anywhere and everywhere. After graduating I had high hopes of staying close to design, working with an office that familiar with the IDP process, a place I can really grow with etc etc….

I’m wondering what the outlook is for reviewing a resume from someone that would have to relocate 2000+ miles, a completely different scene. Say something like Florida to Washington State.

I’ve had one interview while living in Chicago for a job in Miami, after a couple emails back and forth with the office we decided to set up an interview. It wasn’t until after I spent $319 on a flight down, a great interview, and patiently waiting for a 2^nd interview that the office decided that knowing Spanish was important(this was a topic brought up in the previous email chatter, at the time it wasn’t important at all). It was at my own expense to fly down and take the chance that I wouldn’t get the job, but somehow I feel this office flaked on its responsibility.

Excellent question, Joe, and it's one I'm sure interns everywhere are facing. First off, as an intern fresh out of school, you're not likely to get any help with interviewing or relocation costs. When I interviewed for a job with a firm in Virginia and a firm in Denver back in the spring of 2000 (when the economy was awesome and full of win), I did so on my own dime. When I accepted the job in Denver (where I still am today), I was told that interns generally didn't get any help with relocation expenses, so I had to pay for my own moving costs from Florida to Colorado. (My wallet still hurts a little from that 3-day trip.) My husband (then unknown to me--I met him on my first day at my firm) was moving from St. Louis to Denver, and that same firm offered him $1,000 in relocation expenses. Why? Three reasons: one, he had 16 months of well-rounded experience, in design, drafting, and construction detailing/CA; two, he was coming from a healthcare firm and had healthcare architecture experience; and three, it was a busybusybusy economy, and the firm needed good people fast, so it was worth their while to give an intern a cool grand to move a twelve-hour drive to help them out.

If you have little to no experience, I can pretty much guarantee you that you won't be getting any relocation help. However, being willing to move may give you a better chance of getting hired. If you're a recent graduate, then now is the time to move--I'm betting you don't have a whole lot of furniture, kids, wife, a minivan with a bad alternator, a mortgage...all those things that keep older, more settled folks from doing what you can do in your mid-20s. If you make it clear to a firm that you're willing to move and not ask them for help, you might have a deal.

However, I would do at least one phone interview (not via email) so you can ask questions and hear tone and inflection and get to know these people a little better. Job interviews are kinda like blind dates, and it's easy to sound good/appealing in email and then be horrible when you're on the phone with someone and realize that they're wooden, cranky, and can't think on their feet. If it were me, I'd also ask what kind of longevity do they see for the position for which I'm interviewing--if I'm moving from Tampa to Seattle, I'd like to know that I've got several months or even a good year that's practically guaranteed before I pack up the U-Haul. For example, if they're hiring someone to pick up slack on various projects around the office, that's a little less stable/guaranteed than if they need people to work on a major 2-year-long government building project or housing complex that they just got.

In the meantime, if you're living with your peeps and working in Florida, see how much you can save up each month. This will be handy for moving expenses, apartment down payments, etc., that is if you're not hammering down student loan debt. (You can always do a forbearance--no shame in it. I think just about everyone I know has done at least one forbearance on their student loans.)

If you have a question or a topic you'd like to see discussed here, feel free to leave it in the comments or email me at my address in the sidebar. Thanks!

What's the value of value engineering? Part 2 of 2

We've discussed the basics of value engineering, and it should be said that VE is neither good or bad in and of itself--it simply is. Projects will come in over budget and need to be brought under budget, and VE is the process through which that happens. However, it would seem that no one walks away from VE happy. Engineers complain that their systems--the ones that make the building work and make it comfortable and habitable--get cut unreasonably to the point that rooms are always freezing or roasting, or a breaker trips every time someone plugs in a fan or space heater. Architects complain that contractors always want to cut out all the pretty stuff, or that the contractor's substitution products are a crappy imitation of real quality products and they only offer those substitutions so they can make more profit. Contractors complain that architects and engineers are primadonna whiners that don't care about a client's budget because if they did, they wouldn't specify all this super-expensive stuff in the project in the first place. The design team then counters that complaint with the fact that they're trying to provide true quality in a project and trying to make sure that the client has good products in their building that will look good and provide trouble-free operations for the long haul, and contractors wouldn't know good design if it fell on their heads and if contractors had their way everything would look like a bowling shoe.

The VE process tends to get ugly.

Let's look at some good and bad examples of VE that I experienced on a hospital project a few years ago. Due to a bad initial estimate of the project combined with a volatile bidding environment and the fact that the project was located a few hours from any major market, the project came in way over budget. Here are a few of the VE decisions that we made and how they turned out.

Decision: Shelled out two of the four operating rooms, equipped a third with minimal equipment

The hospital had enough volume to warrant two operating rooms, and they wanted to be able to expand to four eventually. In the short term, they planned to use two of the four as minor procedure rooms. However, shelling out two of the four (with just drywall, a concrete floor, stubbed up plumbing for scrub sinks, and minimal airflow from the ducts) allowed the hospital to turn that area into a temporary maintenance equipment shed and repair/workroom. When the patient volume is heavy enough to warrant the two extra rooms, the maintenance crew can move out into a simple metal outbuilding, and the plumbing lines and duct mains are all ready to go--construction on building out the two rooms can take place without bothering the existing operating rooms. Also, by putting in just the supports for future medical equipment in one of the two ORs to be used, the room was still useable for a year by the staff, and when they had the funds to install the new equipment in the second OR, the equipment crew was able to install it over a three-day weekend, leaving the hospital with no downtime.

Grade: A

Decision: Changed parking lot reinforcement material and removed all raised curbs from parking lots and drive aisles

The original plan for the concrete parking lots included using a wire mesh that was located in the middle of the concrete slab, and the ends of each row of parking included raised curbs with islands for planting landscaping and small trees. A local concrete subcontractor suggested a fiber-reinforced mesh for the concrete that was closer to the surface because their experience was that concrete parking lots in that part of the country were going to crack and curl no matter what was done to it. Also, each length of curb cost a pretty penny (a special machine comes out the job site and extrudes concrete curbs), so it was best to eliminate them where possible. Also eliminating landscaping (see next item) was a major concern as well. Not having the planting islands allowed the snow removal crews to push snow much more efficiently and effectively, but the fiber reinforcing was peeling up out of the concrete within a few months of occupation, causing the concrete to crack and spall (spatter apart at the surface). The concrete had to be resurfaced within a year.

Grade: B-

Decision: Removed all landscaping from initial buildout

While scope removal is an option in some projects, it's rarely an option in a healthcare facility. Healthcare projects are very program driven--after all, it's the program that provides the services that a community so desperately needs (operating rooms, X-ray, CT scanner, trauma bays in an emergency department). In order to keep all the program in the project, the hospital decided to leave the entire site as soil with a little bit of runoff protection in place so that they could make their occupancy deadline. A month or so before occupancy, several major spring rains washed away soil (and some of the runoff protection) in torrents, and water collecting in some areas of the site were breeding mosquitoes. A year later, the hospital found a local gardener to provide some nice landscaping up near the front door, but the edge of the property towards the main roads is still rather spotty and unkempt-looking, which doesn't add to the curb appeal of the facility.

Grade: C-

Decision: Changed all casework toekicks to rubber base and removed doors and sink panels in work areas

The original casework drawings showed plastic laminate on the toekicks of all lower cabinets, which would match the cabinet faces. The casework subcontractor suggested that we use a neutrally-colored rubber base as the finish for those areas instead--yes, it would look a little different, but it would wear much better than the plastic laminate, and besides, who would notice? Also, wherever it was possible in work areas that no patients would see, upper cabinets with plastic laminate doors were replaced with open shelving with melamine interiors and shelves, and the panels that cover the piping below sinks was removed. While the workrooms themselves look a little cheap, the nurses didn't seem to mind the changes and were happier in some instances to be able to reach needed items without swinging open doors.

Grade: A-

Decision: Changed structure and exterior from steel and brick to precast concrete

This was a huge change for the project, and frankly there was a bit of luck involved. The contractor has having a heck of a time getting a good price on steel because so much of it was being used in China at the time. The contractor was also concerned about getting high-quality masons to this remote town--no one wants brick that lets water in the wall, right? Fortunately, there was a precast concrete company that was willing to cut the project team a deal on a nice-looking precast exterior and a good strong structural and roof system. This change made a difference in many ways: first of all, it allowed the design team to locate columns every 60-90 feet instead of every 20-30 feet, like with steel. Also, the concrete tees used for the roof carried an automatic 2-hour fire rating, which is required by code for hospitals over a certain size. The precast structure and exterior had an added benefit of being very durable and strong, which was important to the hospital, since it was located in a tornado-prone area. Finally, the precast could be made in a controlled environment (to assure quality) and then erected in record time on site, which allowed the building to be dried in quickly and ended up shaving two months off of the construction schedule. Brilliant.

Grade: A+

Decision: Simplified sheet flooring patterns and brands

The flooring patterns also showed a variety of fun, exuberant bubbles and circles that matched some of the architectural elements in the floor plan and in some of the drywall soffits above. The flooring subcontractor explained to the design team that sheet vinyl generally came in rolls about 6 feet wide, and in order to cut some of the floor patterns that they'd drawn, he would have to provide two to three times as much flooring material just to get the pattern to work. By simplifying the patterns, he was able to buy less materials in the first place and then make better use of the material he had to buy.

The original finish schedule showed five kinds of sheet flooring from two different manufacturers. The

contractor then found some savings in going down to two kinds of sheet flooring from one manufacturer. Overall, there wasn't much of a difference except in the room with the MRI. Equipment manufacturers require certain environmental standards for their equipment to operate, such as temperature or humidity. One of those standards for MRIs is antistatic flooring...and the newly specified sheet flooring didn't have those properties. So far, there have been no reports of the MRI malfunctioning due to a static electricity buildup, but if there is ever a problem, it could fall back on the owner to pay for a repair...which could fall back to the architect.

Grade: B

As you can see, some decisions are good ones and some are not so good. Some VE decisions are shortsighted and some truly introduce value into the project. The best overall way to approach VE is knowing what the project truly requires and then defending those basic points. For example, I had a hospital project in which the mechanical & plumbing sub wanted to reduce plumbing fixtures. However, a hospital is required by healthcare codes and guidelines to have certain fixtures for cleaning and handwashing, so in that case it's against code for me to remove fixtures In other cases, it would hamper the facility's operations--removing the toilet room from the ultrasound suite would be downright uncomfortable, as having a full bladder during an ultrasound helps the procedure be accurate (and right afterwards, the patient reeeeeeeally has to use the bathroom!). Knowing (and being really honest with yourself as a designer) about what's truly important in a project can allow VE to go more smoothly and to actually introduce value into a project.

What's the value of value engineering? Part 1 of 2

In some recent posts on the basics of bidding and negotiation (here and here), I mentioned "value engineering", or VE as it's often called. The topic of value engineering requires a post of its own, due to its inflammatory but necessary nature. The point of VE is get a project within budget, but in recent years it has become a battleground between architects and contractors.

The very phrase "value engineering" conjures up ideas of looking for good ways to save money on any project in an almost scientific fashion. After all, if electrical engineers design good, efficient electrical systems and mechanical engineers design good, efficient airflow and piping systems, wouldn't, um, "value engineers" design systems that really deliver value? Hypothetically, that's the point of value engineering: what can we do (or what product can we use) that costs less but delivers the same effect as the original design? Good VE is not terribly painful to the architect and virtually unnoticeable to the client and the project team. Often, the architect will lean first on the MEP engineers for ways to reduce costs--can we take out a few VAV boxes (that control airflow and temperature to various zones or rooms) or even change manufacturers of the more utilitarian fixtures? Then the architect starts looking at the architectural scope, at which point finishes are usually the first thing to get cut--can we find a similar-looking flooring material, or plastic laminate and solid surface material on the casework, or a different decorative light fixture that costs less than the original? Sometimes, if the cuts need to be deeper, substitutions have to be made; for example, if all the countertops were to be solid surface, then maybe only the countertops with sinks in them get to be solid surface and the rest get to be plastic laminate. Perhaps the really nice porcelain floor tile that was to be in the entryway and the entire lobby gets reduced to just tile in the entryway and carpet in the lobby.

Sometimes, the contractor can help with VE by providing suggestions, either in terms of products or processes. The contractor might be able to find a product that the architect hasn't heard of before, but it will do exactly what the originally-specified product does but for less. Contractors can find cost savings with processes and timelines. If specifying a certain brand of insulated glass in the storefront windows will get the building dried in faster because it can be delivered sooner than any other, it shorten the length of construction and be a cost savings. (Remember, time is money on a job site!) During bidding, contractors (and/or subcontractors) may substitute other materials for those specified in an effort to help the job save money. When this happens, though, it may mean that the bids aren't equal, because one tile subcontractor is bidding the exotic limestone floor tile you originally specified, another one may be using the substitution of Dal-Tile or American Olean limestone-looking porcelain floor tile in their price. (Because of this, architects and/or GCs may make the rule during bidding that "No Substitutions Will Be Allowed in Initial Pricing.")

The hardest kind of VE to engage in is reduction of project or program scope. When a project is way over budget and no real cost reduction can be made through the aforementioned solutions, the project team (with and under direction from the owner) may reduce the size of the project itself or not build it in its entirety just yet. For example, the 30,000-square foot resort and spa may be reduced to 20,000sf so that the project can still happen and keep all of its high-end finishes, fixtures, and accoutrements. Alternatively, the resort and spa may go ahead and build all 30,000sf, but perhaps they will "shell" part of the building (just put in concrete floors, bare unfinished drywall, stub up utilities, and cap or only provide basic ductwork into the space) for future buildout. Perhaps the resort and spa is 30,000sf spread over three buildings, and they will instead only build two of the buildings for now and decide to build the third building in the future.

In the next post, we'll talk about when good VE goes bad, and we'll discuss the VE decisions from an actual recent project. In the meantime, if you have a topic you'd like to see discussed or a question you'd like to have answered, let me know in the comments or drop me a line via my email address in the sidebar. Thanks!

You can't build without the benjamins--bidding and negotiation, Part 2

Design-Bid-Build is the traditional (20th-century) way of building a project, but two forms of construction have come along in the past twenty years: CM/GC and design-build.

CM/GC (Construction Manager/General Contractor)

This method is somewhat similar to design-bid-build, but it brings the contractor into the picture much sooner. Usually after schematic design or early on into design development, the call for a CM/GC goes out to construction firms. Firms review the drawings and provide bids, as they do under design-bid-build. The difference here is that the contractor is now a project team member early on, and s/he can review the drawings and look for ways to save time and money during construction. In this way, the contractor is the construction manager, the CM of CM/GC. The CM may figure out that bringing the mechanical subcontractor onto the project before CDs are finished could save money by locking in that fee, or perhaps by having the architect produce a structural and foundation package before the rest of the CDs could shave time (and therefore money) off the project. For example, on one project I worked on a few years ago, the CM/GC figured out that if we went to a precast concrete structure and exterior instead of a steel structure with brick exterior, we could save $200,000 plus two months off of the construction schedule.

The CM/GC can put the DD set out to bid to various subcontractors (playing the part of the general contractor, or GC), which can help the owner and architect figure out if the project is under budget and where VE might need to take place. This process can be helpful ultimately; because the costs and budgets have been reconciled before the end of CDs arrives, then construction can start on time (granted, of course, that the project makes it through the building department in a timely fashion). CM/GC gets used on a lot of big institutional projects, such as schools/colleges, hospitals/healthcare, and large multi-use buildings (with retail, hospitality, and residences in them). Sometimes, though, when the budget is really tight, CM/GC can feel like design-build.

Design-Build

In both design-bid-build and CM/GC, both the architect and the contractor are separate entities that work for the owner--they each sign a separate contract with the owner, and they get paid by the owner. However, in design-build, the architect works for the contractor and is paid by the contractor, who has one contract with the owner for design and construction services. This arrangement takes the CM/GC arrangement to another level, in which the contractor and architect are working together from the start to make sure the project is buildable and on/under budget from the start. Some owners like the idea of just having the one contract; in a way, it's like one-stop shopping for a building project. Some design-build firms are the product of working with a developer. In this way, if a developer wants to build a neighborhood or a mall or an office/retail complex, s/he can do so very easily with his/her design-build firm quickly brought on board. Sometimes, architecture firms and contractor firms will go after large institutional projects with each other as a one-time design-build group, again in order to show the owner that they can get the job done quickly and on/under budget. The downside of the design-build arrangement that I've personally seen happen is that a dissenting voice during construction is missing. When the architect is beholden to the contractor (because that's who's cutting the architect's checks!), it's a lot harder for him/her to speak up about a badly-built detail or a short-sighted VE decision. In a good design-build relationship, the contractor isn't afraid of hearing "yow, that's a bad idea" from the architect. Sadly, I've yet to see firsthand (or even secondhand) a good design-build arrangement, but I'm sure they exist.

In both CM/GC and design-build arrangements, the bidding and negotiation happens in two phases: first, the contractor bids on the overall project; and second, the contractor gets bids from and signs contracts with the various subcontractors. I highly recommend getting a copy of the project estimates from a contractor on whatever project you're working on, as they're quite educational. Contractors generally break down the costs of a project by CSI spec division (concrete, masonry, steel, doors and windows, drywall and interior framing, painting, etc.) It's pretty informative to see what it costs to build a building, and you can ask your manager or the contractor directly if these costs are line with what they're seeing on other projects.