With the declining economy, I am once again reminded that it is necessary that I not take my job for granted. Architecture is a very unstable career. One year the job market will be really hot, and employers will be fighting hard to win new people. When I started my current job at Opus, that was the case. Opus would welcome new employees by buying doughnuts and bagels for everyone. When I started, we were getting doughnuts every week.
A year later things changed suddenly. In just a few months period, we went from having our last doughnut day to having our first round of layoffs. It was unexpected at the time, but we were assured it was a necessary step to get going in the right direction. It was a microcosm of a market correction. In addition, most of the people let go had reputations as slackers of sorts.
Then, a year later, there was another round of layoffs. This time it was less unexpected. There was a vibe in the office that many had picked up on. Work was slowing, and many were left with nothing to do. Another round of layoffs would be a disappointment, even to those who remained, but it would make it easier to keep people busy as the slowing work load would be spread among fewer people.
That vibe is back again. Many are sitting around with not much to do. I have personally billed far fewer hours than I am comfortable with over the last two months. Another round of layoffs seems imminent.
When an economy begins to show signs of slowing, people understandably begin looking at ways to cut unnecessary expenses. Typically, that new building they were considering starts looking like more of a luxury than a necessity. It is often the first thing to be postponed, if not cut out altogether. That leaves people like me with less to do.
So with my fifth job since my 2001 graduation looking less and less certain, I often ask myself if the career choice I made was worth it. (I should be fair, while another round of layoffs appears certain, I am relatively confident that the odds are in my favor to survive it.) Considering the level of education needed, and the energy required to become licensed (I am still working toward licensure), the compensation for the job is quite low. Couple that with the rather manic-depressive nature of the job market and I find myself wondering if I won’t wish I had taken the opportunity to find another line of work if I find myself still working in the field in 20 years. Add in the fact that most firms work like sweat-shops, demanding long hours at no additional compensation (Opus is an extremely good employer in this regard, overtime for non-management is almost unheard of, and they pay 1.0x the regular hourly salary if and when their people do work overtime), and it looks like a layoff is a great opportunity to find something that is more stable and pays better. Perhaps with my computer knowledge, I could get a job in I.T.?
Jessica has been very supportive of my future career options. She has encouraged me greatly in that if I were to find myself out of a job in the near future, she has suggested that I stay home to take care of Jude while I study for and take the Architectural Registration Exams. We both agree that a new career probably makes a lot of sense, but having the license to practice architecture would give me more options, as well as the peace of mind of knowing that I accomplished a goal I set out to achieve over twelve years ago as I ventured off to college to earn my degree.
So I press on. With the full support of my family in whatever comes my way, I take one day at a time, hoping and praying each day that I have a job to return to the next morning.