Has the idea of making a change been creeping into your mind? Feeling like the grass might be greener elsewhere? Need to get out of a rut? Or just need some new inspiration? In this profession change is not something to be taken lightly. Let’s talk about some of the things to be thinking about as you contemplate making a career change.
It’s easy to know you want a change, it’s difficult to know where to begin, understanding what you want, and knowing what to look for. It can be a daunting task to step back when you are stressed, overworked, or even burned out. Taking some time to understand yourself, your values, personal goals, and priorities can help guide you along the way. It’s about taking a step with a new company or role that is closer to your own expectations. If you apply blindly to just get out of a situation there is a high risk that you won’t be taking a positive move towards your career goals. No company is perfect, but there are ones that work better for you than others. And everyone is unique with their own set for needs, wants, and priorities. So where do you start?
Understand
It is important to understand why you are thinking of leaving and what you are looking for in your next firm or role. Are you looking for a lateral move aligned with the project types you want to work on? Are you looking for more responsibility? Or thinking about trying a position with a contractor, owner’s representation, real estate management, owner, etc?
If you are not sure what you’re looking for but want to understand yourself, try a log or journaling approach. Take the time to highlight tasks, deadlines, etc that either: excite you, drain you, or interest you. There is no job in which you will only do work that excites you. There will be some work that is just neutral, it’s just part of the job. And not all work is exciting, and there is some work that will drain you. But everyone is different. What drains me might excite you. The point of the journal is to know what excites you and to highlight common threads. You can then leverage this information to focus your goals on doing more work that excites you rather than drain you.
What might be helpful to get started is to start off thinking back over the past few months and review your calendar. Are there things you remember being really excited about doing? Was there a new project type that came in that interested you? (even if you were not on the team) This is helpful to get some information from the past, then focusing on a daily or weekly basis.
The other aspect to consider is your surroundings: the firm. Every firm is different. Even in a large firm, one office location differs from another. The firm’s vision and goals may align with yours, but maybe the firm culture is off. Is there another location you would be willing to move to where the culture more aligns with what you are looking for? If you don’t know why the current firm is a good (or bad) fit, how will you know that a future firm will work better for you? Understanding why will help you know what questions to ask in an interview or discussion with a friend at a different firm.
Some examples to ask yourself:
- Review the firm’s vision and goals.
- Are those the same standards and goals you hold yourself to?
- Do you feel the firm is aligned with their own vision?
- What is the firm’s 5 or 10-year plan? Compare this to your 5-year plan
- Project Type/Size.
- Does the work the firm does interest or excite you?
- What type of work have you done and what would you like to be doing?
- Is the current work scale too small or too large?
- Growth
- Are there leadership opportunities available for you to grow into? Or are you stuck until someone retires?
- Are you being challenged or are you bored?
- Benefits + Perks
- Benefits & perks vary with every firm, and what each person values the most is different. Having a bocce court outside is a perk. 7 paid holidays is a benefit.
- What benefits do you value most? Create a ranking because it is not a perfect world, and it is likely you must pick what you can live without.
- Talk to friends at other firms, they may have benefits that your current firm does not offer.
- Are there opportunities to work remotely? There are firms around the country in which you could be a 100% remote employee. Is that something that interests you? This opens the doors to live anywhere and apply to positions not in your area. Particularly a big deal if you are someone considering an alternative path in architecture.
Relationships
The relationships you build will help form and guide your career. You never know when a relationship you formed months or even years ago will lead to a new project opportunity, a new position, or a specialty you focus on for your career. These relationships can help you during this time. Start having conversations with others. Are there former coworkers, colleagues, friends, or college roommates that you can learn from their experiences?
You may look for another architecture firm, or you may look to see in what other industries those with an architecture background can have an impact. Once you understand why you want to transition to something new AND know what you are looking for by understanding yourself, you will know what type of questions to ask others. By knowing what interests excite and drain you, when you have a conversation with someone about a position or their firm you’ll understand if it truly sounds like an excellent opportunity.
Start reaching out to have the conversations. It is just as important to know what you are NOT looking for as it is to know what you ARE looking for. By having a conversation, you may find that you definitely don’t want to apply to that firm or try that industry. That can save you time and effort regarding applying for the position. But the conversation may also spark your interest, and sometimes you need to dive in to find out. There is no guarantee that your next job will be the perfect job for you. But if you risk nothing to learn and grow through new experiences, what risks are you willing to take?
Do You Take the Risk?
Leaving your first full-time job out can be daunting. It is all you have known regarding company structure, culture, project team dynamics, and standards. Change is hard, and there is a risk involved by taking the chance.
Here is some advice if you are looking for a change:
Are you about to be registered? If you have one exam left, a few more hours to go, or are just waiting to hear from the state, I’d recommend waiting. Many firms have payback benefits, and salary increases associated with being a registered architect. If you are miserable it may be hard, but from a business standpoint it is in your best interest to complete the registration first. That gives you more negotiation power when you look for a new position, possibly a new role, and additional responsibilities. For instance, if your firm compensates you for the price of exams once you are registered, that is money you are throwing money away. The exams are difficult and not cheap. That is compensation you deserve.
Does it meet your goals and expectations you’ve learned from logging and talking with others? You shouldn’t just take a job because it gets you out of your current firm. You need to make sure you are excited about the position and the opportunities it presents. There should always be betterment in terms of the position or at least with the opportunity. If you are just going to be doing work, that drains you rather than excites you, then you’ll be back in the same position soon. Be sure the position meets your needs too. This is the same advice if you are trying out a different industry or role than an Architect.
Brainstorm with others. Reach out to someone to brainstorm your thoughts, goals, and options. We all naturally have blind spots that we cannot see. There may be something you are missing with a new job, or a positive side toward something your current firm does that you may have overlooked. It may also lead to researching other opportunities you have not thought about yet. Feedback, opinions, and talking out loud can help you understand your own thoughts.
Always last, never burn any bridges. You can never know where your career will take you, who you will work with in the future, and what companies you end up working with or for. My advice with career transitions and changes always will review the importance of the relationships you have built. Always strive to have a smooth transition with an office and your teams.
Step back, understand, talk, and discover your blind spots.
Good Luck!
Written by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, LSSBB
