My boss wants us to keep up with the "cutting edge" of residential architecture.
his point is that we (the intern architects) should attend every home show, parade of homes, AutoCAD club meeting, you get my drift. He thinks we should do all of this on our own time and money.
Now, since we never get to design a project here, only draft, I think this should be treated as OJT....what about you?
I'm in a pissy mood today and want to know if my head is on straight or what?
Your boss gives you good advice that you failed to think of on your own and should you bother to take his advice it won't actually benefit him any and you want him to pay for it?
You have a problem with this?
Well...there are a couple of ways of looking at this. The first one, is that if I'm going to be an architect (and I'm making an assumption from your post here) I would want to learn all I can. Therefore, I'd be doing those things on my own time anyway. In fact, that is exactly what I did...
The other way is that you think your boss should pay for it because you think its to his benefit (see gruhn's post). It might very well be to his benefit to have you better "trained." So... if you don't like it, don't do it. If he doesn't like your attitude he may fire you. He may give you more crap work. Hey may be looking and thinking you're a slacker because you do none of these things and have no self motivation. You're just a "drafter," right?
Sure...it can be treated as such.
No...you're head is screwed up. First, the guy doesn't owe you anything except for what you've agreed to do. Second, if you don't like it, get another job...or better yet, do what it takes to be your own boss. It's up to you... but then again, you're just a drafter.
yeah, what a sorry post.
I really do try to keep up, the cost of sitter and entrance fees was getting me down last week. Hence the stupid post. I am actually a very hard working individual with lots of responsibility and I am generally very appreciated by my employer.
I also usually work in access of 60 hours a week. That is a lot of time for a salaried employee (with a young son) I guess I just thought it would be a nice perk, and still do, but after some rest this weekend and all of your helpful comments and judgments, I also see that I am being totally unreasonable.
For those how suggest I leave my job..... There are LOTS of aspects of my job that I do like. MY boss happens to be very protective about design and only HE is allowed to do so. I know someday I will have to go elsewhere to finish my IDP but that is not now. My son is not healthy and I cannot risk losing my insurance.
Some of you think I should "get out or quit complaining" but I thinks it's ok to complain occasionally.
In the end My boss has agreed to let me go during my lunch hour, extending it as necessary, and take home more work over the weekend. This is a great compromise, and I can work at home while my son does homework over the weekend, and not have to pay a sitter.
I know I should not care what any of you think, but I find it painful that many of you took time out to spit on a lowly draftsman. I do not have the experience yet to go out on my own. I am responsible for much more that drafting in my office, and have been defined as "invaluable" by my boss, who depends on me a lot. I'm just not allowed to present designs. Neither are the 5 draftsman who I manage.
anyway, thanks for straightening my head. It really was just a suck ass day. jo
thanks don.
jojo...
You sort of opened yourself up again in your response. If you are invaluable to your employer, then you're not getting paid enough. He sees you as a cash cow...you work hard for not enough pay and he likes that. Have some backbone. Sit down with him and say "Look, you've told me I'm an important part of this firm. I appreciate that. I'm happy you're happy with my work. But I've got some concerns. First, I'm working towards licensure. I can't do that without a broad range of experience. I need to have opportunities to get this experience here, or eventually, I'll have to go elsewhere to get it. Second, I'm salaried and working 60+ hours a week. When I was hired, I took the job for X/year, which works out to Y/hour for
40 hours. Now, I'm working 60 hours and making Z/hour. Z/hour isn't enough. I really need to be closer to Y/hour." IF you're worth what you seem to think your boss thinks you're worth, then you'll have a productive conversation.Example: I knew an architect who had stayed at the same firm and same job from the day he graduated from school. The IDP and NCARB licensing wasn't a big deal then, so getting is license wasn't tough. But he never went to his bosses and asked for different tasks, more money or anything. He sat in his cubicle and designed hospital labs (just the rooms), school labs (just the rooms) and was board to death and underpaid. His wife whined about the terrible life of an architect and how you'll never have any money. It was his own darn fault....
How do I know this? Because I'm working for myself making a decent living doing interesting stuff, including having time to waste on Usenet. It's your life. You control it. If you don't, don't complain.
I think it was they complaining that got to most of us...because most of us here are the type that have taken control of our lives.
"3D Peruna" wrote in news:6nb6f.13940$ snipped-for-privacy@fe03.lga:
FWLIW - heck, I'm just a layman and a renter, but I enjoy going to those things, and catching the "what's new" segments on tv, and so on, just because some of the stuff is really neat. I also really like getting brochures, cutting out pics, and getting all sorts of references - my new computer will be here in a couple days, and I'll be able to use all the clippings and brocuyres as reference material for modeling - and, as of yet, I don't even get paid to do this modeling; I do it because I love it, and am excited about it, and want to continue improving as long as I can - age is no barrier to enthusiasm and the enjoyment of discovery ;) .
But even when working for pay, one *still* has to continue being a life- long learner, otherwise one becomes "Windows3.1 in the XP era". When a company decides to lay people off, the first ones to go are the people who haven't learned much of anything new since they were hired (and tend to be the clock-watchers). So, if nothing else, life-long learning is a survival strategy. It's also a health strategy - it's been shown that people who are constantly learning new things as they age (as opposed to sitting aorund being bored) are significantly less likely to suffer from things like Alzheimer's and depression, and their accompanying health problems.
Also, if attendance at admission-fee-required events is required by one's job, wouldn't the associated costs be tax-deductable...? Personally, I'd love to be able to attend such things and take a deduction for it
I dunno about AutoCAD clubs, tho'; it'd depend upon the members and the degree to which actual teaching/learning and info-sharing does or doesn't occur. There are also forums (?fora?) on-line for pretty much anything/everything, so those are often interesting and very useful. The folks in forums tend to be helpful, from what I've seen.
That's a good point, Gruhn.
Grumblers/complainers in *any* field of endeavor end up "shooting themselves in the foot" so to speak.
And the boss' request might also be a test. Maybe he is actually trying to weed out those who lack enthusiasm - that's a scenario I've certainly seen more than once. Maybe he's trying to "separate the men from the boys" as the old saw goes - separate the architect-drafters from the Architects. I'd think this woule be especially true in a field where mentoring is an important part of learning and career development. At the least, Mentoring takes time and energy, and it'd make sense for a potential Mentor to drop little "tests" on people to see who would benefit most from the process. I know I would - it's not even a question of ability as much as one of application. Someone with innate ability, who doesn't exercise and use and develop it, is not as good a candidate as is someone who might not have that same level of innate ability but who does have a real love of the field, and has enthusiasm for learning and applying as much as possible.
"One never knows, do one...?"
Again, tho' I'd suggest that the OP check into the possibility of taking tax deductions for Continuing Education. I don't know the rules but the info *is* out there.
The AIA requires it.
Yes.
Just last night my roomie said to me "Why didn't you do it such and such a way?" And I said "Because I don't think they had that on 3.1." Lucky for me I was relating a story from 1994 not yesterday.> I dunno about AutoCAD clubs, tho'; it'd depend upon the members and the
The club around here meets at like 11am on Wednesday. Sorry, gotta work.
Bleah.
Not that it mightn't be, just "bleah."
I'll bite..........the AIA is a useless P.C. organization that does little for its members.....they promote membership in their organization as some sort of extra credential, when the only credential is paying there membership fee.
There "learning credtis" are little more than a scam to create a cottage industry of classes to earn those units.
Unfortunately, they've convinced many state boards that these "learning credits" are "important."
I've sat through a few learning credit presentations and learned a lot of new stuff. I didn't earn credits, but I'm sure the AIA sets some standards for what to teach. Otherwise I would probably be sitting through a "my product is better than their product" type presentation. At the end they of course had their product to push, but before all that they went through the basics (more than basics really, more like the general understanding of that part of the building envelope). I'm not saying it can't be done without the AIA, and I'm not even sure if they DO set the standards, so take that as you will.
You miss the point...
I don't think anyone thinks that not learning new stuff isn't important. But has architecture become "better" since mandatory CE classes? Look around you. I would think not. Requiring the classes does little, except create the cottage industry to create the classes.
But it's not all bad...the guys who come around and do them usually bring lunch...and we'll take that "free" lunch.
We all know there is no such thing as a "free lunch" with these classes. Sometimes the cost is just too damn high with some of them. ;-)
Can you say "pre-mixed mortar?" }-|
I hope that sandwich at least came with a bag of chips and a pickle. Maybe even a cookie, it's the least they could do. LOL
Bag of chips, some water and a cookie. No pickle, but that's OK.
Clumsily. With my eyes closed. Wearing mittens.
Yeah I understood your point, my point was if they have a set of standards to follow, that makes the presentations that much better, maybe there is something to it. As far as I know, its not so much of an industry, as it is a way to promote your product (at least for the free lunch presentations). As for architecutre becoming better because of it, no it probably hasn't, but there are several factors to account for that.
I don't disagree with you, I just think there might be some good to it. Like I said, it might not even be because of AIA.
Your bosses suggestion that you do architecture outside the office is less problematic to me than what you said: "we... only draft." He's right when he suggests you go out and enjoy architecture in your off time. But a good boss won't chain you to your computer and make you draft day in-day out. They'll give you a chance to help put together proposals for new projects, aid in early schematic design, do presentations, go out on site visits and surveys, help in construction administration and punch lists. Even when they do give you a drafting task, a good boss will take the opportunity to teach you things like constructibility, accessibility, building codes, egress.... that sort of thing.
"gruhn" wrote in news:5L97f.54$ snipped-for-privacy@news.uswest.net:
Even if they didn't, it'd still be necessary.
OTOH, if something works, it doesn't make sense to ditch it *only* because it's old. Old can be used in new ways. Just look at stone ! Seriously, tho', IMO being a Professional isn't a matter of career area, it's part of who one is. Always learning, expanding one's knowledge, also always striving to improve one's craft, one's capabilities. but also keeping an element of fun, because if you aren't enjoying what you do, it's merely a job like any other job.
Yeah, that time slot makes no sense to me. Sounds more like a coffee klatcsch.
Well, yes and no. As I mentioned, sometimes one has to figure out where one;s energies would be best spent. And in a way, people often (and IMO continually) "test" one another, although I'm sure there is a gentler, more "touchyfeelie" psychological euphamism for it.
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