State of the Profession

I agree that I dont think it matters how talented or skilled a person is. I know people with zero skill or work ethic and great job security at outstanding firms, and I know extremely talented, passionate, hard-working people who should be working unemployed and floundering.

Someone said in another post that this has been more akin to musical chairs perhaps than anything else–right place, right time or you’re out.

My only two suggestions from my very limited experience would be please dont work for free, and have a plan B.

As for your questions Tom–They’re sort of rhetorical. All of those things occurred here locally. Staff has been cut at many firms by more than half and still continuing, maybe half of the people I know who were practicing still are employed in LA. I think 2 or 3 of my graduating class found jobs in LA.

When i meet with a client and discuss my fee, occasionally I will get “ABC Landscaping will do a free design or that they will credit back the cost of the design fee if we contract with them to do the work”. I then explain that “free” design is often worth what you paid for it and that if a contractor is “refunding” the design fee back if he does the work, the cost of the fee is worked back into the cost of the work. Therefore no free design. Also certain contractors may try to design what they have available or in surplus and not what is best for the design or client. I do design work for sevseral contractors and I design towards the clients needs (as it should be) and not to what the contractor needs to install.

In that scenario I could see how design fee could help qualify clients very easily as well.

Hi Tom,

To answer you questions from personal experience:

* Of the LAs you know, how many lost their jobs after the economy went bad?

I would say that about 15-18% of the LAs I know have lost their job at some point in 2 years.

* How many were practicing before the downturn, but are not right now? / * How many of those who are practicing today are underemployed? Moderately or severely underemployed?

40% of those who lost their jobs, found new ones in the field. One in particular, took a post in Singapore and also did temp work until getting a Job recently in Canada. Another 40% left the field entirely, mostly going into the medical field. The remaining 20% are still unemployed. They are long term unemployed.

* As for firms, what have you seen happen to them in the downturn?

Mainly layoffs in the form of a few here and there every few months.

* How bad have the layoffs been in the firms that you know of?

Anywhere from 30% – 50%….keeping in mind that a few have had none and are actually growing

* Do you know of any that have closed their doors entirely?

No, but I know of a few near the edge.

Just an observation that I am seeing, it appears that in the last 6 months or so firms are restocking the highest experience levels (10+ years) and are even starting to hire 5-6+ years.

I’ve personally gotten the impression that unemployment levels are not equal by experience. IE Graduates sound like they may be mostly unemployed, 1-4 Years might be in the 30-50% range, 5-10 might be in the 10-20% and people with more experience 10+ are generally doing slightly better at riding this out.

* Of the LAs you know, how many lost their jobs after the economy went bad?

I could only throw out a guesstimate of maybe 50% or more. I know a lot of LA’s. Maybe 1 or 2 are working from my graduating class. It seems like it went for months where I’d hear of layoffs by the tens almost weekly just in the Denver/Front Range area. I have no ide how to get a ‘real’ number on this.

* How many were practicing before the downturn, but are not right now? / * How many of those who are practicing today are underemployed? Moderately or severely underemployed?

I could probably consider something like 95% of those I know working to be underemployed to some degree. Moderately to severely, yes.

* As for firms, what have you seen happen to them in the downturn?

They have downsized and laid people off. Some of have just cut hours and some have closed their doors entirely or consolidated with larger firms.

* How bad have the layoffs been in the firms that you know of?

I dont know how Sousuke was able to get it down to a percentage of 15-18%..Is that off the top of your head? From my experience, as I stated maybe 2 or 3 of my graduating class of 45 or so actually found work in LA. Of those, I dont know if all or any of them still have jobs. I know more people than I can count off the top of my head just in the Denver area who have lost their jobs from junior entry level with less than a year of experience to senior and even principal level people. So, I guess that would be ‘pretty bad?’.

* Do you know of any that have closed their doors entirely?

Yes.

I dont really know how realistic it is to put real numbers to these questions as they’re pretty subjective. From experience, all I can really attest to is that it ‘seems’ like maybe 50% of the LA’s I know are unemployed completely or working as fry cooks. Perhaps it’s just so bad in this area that it would seem odd to me that someone would indicate answers to these questions that we couldn’t presume.

I guess the questions seem rhetorical to me because there has been so much discussion on the state of the profession with regard to the economy here and elsewhere. I was hired in November and we have work, but it’s a two person office and it still feels week to week. Residential is seeing some work coming in and there have been ads for jobs there, but engineering, arch, and LA offices in the area are closing and downsizing..and there is a whole new graduating class entering the market in just a couple months. If I didnt find the job I did in November, through almost sheer luck, I would certainly be teaching skiing, washing dishes, or digging trenches.

I have been professionally practicing since 1995. Since then, I have worked for 4 design build firms, and 4 engineering firms. I left three of these jobs for the other one. The rest, let go for lack of work, and most BEFORE the recession. Keep in mind that this is in the overdeveloped, maxed out (mostly) and unappealing paved over public spaces of NJ. This can give you some kind of barometer of a market driven tough environment.

Not that its an all encompassing barometer, but id thught i would share…

It doesn’t make me feel better, sorry to hear that.