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Side jobs

  • 1.  Side jobs

    Posted 09-27-2012 03:05 PM
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Repositioning the Architect and Small Project Practitioners .
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    Question for small firms and one-architect bands: it goes without saying times are tough and it doesn't seem possible to make a decent living as an architect alone.  I was wondering if anyone out there has another "job" in addition to architecture?  Another type of business? If so what are they?

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    Thomas Streicher AIA
    Thomas Streicher, Architect
    Monroe NY
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  • 2.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 09:24 AM
    I started working in January with the Town  building department as Zoning Enforcement Officer. Pay is ridiculous but the work is interesting, need to bring the Town in the 21st century, and I get to meet a lot of new people, get my name and competencies to be know...
    Anything that helps you network is important
    Good luck

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    Christian Fekete
    Architect
    Christian Fekete Architecture Agency
    Rhinebeck NY
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  • 3.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 10:50 AM
    I make jewelry, too, but it doesn't really pay any other bills...

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    Dawn Zuber AIA
    Owner
    Studio Z Architecture
    Canton MI
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  • 4.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 10:52 AM
    I stepped into (non-architectural) writing ("A Man's Rules").  Amazon is very eager to carry authors, so you might search for a subject that you know and see what you can come up with.  As I couldn't find an interested agent or publisher, so I started my own publishing company to help other local authors.  As to the architecture business, while times are tough, I've just had to spread my net a bit farther.  I switched from 95% municipal to 30% municipal and 65% restaurant, and now have projects in CO, CA, WA and TX.  Other sectors will take you out of your comfort zone, but just take the step.   
    Dave

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    David Clark AIA
    Principal
    David A. Clark Architects, PLLC
    Auburn WA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 10:53 AM
    At the very moment I went on my own I picked up a teaching gig.  I have maintained that teaching position for the past 10 years.  It has provided me with needed 'consistent' income as well as an opportunity to teach something I truly enjoy.  Since the beginning we have grown to 7 people (11 people pre 2008) and I still teach.

    I imagine that there are a great many that do the same. Most of my professors were supplementing their income by teaching studios.

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    Patrick Allen Assoc. AIA
    Principal
    Gabor + Allen (Design Build Landscape)
    Hawthorne CA
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  • 6.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 11:43 AM
    Hi Thomas,
    I don't know if it 'counts' as a "Real" side job... my family has taken a hobby and turned into a family business.
    We breed Bengal Cats, feel free to take a look at our web site,  www.RubyClaw.com or friend us on facebook RubyClaw Bengals


    there's nothing like cuddling kittens with the kids after a hard day at the office :)

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    Lisa Stacholy
    President
    LKS Architects, Inc.
    Dunwoody GA
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  • 7.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 12:15 PM
    I teach at the local community college and have started writing. I was doing pretty good with just architecture until the recession. Business is picking up but I almost have to give my services away to get a job.

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    Thad Broom AIA
    Architect
    Thad A. Broom AIA, P.C.
    Virginia Beach VA
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  • 8.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 12:21 PM
    A colleague with a hobby in magic, hit a rough spot a couple years ago and supplemented the shortfall doing tarot readings in cocktail lounges.

    Nothing wrong with self sufficiency as I see it.

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    Donald Wardlaw AIA
    More Than Construction, Inc.
    Oakland CA
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  • 9.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 12:58 PM
    I am a "one man band" and have found great opportunities in building spec homes or remodels
    for resale or apartments for keeping as a great way to augment my architectural work especially
    since we have so many residential designers around our area to compete with. Of course it requires
    me to have the credit and a willing bank but that may be more possible than many think.

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    Mark Bratt AIA
    Mark K. Bratt, Inc.
    Lynden WA
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 02:53 PM
    Think about design-build or development.

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    Daniel Alter AIA
    Daniel Alter Architect PLLC
    Brooklyn NY
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  • 11.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 04:35 PM

    My lady partner and I own the Kalamazoo Antiques Market next to my office in downtown.  She owns (I am a small partner) 2 retail stores on the former Kalamazoo pedestrian Mall, we own the two historic buildings which are considered rental businesses, and we have our own Antique business, buying & selling.  We work a lot. But, you have to love it to be an Architect.  
     
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    Nelson B. Nave AIA
    Owner
    Nelson Breech Nave, AIA Architect
    Kalamazoo MI
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  • 12.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 09-28-2012 10:26 PM
    I am currently a furniture delivery truck driver, with Architecture / Specification Writing on an "as needed" part time basis.

    My other jobs over the past 3-1/2 years include warehouse work for Amazon.com, truck loading for FedEx, and newspaper delivery. 

    Statistically I have experienced some of the jobs "created" by Obama.  I have been a poster boy for underemployment and unemployment.

    Guess who will receive my vote for president?  I can't imagine the state of the country and economy getting much worse than we have experienced lately.



    Mark Therkildsen AIA
    Etters PA
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 10-01-2012 11:52 AM

    Thanks for all the replies. My outlook on the architecture profession is now even grimmer then before.  A few years ago I looked into a franchise business where you drive around a van stopping to filter cooking oil. Not that I want to do that but a nearby territory was available that had a lot of possibilities and some very large venues managed by international companies that used the same service from the same brand at other locations so it had promise. The plan was to quit arch for a few years and get that going and if it worked out, hire help to run that or sell it off then start my own architectural office. But the economy tanked along with my wife's 401K which was a large part of the financing. I am currently thinking ahead for when things here at the firm I work for dry up and I am out. It's going that way now and the future is almost here.

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    Thomas Streicher AIA
    Thomas Streicher, Architect
    Monroe NY
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    Original Message


  • 14.  Side Jobs

    Posted 10-01-2012 09:04 AM
    I have returned to my first passion, construction, doing architect-led Design/Build, which I should have done years ago.  

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    Darrell Barnes AIA
    President
    Darrell Barnes Architect, Inc.
    and Artekco Builders 192663
    Bend OR
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  • 15.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 10-02-2012 03:05 PM
    Hang in there. I suffered the same difficult circumstances back in the 80's when I had just gone out on my own as a sole practioner. The Savings and Loans crashed and the oil business tanked, simultaneously. I started a home inspection business to supplement my architectural practice and was able to hang on. The home inspection business actually led to clients needing renovations and additions. So it fed me some architectural jobs as well.

    It works well with an architectural practice because it is does not need to be a full-time job and the fees are probably better than my architectural fees. And, trust me, you learn alot about bad construction and design and what not to do. I quit doing them when my architectural business was sufficient to support me.

    Good luck.

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    Douglas Mayo AIA
    Doug Mayo Architect
    New Orleans LA
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    Original Message


  • 16.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 10-03-2012 09:44 AM


    Douglas, I was looking onto doing home inspections. I was even considering taking some of the classes offered for inspector licensing even though I don't need to. You can learn something from everyone and I don't think architects know everything about that business. But I am still stuck in a job in a small firm where I have been for 14 years, a job that is going downhill fast but it still takes up time and even with a 14% pay cut, still pays some of the bills. The way it's going now, this job cannot last much longer.  But anyway, I plan on looking into inspections when it's time to leave. There will be a large increase in insurance premiums if I start offering that service. It's also tied to that same economics that are hurting architecture but like most are saying, we need to broaden our services to help make up the difference.

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    Thomas Streicher AIA
    Thomas Streicher, Architect
    Monroe NY
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    Original Message


  • 17.  RE:Side jobs

    Posted 10-02-2012 10:17 AM

    Here are some articles and web search results I found related to the topic. -K

    AIA Articles and Web Search Results


    AIA Supplemental Services (some can be used a la carte)
    http://www.aia.org/practicing/akr/AIAB089194


    Joe Lawton, Assoc. AIA: The 2D Architecture of Graphic Design
    When the recession stalled Joe Lawton's career as a traditional architect, he got himself restarted by focusing on the interaction between graphics and built space
    By Kim O'Connell
    http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB096062


    Design Matters in a Variety of Settings
    The focus is still on big problems and practice niches.
    by Zach Mortice, Associate Editor
    http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB085551


    Displaced by the Economy, Architects Balance Design and the Bottom Line
    Laid-off and unemployed, architects are setting up their own design studios, and new business ventures beyond it
    by Zach Mortice, Associate Editor
    http://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek09/1016/1016b_laidoffarchitects.cfm


    Consulting Practice Niches Create Shelter for Architects in a Thorny Economy
    Four small-firm consultant business models from Bay Area AIA members
    by Zach Mortice, Associate Editor
    http://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek09/0710/0710rc_navecon.cfm


    Vishaan Chakrabarti on the Future of the Profession
    By William Richards for AIArchitect
    http://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/vishaan-chakrabarti-on-the-future-of-the-professi.aspx


    The Multitaskers
    By John Gendall for AIArchitect
    http://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/the-multitaskers.aspx


    Branching Out
    Architects are offering supplemental services as a way to stay afloat in a tough economy.
    By Kim A O'Connell for AIArchitect
    http://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/branching-out.aspx



    Other Articles and Google Results of Interest


    On the Side: Moonlighting is popular among architects, but is it ok? Kimberly Stevens asks around.
    The Architect's Newspaper
    http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=1444


    after hours: for employees and their employers, moonlighting has its merits and its perils
    http://www.residentialarchitect.com/architects/after-hours.aspx

    Website where jobs are posted on many areas of expertise
    http://www.freelancer.com/sellers/


    Do you promote your side jobs on your design website? This contractor does.
    http://www.foxvalleysidejobs.com/


    Replies to a similar question posed to engineers:
    http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=160122


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    Kathleen Simpson
    Manager, Knowledge Communities
    The American Institute of Architects
    Washington DC
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    Original Message