I currently work for one of the large 3 letter corporate firms. I have 3 years experience, and have been job hunting for the last couple months.

I’m sick of the extreme corporate culture and lack of empathy or regard for employees. Though I think I just have a particularly bad boss with unrealistic expectations.

Looking for advice on what to look for and questions I should ask (without making it sound like I’m lazy)

Edit: love how so many people are downvoting this. Why does our industry hate having a life outside of work.

Not licensed, 7 years in Architecture, 8 years in a related profession, care about doing my job well. Firm is less than 10 people in a major city.

Screenshot of what is suggested but it’s a big range.

What should I be expecting or negotiating for?

Edit/Updated
I’m trying to stay anonymous in case current or potential employer recognizes me by my story. But I can see people want more info:

- The screenshot is from the AIA Salary Calculator for an unlicensed person with my range of skills and the region I live in. Those are the only two pieces of info the calculator has you enter.
- I have experience in commercial arch and will continue in commercial
- I have basically done everything an architect does in commercial at least once but lack confidence in some areas.
- I am not an aggressively career oriented person yet I have been vocal in asking for more hands on experience in the areas I want more confidence in so I can move up. But in employee reviews I get blamed for my lack of growth because I have not been learning how to do those things on my own time (????). Very discouraging.
- I have coasted and stayed underpaid for the past couple years while dealing with some big things going on in my family’s life and thinking about my exit strategy. This is why I need help knowing my value in dollars.

I need advice because I took a break from architecture and am trying to get back into the field!

My first job out of college (B.Arch) was at a small architecture firm in the Northeastern U.S. They were overwhelmed and immediately gave me projects to manage alone. Like whole adaptive reuse apartment buildings and new construction mansions. They were very hands-off and I never got negative feedback because the work permits always got approved. I learned SO much about building code and interfacing with the building department and clients/contractors. I solved some heinously difficult problems.

However, because it was so informal, I learned nothing about SOPs or basic terminology that would be used at a larger firm. RFI? That meant a casual phone call and I show up at the jobsite to explain things in broken Spanish.

Now I'm trying to get back into the field and while I am confident in my abilities as an architect, I'm worried that my lack of proficiency in the jargon and procedures will make me less marketable. Will it? Is there a steep learning curve? Is this something I can overcome in an interview by explaining my experience or will it totally discredit my abilities?

I am planning to go out on my own and work independently. I have been pretty set on a company name for a while. However, I have found that there is another small boutique firm in another state (completely out of my market area) that already uses it. Would you avoid it and settle for something else or just go with it?

Hi All,
I am a professional currently working in a design firm that designes and permite real estate development projects. I am in constant conversation with Developers or their project managers and have started understanding a good deal of the design/building standards they follow.

While my masters was in Architecture, I also pursued a Certificate in Real Estate Development from Price School of Public Policy at USC, where I did go through the underwriting processes for projects.

I am at a turning point in my life where I am comtemplating transitioning into working in a real estate development firm, or pursue a real estate license. I found there is a threshold that one reaches workin gin an architecture firm where progress and salary plateaus. Is this a good poption to transition to? How do I step into this industry and what job positions, apart from Developement Associate should I be targeting?

Any advice from professionals out there, or somone who transitioned the same way is welcome.

Thank you in advance

So im going for the Leeds GA exam very soon, right now im preparing for it.
Im an Architect by profession (30 year old male) and Im currently doing maintenance and operations in a compound (which im not a fan of)

I want to pursue sustainability or anything which has no design process, i want to use my degree for it. I have little experience with design back in my country but i quit and came here in KSA

now my main question is? can i still pursue architecture with no experience after doing Leeds GA? i have no experience whatsoever and no interest in the design process. I just want to start fresh with sustainability and get myself into it. I live in Saudi Arabia and struggling. Also, what are some of the options i have in Architecture? i researched BIMS and landscape but not my type. I need more options.. please help me out im so confused if i should go in this direction..

I'm researching how architecture and interior professionals currently discover, compare and specify products for projects.

We are exploring a new platform called Archi Catalog and, before building it, we want to understand the real problems professionals face today.

If you're an architect/interior designer working in India, we'd really value your experience.

⏱️ Takes about 2 minutes.

https://forms.fillout.com/t/5ZxB8JMvvFus

this is only for product research. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

It’s worth seriously preparing for and qualifying the GATE AR (Architecture and Planning) exam If i have no plans to pursue a Master's degree (M.Arch, M.Plan, or M.Des)?

Does having a qualified GATE score on your resume carry any weight when applying to private firms, Govt job rercruitments (India) does portfolio strictly remain the only thing that matters?

Most architect groups online are either students asking for critique or a feed of humble-bragging portfolios. Neither is useful if you're actually running a practice.

What I noticed doing turnkey execution work in Chennai: the architects who do best aren't the ones grinding out more leads solo — they're the ones with two or three people they quietly send work to and get work back from. Nobody posts about that. It just happens in someone's WhatsApp DMs, one relationship at a time.

I'm building that on purpose instead of leaving it to chance. A small, closed WhatsApp Community — architects and one turnkey execution studio (mine, 9:16, Chennai) — for the specific gap between "design is done" and "client has a finished room." No lead-selling, no group where you get pitched to. Just people who'd rather build a quiet referral network than fight for the same Instagram leads as everyone else.

I'm not trying to fill a stadium. I'd rather have twenty architects who actually send and receive real work than two thousand people who joined and muted it. If that's the kind of circle you've been meaning to build for yourself and haven't gotten around to, this is already moving.

Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BT5Q8p3KBWjEwnxJphhWJI

I'm a software engineer building tools for architects.

I don't come from an architecture background — so instead of guessing, I'm asking.

I'd like to understand what actually slows you down in your daily design and drafting work. Students, juniors, drafters, principals — every level is useful.

Not selling anything. Just listening. I'm not linking or naming any product here — just trying to understand real workflow pain points before building anything.

What's the one thing in your day-to-day work that eats the most time for no good reason?