Can I find a better job?

March 30, 2008 4:16 PM

Should I stick with my job? I can say without reservation that I am currently working the best job I've ever had--the pay is decent, the hours are reasonable, good benefits, laid back office environment--but I am still not content.

I dread the thought of going to work in the morning. Being an intern architect, I think a large part of my discontent comes from the lack of opportunity for personal growth. I have been working here for a year and a half. Our firm is very busy with projects all over the world, in fact, there is more work than we can cope with. New hires have been starting nearly every week for the past two months and project managers are constantly complaining about their workload. But there is no training path for the draftspersons and we are using outdated software (this last stings especially for me, being a computer aficionado).

Things are changing, but much too slowly for my taste. Six months after a professional demonstration of Revit (a significant leap from our current drafting software, AutoCAD) the higher-ups are still mulling over the idea of maybe getting a license on one computer. To many people I suppose this wouldn't be a big deal, but being a person who loves to try out new tools and find better ways of getting things done, I find this frustrating nearly to tears. And I've seen our proposals--money is not the issue.

I think about quitting often, but with my debt I don't feel comfortable with the idea of being unemployed, and I am concerned that if I look for work at another architecture firm I will just end up at another job I don't like for different reasons, such as intolerable hours or coworkers. I am also concerned that some negative aspect of my psyche is making things out to be worse than they are.

I have another ambition, which is to write software, but that will take me some years seeing as I know almost nothing about programming. I often fantasize about how I could spend those extra forty hours working on that instead of drawing lines and arcs on a screen. But I still want to get my architecture license, which will take me another couple of years of internship. What should I do?

posted by mockdeep to work & money (16 comments total)

I am concerned that if I look for work at another architecture firm I will just end up at another job I don't like for different reasons, such as intolerable hours or coworkers

I think everyone worries about that when considering a new job (or relationship, or place to live, or whatever.) The "what if this is as good as it gets?" fear. But objectively, you're not happy, and it sounds like you're unhappy for pretty valid reasons - your style of work is a bad match for your employer's.

So, look around for jobs, and if you get interviews, make sure to interview them, and really get a good idea of what other jobs are like. Maybe work your network to talk to some people at other firms, ask about the culture there.

You may find that other places match you better, which should give you incentive to make the leap. Or at the very least you'll learn definitively that all your options suck as much as your current one, and you can proceed from there. At this point you need more information.
posted by Mr Bunnsy at 4:23 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

If you do need to continue interning for a few more years, I can't imagine a more ideal position for you right now. If your hours are reasonable and people higher up than you are swamped, this is a great opportunity to take work off their plates and get more experience doing higher level work even if you aren't being paid for it.

The things you describe as problems--an organization slow to change, using outdated software--this is endemic of many businesses big and small. At my own company, in publishing, I see a lot of people get really fed up with poor management and bad business decisions. I felt fed up about 4 years ago and left to go to another company, but (as you suspect about your own "greener pastures") my new employer had its own problems that were actually a lot more annoying. Now I'm back at my previous, semi-dysfunctional employer, and many of the problems that drove me nuts before are ones I can now accept with equanimity. I think I've learned to accept that unless I'm the #1 big boss, there's only so much I can do to change things. It's part of being a team player to accept the flaws of your team and soldier on regardless.

Do the best with the work that is under your control. Try your hardest not to let the things that are out of your control bother you. If you can manage this, it will make your career in the professional world a lot more mentally and emotionally manageable!

Also, if you aren't swamped with work and can afford it, take some classes in programming. If you have a little money and not a lot of family obligations, this is a great time in your life to keep learning new skills and exploring new opportunities.

But I think you should stick with this job. To change your attitude about dreading to go in to work in the morning there are tricks you can do to help yourself. Before you leave every day, think of at least one thing you will enjoy working on the next day. Save that thing for the morning. That way you'll have something to look forward to instead of dread.

Good luck!
posted by tk at 4:34 PM on March 30

I think you should learn as much as you can about BIM and CAD interoperability, that includes studying VBA Programming and Visual Studio.

then either show what you can do in Revit at your current firm, or, using your new set of skills, move to a more cutting edge firm.
posted by spacefire at 4:43 PM on March 30

Coming from a graphic design background, I just want to note that although you may be keen to learn new software, often it's a very big messy deal to change a basic package in which a lot of a shop's work has been done: people have to be retrained, archives become worthless, tried and true methods are swept away, and many things have to be reinvented from scratch. So it's not necessarily a stupid or retrograde choice on your employer's part, and I can guarantee you this is not the last time you will have to cope with this tendency.
posted by zadcat at 4:55 PM on March 30

In an ideal world, I'd say leave. You're not fulfilled, you're frustrated, you dread going in, you know you want something else, so leave. That's your heart talking. It's not worth being miserable. Don't settle. You have the rest of your life, so you might as well get started now by dropping stuff that's weighing you down and starting on the path towards what you really want, even if it means starting over and tightening your belt.

But this is the real world and you've got debt. So don't screw around. You can still leave, and perhaps should, but don't leave until you have something else locked in. And it might as well be something else architectural so you can get that license.

As stated above, your fears about landing somewhere else and finding something else not to your liking - this is the kind of thinking that locks people into jobs that they don't like for years and years. It happens to everyone and it's a natural feeling but you've got to ignore it and go for it. Fulfillment beats comfort in the long run. There will be bad elements anywhere you go, but you're going there for the good parts. So evaluate the major advantages of the places you want to go and make your decisions on that, not on possible lower-priority negatives. There may well be that nasty coworker who mars what might otherwise be perfection, but accept up front that you won't find perfection and trust in your ability to deal with whatever you find. Eyes on the prize.

Also, if you know what you want to do - - programming - - get on that pronto. So many people don't know what they want. They are motivated to do whatever their big thing is, but they don't know what it is and so they just sit there antsy and frustrated. You know, so start. You can do lots of basic education with books and internet forums/tutorials/usergroups and trialware. Commit to dedicating one hour per night to that, and keep yourself at it using the Jerry Seinfeld calendar method. Don't break the chain. As you get to know the field, you can start looking into ways to get real world training and experience.

What you do with that skill and when is up to you. Maybe you can't make it your occupation for several years or more - that's OK - that's several years sooner than if you didn't start right now.

Good luck.

(You're in the best job you've ever had... yet.)
posted by kookoobirdz at 4:59 PM on March 30 [1 favorite]

being a person who loves to try out new tools and find better ways of getting things done, I find this frustrating nearly to tears

Have you approached any of the higher-ups and floated the idea that if they're going to invest anybody's time in evaluating a new tool, then perhaps risking a cheap intern's time instead of an expensive architect's time would be a smart move - especially if doing so would motivate and energise that intern?
posted by flabdablet at 5:56 PM on March 30

I agree with kookoobirdz, you should probably leave if you can find something else - you're probably quite young, and dreading going to work is a horrible, horrible feeling. Not leaving because somewhere else might have nasty hours or coworkers seems like you're panicking and paralyzing yourself in your misery.

I'm not an architect, but work with and for them as a quantity surveyor every day. Some of the architects we work for seem to spare no expense on software etc. Some of them have their intern architects do more than fool around with details on Autocad all day (I know this because they attend meetings and site visits with us, and generally liaise with us). So I don't think your current employer is typical of all architecture firms. My suggestion would be to start interviewing with other firms and stress your interest in good training/mentoring/development paths, whatever you call them. (Or hell, even tell your current employer you need a mentor). The good thing is that there is an end in sight - you only have to pay your dues for a finite time before becoming an architect, right?

Good luck!
posted by jamesonandwater at 6:14 PM on March 30

Maybe part of your problem is "expectation" of how work should be, but putting that aside for a minute, I personally think you are in the wrong environment. Working for a large company has its advantages, as in the good pay and benefits you noted. One of the major disadvantages is that the work itself is way too limiting. You do the same thing day in and day out which can bore the daylights out of anyone, but particularly young people ready to have an impact. My personal advice is to get a job with a small company where you get to do more diverse things. You will do things well beneath what you are able to do, but also things way above what you are doing now in a large company. You will work more hours, and most likely for less money, but you will learn SO much more. When there are few hands to go around, you need to get involved in nearly everything. THAT is the gift of working for a small company when you are young. By the time you are thirty you can parlay the diversity of your experiences and responsibilities to a larger company. You will definitely have the edge over someone who is doing what you are doing right now in this larger company.

Bottom line, I think you should go get another job and suck up all the knowledge you can. Most small companies would be thrilled to have someone working there who sees possibilities and can make things happen. Just be sure that you really want to be a 'mover and a shaker'. That requires a serious commitment that has little to do with good pay, good hours or good benefits.
posted by LiveLurker at 7:00 PM on March 30

Two suggestions:

See whether there are any deals for you to get the software for yourself. A lot of expensive software is available as free trial download versions, and often there are amazing deals for students. See if you can get your hands on a copy to play with and learn in your spare time.

Also, since you want to start programming, learn how to script some of the high-end CAD software. If I recall correctly, a lot of that software has Python scripting capabilities. That's a great way to get started - you can write some small scripts that do some cool things, get a quick leg up on learning (since you have a practical application in mind), and show others in the community that you're interested in mastering the tool.
posted by kristi at 7:33 PM on March 30

I strongly recommend addressing your current financial situation, ie; pay off your debt, then start saving some money. This means going without. While I don't recommend cheap food, I do recommend not buying DVDs or any other overpriced entertainment stuff. You probably have a better idea where you can really cut back.

Once your financial situation isn't driving your career prospects, you'll have a lot more room to move.
posted by krisjohn at 8:54 PM on March 30

you like where you work right ? just not the precise circumstances.

write a white paper to the higher ups about the benefits of the new software and create / propose a job for yourself testing, implementing and training staff on how to use it... this should cover the personal growth desire and add new skills to your c.v. while allowing you to stay where you are comfortable, pay down your debt and become more of an asset to your firm and raise your market value should you later decide to jump ship...
posted by dawdle at 9:41 PM on March 30

i quit reading at "i dread the thought of going to work in the morning"

if that's true, get the hell out of there.
posted by swbarrett at 10:01 PM on March 30

I have another ambition, which is to write software, but that will take me some years seeing as I know almost nothing about programming.

Then you'll be in the exact same place but instead of complaining about autocad you'll be complaining about the IDE you have to use or maintaining some code you are constantly finding flaws in (hastily written, no comments, etc).

To many people I suppose this wouldn't be a big deal, but being a person who loves to try out new tools and find better ways of getting things done, I find this frustrating nearly to tears.

There's a few people like this at work who come to us with whatever new software is popular on whatever popular blog, usually written by someone like cory doctorow or another non-technical person that knows nothing about enterprise software, our environment, our requirements, etc etc. They keep dropping hints like "Oh we should move the intranet site to drupal" Why? Do you have any idea what kind of labor that would be? How about retraining? Migration? etc.

I think its easy to look at an established system and be its critic, but its very difficult to actually build something stable.

Sounds like you need a hobby to explore these needs, not trying to change your job to fit your wishes, many of which might be ignorant of how real change gets done. No job will ever be fulfilling to a true tinkerer.
posted by damn dirty ape at 10:16 PM on March 30

The grass is not always greener...

I had a similar problem where there was nothing wrong with the job but I dreaded the thought of going in everyday. Well I jumped ship and moved on to the shiney new job with better hours and salary, now I am feeling the pain of leaving a job where the culture was the right fit for me. An office environment and collegues that you enjoy are worth far more that they seem.

Oh, and nearly any company of significant size (more than 25 employees) will be slow to adapt to new technology. The cost to impliment any change is significantly higher than it appears when the training, upgrades and general loss of productivity are taken into account. I have been on the management side for the last 5 years and now am faced with making these very decisions.
posted by saradarlin at 11:49 PM on March 30

Thanks for all of the great answers! It helps a lot. In response to a few:

@tk: I blanch at the phrase "soldiering on". I don't think that's the way a job should be. "I think I've learned to accept that unless I'm the #1 big boss, there's only so much I can do to change things." I have to admit the likelihood of that, but it's not going to keep me from trying to find an example to the contrary.

@spacefire: Agreed.

@zadcat: There is a lot of interoperability between AutoCAD and Revit, so it's not really a matter of throwing out all of our old work and starting from scratch, though there will certainly be a transitional phase.

@kookoobirdz: Thanks for the calendar idea. I have actually been keeping a checklist of the things I should do regularly, such as learning programming, practicing guitar, and eating lots of vegetables, and that helps to keep me moving. I picked up a year calendar today, though I'm not sure if it will work for me. Having a day job, it will make it a guilt trip when I want to spend an evening with friends or take my girlfriend out to dinner. I'll give it a try, though.

@flabdablet: I've made it more than clear that I would be happy to be the crash test dummy for the new software, but no dice.

@jamesonandwater: Know anyone who's hiring?

@LiveLurker: I've worked at small companies before--there's a reason they're small companies.

@kristi: I have, in fact, acquired my own "educational" version of the software in question, though I believe you are incorrect in that it doesn't work with Python. AutoCAD and Revit both use VBA primarily. I am starting to learn Python, though, incidentally.

@krisjohn: I lead a pretty ascetic life and I am paying off the debt at a decent rate, though it will still probably take me a couple of years to finish it off.

@dawdle: There are plenty of white papers already out there on the benefits of Revit over AutoCAD. The project managers were raving about it after the product demonstration. In fact I think the problem is really with the principals, who still work on drafting boards when they design. They're content with the millions they are making and see the investment as simply throwing their money away.

@damn dirty ape: I'm not interested in programming for someone else. I have my own ideas I want to put into action. As for the outdated software I'm complaining about, I'm not someone who goes around spouting ill founded esoteric recommendations. There are a variety of studies that have been done clearly demonstrating a significant benefit to Revit over AutoCAD without training, and a dramatic benefit with training.

@saradarlin (while I'm at it): You've voiced my fears in a nutshell. As for the management side, when you know what needs to be done (which my superiors do) do you hem and haw about it for months on end waiting for a "better" time to implement or do you take the plunge, especially knowing that the sooner you make the change the sooner you can reap the benefits?

Regardless, I guess it can't hurt to look around. Maybe I will find something I like better. Maybe I'll find something I think I'll like better and then turn out not to. Either way I'll learn from it.
posted by mockdeep at 7:13 PM on March 31

I'm an architect and can relate to your complaints. It's a very frustrating field - not unlike many professions, though. Many doctors and lawyers find themselves in the same boat - not being able to do what they entered the profession to do. The difference is they're making 3x as much money as you are, so they can at least buy a yacht or something, to ease the pain.

I have watched some younger architects like you succeed in basically branching out slowly. So find out what you'd like to be doing (and what) in say ten years. Then where do you need to be in five years with it? Then next year, next month, etc. until you find something you can do today towards that goal. Maybe this is like the Seinfeld method mentioned above.

If your future consultancy business or firm is still directly related to architecture, then you might stick around for a little while to make sure you understand the needs of your future customers or clients. And I agree a lot with the person who suggested you find someone in the firm higher up who might agree to let you specialize in the software, programming, etc. - whatever it is you're interested in. Architecture firms spend a lot of time and money on expensive IT people, so - as someone else here mentioned - it would be win-win for both of you.

Good Luck!
posted by tecton at 7:13 AM on April 9