What is your official job title and how long have you been at this position in this company?
My job title is Deputy Program Director for Design for the Court Unit at the New York City Department of Design and Construction. I've been with the Department of Design and Construction for 7 and a half years, but I've been at this position for 2 and a half years. My previous position was Senior Architect for the Architecture and Engineering Unit.
Tell me a bit about a day in the life of working in your position. Do you work with a team?
In my current position, I have 6 project managers that report to me and I am meeting with them 1 to 1 throughout the whole week, so I do work with a team. What we do together is capital project management for public buildings in the city of New York, but what I oversee specifically are courthouse designs. Since I'm more on the design side then the construction side, I work with our sponsor agency (which is the Citywide Administrative Services) to understand their budget, their funding, and their scope of work. That's the beginning of the process in which we evaluate if they are providing us with enough money to carry out our renovation plans; usually we have to go back and ask for more. There are many agencies sponsored by New York City and they all have budgets limited to what the city gives them. If we know our project is going to be funded, we hire consultants to help us with the designs/project. They will then give us a proposal and walk us through how we should tackle the project. My project managers will then put the design/plan into effect along with managing all the different paperwork and hazmat checks.
What are your responsibilities/role in your company?
To reiterate, I manage about $200 million worth of capital projects, usually courthouse projects, that are distributed among my project managers who I constantly am working with. I oversee the whole process. They do the day to day work and when they need assistance, they come to me. The goals are to maintain quality, schedule, and budget, and we don't want one to suffer at the expense of the other. For example, we will be restoring beautiful courthouse limestone and brick, etc. So finishing a project 'quickly' to us means 1 year for designs and 2 years for construction. It can take up to 9 months by the time the design consultants are done with their strategy/documentation and give the project to contractors so we can even get started. There's also so much paperwork we need to submit to the Department of Buildings that can get lost, which can add another year.
Is the work environment at your particular company collegial or more rigid/competitive/professional? Where have you worked in the past and why did you leave your previous employers?
My field (architecture) has two sectors: public and private. I am currently with a public sector but I have been with private ones all my life. Private sectors are a lot more intense and competitive, but in the public sector it's much more collegial, diverse, and many of us have civil rights services by our side that protect us from being laid off. I've learned much more about other cultures and diversity, which I value. Being in a public sector is still lots of pressure in a different way––not as much between colleagues, but more from politicians and the mayor. In private sectors, I've seen lots of people sabotage others just so they can impress upper management, become a partner, to make more money, etc. There's more competition there too because they are able to get raises, but where I work, you don't really get raises.
Why did you switch from private to public?
For my whole life I was working as a partner in a private architecture firm, and then there was a downturn in the economy so I got laid off. So I began looking for something more stable and with less pressure. Before, I was working 80 hour weeks, which is difficult if you have a family at home that you never see. So I tried starting my own practice, but it wasn't so easy because of the weak economy, so as I looked for more stability with respect to my personal life, I found this position.
What is the salary like? Fringe benefits (paid sick leave, insurance)? What are the hours like? Flexibility for vacations or maternity/paternity/family leave?
I am a higher level, more experienced senior architect with 25 years of experience. With that and my management position, I would say a range of $100,000-140,000 is a typical salary per year. If I was in a private company and I had a senior architect or partner title, I would make the higher side of that range. Someone right out of school (junior architect) would start out at $65,000-75,000 per year, and in a private sector would make on the higher end. In a public sector you can also get free medical insurance for you and your family, but in private you'd have to pay for it. My leaves are somewhat flexible and New York will make religious accommodations as well. With more seniority, you get more vacation. Private sectors don't show as much accommodation in my experience.
What type of problems do you face? How do you resolve those problems?
In this industry it's hard to get ahead if you have children and are religious because they aren't as accommodating. Secondly, managing so many people is very difficult, so it's a team effort between me and senior project managers. The paperwork is a really stalling, long process. Then there is the press who love to reveal all of our plans. Sexism is also an issue in this field, but definitely not as much in the public sector. It's more common if you are pregnant or have children. This is a male dominated field. Some advice I have is if you want to raise a family in this field, you should have a spouse with a flexible schedule or have enough money to hire help.
If one day I'd like to have a position like you, where do I start? What kind of education do I need?
Does your job require any special training or further educational development?After college there is a 5 year program for an architecture degree, and to be admitted you have to submit a portfolio of drawings or creative work that you've done. After that program, you have to train under a licensed architect for 3 years and then sit for a licensing exam which isn't required but I highly recommend it because firms really like to see that on your resume. It is a very demanding exam, however; it's a 3 day test, each day for 12 hours. Most people fail, but luckily I passed. Otherwise it's just lots of hours of practice and getting to know computer programs as well.
In your line of work, how much do you rely on your college education vs. professional experience? Do you find yourself using most of your undergraduate/college learning?
Now I don't use my college learning as much because of my management position. But before, when I was a pure architect, I did. I didn't really do any internships, except for one summer during graduate school.
Did you find any particular internships during your high school or college years or summers to help you get to where you are today? Any extracurriculars or independent study projects or research as an undergrad to qualify to be in your position now?
I didn't really do any internships, except for one summer during graduate school at an architecture firm.
Do you think your college institution or your college major prepared you well or even opened doors for you in this career path that may not have been possible for you otherwise? What do you recommend a college student to concentrate on in order to build a successful career in this field?
It did prepare me well, but it didn't open any doors for me. But I do think connections you make with people like teachers and classmates in college/school are very important.
Are there any big pros and cons of this career path that you know now that you wish you knew before?
The hours are long and the rewards are hard to come by, but I love what I do.What type of person could be a successful architect or fit this career path best?I would say an introverted, creative, yet communicative person, because you're usually working with a team. Being good at math is preferable too. There are lots of career paths within architecture that can appeal to different personalities, so take my description with a grain of salt.
Does your career take up a lot of your personal time or do you feel that you have extra time on your hands? How do you spend your free time?
To reiterate, it did in the past more than now, but now that I work in the public sector, my hours are much more convenient and I don't have to do work at home. Of course, my projects are still always on my mind. In my free time, as the creative type, I love crafts like sewing, knitting, crochet, as well as outdoor hikes and cooking.
What made you choose this career path? In today's culture of being a jack-of-all-trades/generalist culture over specialization, do you see yourself staying in this field or exploring other interests in the short or long term future?
Although I don't really design anymore, I chose it because of my love for art and drawing. It combines my skills and interests nicely. With that, I see myself switching to something more creative in the future, but management is a great learning experience.
What advice do you have for a student like me who is interested in pursuing your same career choice?
Talk to as many people as you can and ask to shadow people in their offices. You should also make a list of contacts (20-25) people, from high school teachers to family friends, and keep in touch with them once every few months. Stay on their radar so that at some point in your career if you need advice or help, you'll have many great connections. Social networking is very important anywhere you go.
