The field of architecture is having a paradoxical moment: While design has never been more current, observers have said that a staggering number of graduates and practitioners are streaming out of the profession. Real estate developers may be the unintended beneficiaries, professionals said.
In an informal survey, professionals said that fewer than half of graduating architecture students ever become working architects. The post-graduation certification program, a process that requires three years of apprenticeship in addition to a nine-step examination process, contributes to the profession’s astounding attrition rate.
In addition, salaries are low. Career counselors at architecture schools in the New York City area reported that the average starting wage for architects in the city is about $35,000, virtually unchanged since 2003.
“They want to be like Frank Gehry, but the salaries are so low, many can’t finance loans and live in the city,” said Judy Nylen of the career services office at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture. “Quite a few go into real estate-related jobs, where their training can be very valuable.”
When they quit being designers, many dissatisfied architects migrate to the field of construction management, where starting salaries range between $50,000 and $60,000. Another draw is interior design, a field that requires virtually no schooling, but which pays about $46,000 to start, according to the same report from career counselors.
A common complaint focuses on the inflexible way the profession is organized. Essentially, architects who are starting out often quickly find themselves stuck with narrow specializations.
The career of Algis Kalvaitis, 32, shows some of the dilemmas architects in the city confront. As an intern, Kalvaitis worked for Gensler, a firm with offices in 28 cities. The firm employs about 2,000 architects, each one working on parts of many different projects.
“You might get a small sense of a whole, but someone working above you is pulling it all together,” said Kalvaitis.
Kalvaitis jumped ship to Acheson Doyle Partners Architects, a firm in Chelsea that employs fewer than 20 people. There, he spends much of his time working on private commissions, like renovations of landmark buildings and condo conversions.
“What’s nice with a smaller firm is you see the whole project evolve,” Kalvaitis said. “It’s not as if you do your small part and move onto another project.”
For those architects who can survive the batterings of their profession, the job market is better than ever.
Scan job boards on the Web site of the American Institute of Architects or Archinect.com, a site known as the architecture student’s Facebook, and it’s clear there’s an unmet need for architects in New York. Suddenly, young designers have choices.
“It’s not logical. We have more job listings than we have people,” Nylen said.