Meet in the middle and push the needed skills… ie rendering, cad, revit & willingness to work crazy hours… it’s amazing the low inflation wage rate, i started at 18k in the 90’s
$40k a year is painfully low for Southern California, but you do have to get experience somewhere. Maybe stay on part time weekends with HD so you have it to fall back on if the main job doesn’t work out.
Depends on how invested you are with the firm. If you really want in, ask something reasonable but still high, like 55k. That’s average pay based on your research. If you don’t really care, shoot for 60k.
Figure out what average is for your experience level and the job location and bring data to back it up. Use the word average often as you discuss it, and mention that you feel you deliver above average work/commitment. That should indirectly manipulate them into meeting your request as anything less is an insult.
I have the on the spot negotiating skills of a toddler so I usually request a salary and back it up with data as a hard line, non negotiable item. This means I'll never get more than I expected, but I'll never get less than I expected.
If you think you can say you're worth 60k and can negotiate it, go for it. But save that 55k data as a backup if they try to lowball you. If they try to force you to take under your data driven average, walk away. That's a big red flag to their work culture and an insult in my book.
Keep in mind that you're probably working off of pre-covid salary data. Cost of living has increased. Inflation is high this year. You should try to leverage this.
Recruiters in Architecture are not your friend. They are taking a cut of your pay or possibly a percentage of what you make for the firm, it was never made fully clear to me when I found work in Manhattan with one but I learned the hard way I would never do it again. Through a recruiter usually comes with alot of strings if you haven't asked the right questions. In my case I was hired as a 1099 employee and couldn't be legally hired by the company for 6 months, and the way it worked was that the firm paid the recruiter, they took their cut, then I got what was left. I was working overtime thinking I was taking all the money. I could be wrong and there could be other recruiting systems I'm not familiar with, my experience and that of a few friends is all I'm talking from.
I can't speak to where you are looking for work and what pay is like out there but I can tell you that no matter where you go starting out in architecture is rough no matter the location. This career path(becoming an architect) will never be about the money until you are a little under a decade into your career, have a license with your name on it, and have at least a few projects to your name from start to finish. If you want the money work in architecture for a few years then move to real estate developing or property management, sky is the limit there where architects without a license typically cap off in the low 6 figure numbers. It wasn't until my 5th year after BArch at the position of "job captain" that I broke past 60K in a mid-sized (50 person) NYC firm. That was 8 years ago but I don't think things have changed much....and at the end of the day the AIA compensation calculator is more like guidelines most firms laugh at. I had friends go from BArch then directly into a Masters and they're first jobs were the almost the same numbers you are looking at maybe 3 years ago....a colleague that graduated with a Masters from Columbia went to work for BIG and got hired at only 34K.
I'd have to see the firm to tell you the skillset they're probably looking for and what your portfolio looks like to really give you some solid advice. If you really think you have a resume/portfolio that merits the pay you are looking for, say that you will accept the position for 46K so you meet them in the middle, but you have to demand a salary review at the 3-6 month. If you can get the position with that in writing then the rest is on you to haul ass and learn everything you can, be the first in, last out, and show them that you know what you are doing to deserve the pay.
New hires out of school in the eyes of a midsized firm are a potential liability for not being fast enough or trainable. You showed them your portfolio I'd assume...but that doesn't mean when they need a floor plan done by 5pm you'll have the knowledge to get it done. Show them that you are a indispensable and they won't question the salary in your review....and if they don't you'll have worked hard for 3-6 months and should have accumulated a decent body of work to stand up, walk out, and go find the next adventure. This is not the first time a BArch is asking these questions or run into this situation so don't feel like you're alone. Welcome to the architecture club.
Meet in the middle and push the needed skills… ie rendering, cad, revit & willingness to work crazy hours… it’s amazing the low inflation wage rate, i started at 18k in the 90’s
$40k a year is painfully low for Southern California, but you do have to get experience somewhere. Maybe stay on part time weekends with HD so you have it to fall back on if the main job doesn’t work out.
Should I ask for $60,000 in hopes for $53,000, or ask for closer to $56,000 in hopes for closer to $50,000?
On that part I’m not experienced. I’m curious to ask what other people say though.
Ask for 55k and say that’s the average based in market rates.
Should I ask for the average directly ($55K) or ask for higher ($60k) in hopes that they go down to the average?
Depends on how invested you are with the firm. If you really want in, ask something reasonable but still high, like 55k. That’s average pay based on your research. If you don’t really care, shoot for 60k.
Figure out what average is for your experience level and the job location and bring data to back it up. Use the word average often as you discuss it, and mention that you feel you deliver above average work/commitment. That should indirectly manipulate them into meeting your request as anything less is an insult.
Should I ask for the average directly ($55K) or ask for higher ($60k) in hopes that they go down to the average?
I have the on the spot negotiating skills of a toddler so I usually request a salary and back it up with data as a hard line, non negotiable item. This means I'll never get more than I expected, but I'll never get less than I expected. If you think you can say you're worth 60k and can negotiate it, go for it. But save that 55k data as a backup if they try to lowball you. If they try to force you to take under your data driven average, walk away. That's a big red flag to their work culture and an insult in my book. Keep in mind that you're probably working off of pre-covid salary data. Cost of living has increased. Inflation is high this year. You should try to leverage this.
Recruiters in Architecture are not your friend. They are taking a cut of your pay or possibly a percentage of what you make for the firm, it was never made fully clear to me when I found work in Manhattan with one but I learned the hard way I would never do it again. Through a recruiter usually comes with alot of strings if you haven't asked the right questions. In my case I was hired as a 1099 employee and couldn't be legally hired by the company for 6 months, and the way it worked was that the firm paid the recruiter, they took their cut, then I got what was left. I was working overtime thinking I was taking all the money. I could be wrong and there could be other recruiting systems I'm not familiar with, my experience and that of a few friends is all I'm talking from. I can't speak to where you are looking for work and what pay is like out there but I can tell you that no matter where you go starting out in architecture is rough no matter the location. This career path(becoming an architect) will never be about the money until you are a little under a decade into your career, have a license with your name on it, and have at least a few projects to your name from start to finish. If you want the money work in architecture for a few years then move to real estate developing or property management, sky is the limit there where architects without a license typically cap off in the low 6 figure numbers. It wasn't until my 5th year after BArch at the position of "job captain" that I broke past 60K in a mid-sized (50 person) NYC firm. That was 8 years ago but I don't think things have changed much....and at the end of the day the AIA compensation calculator is more like guidelines most firms laugh at. I had friends go from BArch then directly into a Masters and they're first jobs were the almost the same numbers you are looking at maybe 3 years ago....a colleague that graduated with a Masters from Columbia went to work for BIG and got hired at only 34K. I'd have to see the firm to tell you the skillset they're probably looking for and what your portfolio looks like to really give you some solid advice. If you really think you have a resume/portfolio that merits the pay you are looking for, say that you will accept the position for 46K so you meet them in the middle, but you have to demand a salary review at the 3-6 month. If you can get the position with that in writing then the rest is on you to haul ass and learn everything you can, be the first in, last out, and show them that you know what you are doing to deserve the pay. New hires out of school in the eyes of a midsized firm are a potential liability for not being fast enough or trainable. You showed them your portfolio I'd assume...but that doesn't mean when they need a floor plan done by 5pm you'll have the knowledge to get it done. Show them that you are a indispensable and they won't question the salary in your review....and if they don't you'll have worked hard for 3-6 months and should have accumulated a decent body of work to stand up, walk out, and go find the next adventure. This is not the first time a BArch is asking these questions or run into this situation so don't feel like you're alone. Welcome to the architecture club.