Why Architects are Unemployed

I have recently needed to update my architectural license in NY State. This is a very straight forward thing to do and it requires me to prove to the state board that I have attended at least 36 hours of continued education during the past 36 months.

Today, I received an email from the state board that affirms that I am in good standing. It also reminds me that I have to obtain 36 more continued education credits before the next 36 months come around.

Then, it paraphrases what type of continued education would NOT be acceptable in their eyes. They include:

Risk management, limiting the design professional’s liability, project management related to profitability and maximizing fees, marketing and public relations, insurance, laws related to arbitration, mediation, liens (unless they relate to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public), real estate, real estate development, expanding a design professional’s business, basic AutoCAD, personal development, general office management, accounting/financial planning, succession planning, zoning as it relates to increasing a developer or architect’s profitability, design build (unless 75% of the course content relates to the laws related to design build in New York State) are not acceptable subjects.

So, generally speaking, I cannot get any continued education credits if I want to learn better ways to make a profit and to protect my income as an architect. Hmmm, perhaps that is why we have so much unemployment in the architectural profession today. It is expected that unemployment of architects is at least 30%. Since the survival of the architectural profession as a business is not a priority, its own "club" (the American Institute of Architects, AIA for short)does not have an accurate count of how many architects are unemployed. Here is an article that discusses this further, http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/10/101025real_employment.asp

Perhaps that is why, even in a good economy, architects continue to view themselves as crusaders of good design with great goals of creating a better world but with no earthly idea how they are going to support themselves and their families while exposing themselves to frivolous lawsuits with low compensation.

In spite of the architectural board's point of view of our profession's priorities, I wrote a book that is for not only architects but for everyone that has a business and wants it to prosper. The book shares ways we can use our own offices as an additional marketing tool. It is titled, "The Designed Office." Heck, I might not get any continued education credit for writing this book, but you can get the benefit from the gems shared in the book. Oh well, my loss is your gain (sorry, that's my architect training talking, not my business mind). Never the less, go get your copy at...

Click Here to get your copy at Amazon.com.

Click Here to get your copy at Barnes and Noble.com.

Or, just click on this link and get a lot of cool free gifts at My Designed Office website


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