Company: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, an architecture, engineering and urban design and planning firm in Chicago
Salary range for this company: $28,000 to $2 million
Time on this job: 6 years
Previous jobs: I was working as an architect for Skidmore in New York.
Age: 33
Education: B.A. in design of the environment and a master’s in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania
How I got this job: I heard about the job at the Chicago office, so I interviewed over the phone.
Why I took this job: I enjoyed working at Skidmore, and the types of jobs that the Chicago office gets are so varied. It was a great opportunity.
Main responsibilities: I design buildings worldwide, including high-rises, convention centers, office buildings and hotels. For each project, I work with in-house engineers, architects, and with consultants at offices throughout the world, so we’re always sharing information, communicating and conferencing via the computer. Before I start working on a project, I help ensure our computers are compatible, so we can easily share documents and files. I use rendering, computer-drafting and word-processing programs to draw the interior and exterior aspects of a building and create 3-D models and photo images. When the building begins to aesthetically take shape, we then take the recommendations to the client. Clients typically want the drawings of the buildings in digital as well as in print or model form. Because there are so many different computer systems and drawing programs both here and abroad, it takes a lot of thought in creating a format that will translate the data so the client can open up the file and clearly see the drawing and information.
Best thing about the job: I enjoy the complex projects. Every day is a learning experience, and it’s very challenging and fulfilling work.
Worst thing about the job: I work on buildings that are constructed all over the world, and I often don’t get to see them.
My ideal next job: I would like to be a senior designer.
Advice to job seekers in this field: Chicago is one of the few places in the world where an architect can be exposed to great civic architecture and a wide range of projects. If you know you want to be an architect, work for it. If it’s something you’re passionate about, then the rest of the job will fall into place.
