#ArchiTalks 33 "Choices..."

Choices…

It’s not always black or white.

I think I am one of the oldest, if not the oldest person in this #architalks group so I feel like I can look
back and look at my choices and I occasionally will do crits at schools or I will be at an architecture
function and people will ask me,

What type of firm is the best firm to work at, a larger firm or a smaller firm?

And I typically tell them, well whatever you want to do, it’s not for me to tell you that you should work
the way that I have because that might not be best for you

And looking back now, I guess I can say that it is like finding out who you are as an architect, it isn’t
just about your design style or methodology, it is about what you want to do in your life.

I talk to many people who are in different careers and a lot of them didn’t know what they wanted to
do when they went to college.  I have known that I wanted to be an architect since the 8th grade, but
I didn’t know if going about it was the right way to go, I just had to look at different paths by making
choices along the way.

I made a career plan in 8th grade and then in  11th and 12th grade and I have pretty much followed
that path but it wasn’t exactly a straight one and I wasn’t sure if I was making the right decisions along
the way.  

But if you don’t at least look at a map, prepare for your trip and walk out the door, you probably won’t
be prepared for any roadblocks that you might encounter along the way and never continue on your
journey.

The Plan:

So, my plan was to go to architecture school, have a firm with my partner in life and architecture
(i did not want to be married) and maybe have one child because I was going to be so into my
work that I wouldn’t have time to be a wife and mother.  

The Reality:

So, I graduated from high school, went to college, worked for a small firm while in college when I
could.  But I met a guy in architecture school and then after college we lived together and then we
worked for different firms (except for 6 months when we worked together) and we got married and
then we had a baby and I started doing work on my own and and he still worked for other firms that
were bigger and now we have three children and we never worked together again.  

A little bit different that what my original plan was, huh?

And I have been working for myself and have been the main caregiver for 23 years.

Now, have I ever thought, “could I work for a bigger corporate firm?  Should I just close up my
business and just go get a job where I would get a paycheck twice a month?”

Of course I have thought about it and I still think about it, but I like having my own firm and my own
work because I can make my own schedule and be with my kids and that is what is important for
me.

Now, as a woman, my choices were fairly limited at the time because in architecture, most people
are committed to their career and I was making other choices that were not so welcomed by anyone
really, so I had to go it on my own. I felt like I wasn’t really a stay-at-home mom but I wasn’t seen as
being a working mom because I was working out of the house and still taking care of the kids, so
really I was straddling the fence.  I would say when asked that “I am an architect but I only do a few
projects a year so I can be with my children”.

From what I am still hearing, it is no easier to work at a big or a small firm now and try to work around
that schedule as it was 24 years ago.  The women who I know that have been able to do it have had
good support at home as far as family taking care of their children or they have had a spouse whose
income was able to make up for the fact that most of theirs  was spent on child care.  

I can remember that an architect literally told me that my life would be ruined if i got married.  And
then he said it would be ruined because I was pregnant. And now i am sure he would say that my
choices in life were a recipe for disaster.  I am pretty sure he is still not married and never spawned
and that was probably for the best…

Another thing that my husband and I had sparred over at an Alley Rounds was the

“Big Firm vs. Small Firm” Choice.  At a larger firm, the projects are typically of a larger scale, one
will be working on educational projects like elementary through university campus buildings, medical
facilities and office towers. There are a lot of different personalities and the reviews and corporate
structure and office politics to deal with,  Of course, the Holiday parties and the employee benefits
are usually better.  

But, as an engineer who I worked for said to someone who called him and asked if I was capable
to do their residential addition said,

“Are you building an airport? Otherwise, I think she can handle it”.

And he always took everyone to a nice Holiday lunch!

I am a sole proprietor and do all of the work myself (all by myself, though sometimes I will get
some help from my eldest but that is very limited,,,)  and as such I am busy with every aspect
of the business, I am meeting with clients, writing proposals and contracts, designing, doing
the contract documents, going to the building department, pulling permits, picking tile and
exterior materials and paint colors, doing construction observation and billing.  But because
I am doing a lot of different tasks and my projects typically are designed, permitted and built
in about 18-24 months, it is never boring and I get to do and see different things every day. Is
it tiring and is it difficult sometimes, yes...

BUT

Here it is people:

I am happy with my Choices.  

Yes, you heard it right here,

I am perfectly fine with them.

I am happy with my own firm (even though my boss can be somewhat difficult to deal with at times…)
and because you only have one life, set your goals, make your own choices and be an architect!

I am now offering sponsorship opportunities and I am grateful for that. Please contact me via my website below for more information.

MGHarchitect: Michele Grace Hottel, Architect

If you would like to see other #architalks "choices", please follow the links below:

Matthew Stanfield - FiELD9: architecture (@FiELD9arch)

Jeff Echols - Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)

Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti) choices

Mark R. LePage - EntreArchitect (@EntreArchitect) Limit Their Stress By Limiting Their Choices

Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC) Choices

Collier Ward - One More Story (@BuildingContent)

Cormac Phalen - Cormac Phalen (@archy_type)

Nicholas Renard - Renard Architecture (@dig-arch)

Jeremiah Russell, AIA - ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)

Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome) Choices -- It's Everything!

Rosa Sheng - EquitybyDesign [EQxD] (@EquityxDesign)

Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)

Meghana Joshi - IRA Consultants, LLC (@MeghanaIRA)

Michael Riscica AIA - Young Architect (@YoungArchitxPDX)

Stephen Ramos - BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@BuildingsRCool)

brady ernst - Soapbox Architect (@bradyernstAIA)

Brian Paletz - The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz) A million choices

Michael LaValley - Evolving Architect (@archivalley)

Jonathan Brown - Proto-Architecture (@mondo_tiki_man)

Eric Wittman - intern[life] (@rico_w)

#REF!

Jarod Hall - di'velept (@divelept)

Drew Paul Bell - Drew Paul Bell (@DrewPaulBell)

Jeffrey Pelletier - Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum) How Do You Deal with Choices During the Design Process?

Samantha R. Markham - The Aspiring Architect (@TheAspiringArch)

Kyu Young Kim - J&K Atelier (@sokokyu)

Nisha Kandiah - ArchiDragon (@ArchiDragon) Life is a Gamble that depends upon your choices

Rusty Long - Rusty Long, Architect (@rustylong)

Keith Palma - Architect's Trace (@cogitatedesign) Slow… merge… stop

Jim Mehaffey - Yeoman Architect (@jamesmehaffey) Choose Your Battles

Tim Ung - Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)

Mark Stephens - Mark Stephens Architects (@architectmark) ArchiTalks Choices

Gabriela Baierle-Atwood - Gabriela Baierle-Atwood (@gabrielabaierle)

Ilaria Marani - Creative Aptitude (@creaptitude)

Jane Vorbrodt - Kuno Architecture (@janevorbrodt)

Larry Lucas - Lucas Sustainable, PLLC (@LarryLucasArch)