Re: Crappy Pay - WHY???

On Sun, 31 Mar 1996, nic musolino wrote:

> It does well to keep in mind that you can make a living doing this, as long
> as you realize that someone else is making a better one, whether that is
> your boss (if that is the bargain you strike) or your client.  Basic
> economics dictate that our position in the chain of development dollars in
> real estate (which is mostly what we do) allows for very thin margins.
> Lacking legislation or an elevated cultural status limits our neogtioable
> position.  If you had the leverage to combat this, you wouldn't be worrying
> about how much you make anyways.
> nic musolino
> subject@xxxxxxxx
> 10019

Nic,

A couple of things. Ivy League bashing is just wasted time really.
According to your last paragraph there I would think it to be
advantageous for archies to get involved with land appropriations. So
that we can up our stakes, so to speak. I am not worried terribly about
the whole wage ordeal, but rather how to be smart, when I am out of here.
Worrying is wasted energy on ignorance. I have worried a lot in my 26
yrs and found that information is a sure cure. Thus my presence here on
design-l.

Any time you are selling something, in our case, architecture, it is
obvious to me that the one who buys it is likely better off than you
because otherwise you would not be selling and they could not buy it.
That's simple. But as Dave Sucher recently posted, a good quality product
derived from being the best one can be should fetch a better price based
on the consumer being the best they can be by buying the best available.
Very Utopian, maybe. But as I recall, when Japanese motorcycles were
introduced in the U.S. no one wanted one because the were so poorly
made.  But they were cheap $$. But now, how may American motorcycle
companies are there compared to Japanese in this country? Their product
is drastically improved!

And, Nic, you are right, to a degree, about the divergence between this
selling architecture as a business and designing architecture as it is
taught in schools(Ivy League did not teach me that, it's at any school),
it is inherent in schools that do not engage the field that it feeds and
is surrounded by. To end, in undergrad. my prof asked me to work for him
and I think not to undercut profits so much but to show me what to
look forward to...;)

scott