ALTERNATIVES By Ernesto R. Zarate, FPIA SURFING THE INTERNET makes one discover so much information it boggles one’s mind. Oftentimes, one gets to learn things so close to home that makes one wonder why one never thought of them before. Truly, this computer age we’re in, in addition to the fantastic advances in communications technology, would easily makes one a devotee or an enthusiastic hitchhiker in the overly touted “information highway”. I learned for example that my niece, whom I have not heard from for decades is now happily married—to an architect at that—and is now very much involved with her husband’s line of business, manning the computers. They are into providing professional service to architects. They offer to ease the burden of architectural offices by providing estimating services for a minimal fee. The architectural firms supply them the working drawings and specifications and they come up with a neatly packaged bill of materials in a jiffy. They are also into “value engineering” (a new-fangled term I still have to fully understand and appreciate) and project management. Another architect-nephew recently returned from abroad where his services were required as a project management consultant. His slight deficiency in experience was overlooked by his principals and his smattering knowledge of Mandarin (his wife is Chinese) was taken into favorable consideration. A former draftsman of mine is now into providing computerized drafting services (CADD). His clients include several foreign firms. He receives sketches and instructions by email and sends back the finished product the same way. He is booked solid for the months to come. He probably got the idea from me, actually. You see, we used to do drafting jobs for a famous architect-compadre of mine for the residential projects of clients he couldn’t refuse. His firm was deep into rushing the completion of several giant projects that they just couldn’t find time to attend to “small” projects. This was fortuitous for me because practice was so low that I was then toying with the idea of giving up my professional practice because the economy was so bad that I was then looking for jobs just to be able to pay the salaries of my staff. Well I finally passed that phase, thanks to my compadre. Alternatives. With the overcrowded profession we are in, coupled with the current strong then weak status of the building industry, we have to look for alternatives in order to survive. We have to accept the grim fact that not all of us will make it up there. The hundreds of new graduates churned out every single year by our local architectural schools hoping to make it in their chosen careers are often left in the cold. Most end up “nagbibilang ng poste” unless of course they are already working as draftsmen or CAD operators in some office of a developer or, luckily, in an established architectural firm. Several hundreds more will probably give up the profession altogether once they fail in the board exams and take on other jobs, from call center employees to tile salesmen, just to be able to repay their parents’ investment on their college education. Even among the licensed ones, a great percentage does not practice their profession as architects/designers. They go into the more lucrative contracting business which many purists look down upon as selling out their ethical ideals. The erratic state of the economy is a valid excuse, but even if the situation is rosy, there would still be more architects than projects, and the fight for crumbs will go on. I repeat, we belong to a truly an overcrowded profession. In an ordinary family, one or more members would be seeking medical help every so often thus the medical sciences professional will be needed; ditto for the legal professional, sometime or another legal services would be needed. But how often would a family need an architect? Oftentimes, when the need for building is felt, an engineer or contractor friend’s help is solicited. Remember, they greatly outnumber us. Sometimes it is even the friendly neighborhood carpenter that does all the work. He gets an unemployed draftsman to prepare the necessary drawings. And then signed an sealed for a fee by hangers-on at the city hall or municipio. But as in any discipline, there is ample room at the top. That is what every architect who has enough confidence in his skills and talent is aspiring for. Shall you therefore go for the top or just settle for the alternative? Whatever you decide, strive to be the best in it and fulfillment and happiness will be given unto you. Or end up just a surfer all lifelong.
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 07:38:32 +0000
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