Pros
A “design-focused” approach has made for engaging early phases in projects. I was able to work on a variety of multi-family projects through all phases of design and construction, allowing me to quickly gain a diverse skill set.
Cons
I saw little to no upward mobility for anyone at this firm in the last 2 years I worked there. For non-senior staff, pay is low and non-competitive. When issues are brought up with the structure of projects or the firm overall, the responsibility for solving those issues is placed on staff, not leadership (with no tangible pay or benefits to incentivize taking on that work). The Covid-19 pandemic made clear the poor structure of finances, communication, and stagnant morale at this firm, leading to a wave of layoffs and a subsequent wave of staff leaving on their own accord. The principal group routinely told staff that the low pay, low morale, and low project load was “normal” for our industry at this time - it only took applying to a few other companies to realize that this was simply not the case. I left shortly thereafter.
