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If you only have 2 years of experience, you’re better off staying and adding something meaningful to your experience than just jumping for the money. It’s architecture, most firms pay peanuts. If our field was tech or consulting.. then maybe it would make sense.
Yes it certainly is. I think every young architect should take a few years to find the right firm size and project type that works as well as getting significant increases in compensation. Of course, getting your license should be priority #1.
My condensed compensation history (from memory lol):
2013 - first firm $42k (with bonuses)
2015 - $55k
2018 - $63k
2021 to now - 85k (with bonuses)
Depends on where you are and how much you're getting paid now. I'm licensed w 10+ yrs of exp. Every 2.5 to 3.5 years I've jumped for various reasons. Opportunity, pay, relocation to a different city, etc. the jumps gave me a solid understanding of how firms operate differently. There are general industry standards but it is interesting to see the differences, especially if your current firm pushes hard in one direction and you are aware, based on your experiences from three other places, that their way is not necessarily the only way to approach an issue. I think it's crucial to get experience from different firms so you're not stuck in one bubble.
It definitely helps increase your compensation quickly but eventually you'll have to find a place that's the right fit in terms of projects and culture so you can really learn all aspects of a project and grow. I went from 58k in 2020 in a HCOL city to now 100k (including bonuses) in 2024 in MCOL city, had three jobs in total in 4 years