This is turning into a nightmare
Ok, I think I am going to start a series of posts with title's that are overused quotes that my boss uses. This being his most commonly used one lately. Let me just say that EVERYTHING in this office turns into a nightmare. Well, at least according to him. Shit gets fucked up all the time but I don't think all of it qualifies as a full blown nightmare.
However, the current job I'm working on right now is the mother of all nightmares. The client is a buffoon, a rube, a schmuck. I don't like the guy, my boss doesn't, and our structural engineer doesn't. He has changed the design of his restaurant/jazz club so many times I think were on scheme Q. The problem is worsened because my boss is the worst designer ever. He basically doesn't design. He lets the client tell him how to design. This is obviously not a good idea since clients aren't architects. They have no idea what makes a space work well. Apparently neither does my boss. This is why he lets the client dictate the design to him. However horrible and ugly and non-functioning it might be. Pile on top of all this the fact that the clients contractor is currently working on the building through some fucked up situation where he actually got a building permit. So I'm sure after all is said and done things will be built that will be changed later. On top of that is also the fact that there is no distinction between design development and construction documentation. This causes me to have an entire construction document near completed with notes, dimensions, scheduels, and then it all changes again and all that work is thrown out the door. This in turn causes my boss to charge him on a time and materials basis. Which in turn causes the clients bill to be extremely high. Which in turn causes said client to blow his top and ask for a discount. Which in turn my boss being the pushover weeny that he is to give said client his stinkin discount which doesn't go over well with the only full time architectural employee aka ME, because I'm slaving my ass off handling the entire workload of the firm which leads me to want a big big bonus or raise.
This job, not just the building I was just talking about but this entire job, this firm, the place where I am employed is turning into a fucking nightmare. I had such high hopes. I mean most of the things I wanted to happen did. I'm not sitting around twiddling my thumbs anymore. I am too busy. I have more responsibility. I get more respect. I have to I'm the only one here. Plus my boss has little knowledge of computers and efficiency and I feel he trusts my knowledge in those areas. I get paid more. All wonderful great things.
However other things happened that I did not foresee. My longterm ideas on this job were that it being a small firm, I could get in on the ground floor, offer my expertise to help improve the firm and help it grow. After spending years helping the firm I would be greatly rewarded with responsibilty and money and maybe become a partner someday. Now that I'm the only one left I guess thats been altered to be more than a partner and just buy the damn firm from my boss. Now obviously this is long term thinking. It would only happen if I decided I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. As of now there is no way I could even afford to buy into a partnership. But all of this is complicated by the bad things... Like the fact that my boss is the most unprofessional doof I've ever witnessed. For example I don't know many people that routinely drop the F-bomb while talking to clients. Also the fact that he lets clients boss him around. His extreme unorganization.
Certain problems I can fix. Thats what I like to do. I'm a problem solver. However how do you fix a person? How do you tell your boss he's unprofessional and its hurting him and the firm and in turn me. How do you tell him he's an idiot and he really needs to get better organized. How do you tell your superior that you have better ideas on how to run the firm? The golden question. I don't know. I'm going to have to work on that if I'm going to stay here much longer. Hell I'm going to have to work on it if this place is going to stay in business. Anyway... Its time for lunch. Bossman is out and I'm taking a long lunch at perkins. I'm sure I will continue a similar diatribe in a later post. Ciao
However, the current job I'm working on right now is the mother of all nightmares. The client is a buffoon, a rube, a schmuck. I don't like the guy, my boss doesn't, and our structural engineer doesn't. He has changed the design of his restaurant/jazz club so many times I think were on scheme Q. The problem is worsened because my boss is the worst designer ever. He basically doesn't design. He lets the client tell him how to design. This is obviously not a good idea since clients aren't architects. They have no idea what makes a space work well. Apparently neither does my boss. This is why he lets the client dictate the design to him. However horrible and ugly and non-functioning it might be. Pile on top of all this the fact that the clients contractor is currently working on the building through some fucked up situation where he actually got a building permit. So I'm sure after all is said and done things will be built that will be changed later. On top of that is also the fact that there is no distinction between design development and construction documentation. This causes me to have an entire construction document near completed with notes, dimensions, scheduels, and then it all changes again and all that work is thrown out the door. This in turn causes my boss to charge him on a time and materials basis. Which in turn causes the clients bill to be extremely high. Which in turn causes said client to blow his top and ask for a discount. Which in turn my boss being the pushover weeny that he is to give said client his stinkin discount which doesn't go over well with the only full time architectural employee aka ME, because I'm slaving my ass off handling the entire workload of the firm which leads me to want a big big bonus or raise.
This job, not just the building I was just talking about but this entire job, this firm, the place where I am employed is turning into a fucking nightmare. I had such high hopes. I mean most of the things I wanted to happen did. I'm not sitting around twiddling my thumbs anymore. I am too busy. I have more responsibility. I get more respect. I have to I'm the only one here. Plus my boss has little knowledge of computers and efficiency and I feel he trusts my knowledge in those areas. I get paid more. All wonderful great things.
However other things happened that I did not foresee. My longterm ideas on this job were that it being a small firm, I could get in on the ground floor, offer my expertise to help improve the firm and help it grow. After spending years helping the firm I would be greatly rewarded with responsibilty and money and maybe become a partner someday. Now that I'm the only one left I guess thats been altered to be more than a partner and just buy the damn firm from my boss. Now obviously this is long term thinking. It would only happen if I decided I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. As of now there is no way I could even afford to buy into a partnership. But all of this is complicated by the bad things... Like the fact that my boss is the most unprofessional doof I've ever witnessed. For example I don't know many people that routinely drop the F-bomb while talking to clients. Also the fact that he lets clients boss him around. His extreme unorganization.
Certain problems I can fix. Thats what I like to do. I'm a problem solver. However how do you fix a person? How do you tell your boss he's unprofessional and its hurting him and the firm and in turn me. How do you tell him he's an idiot and he really needs to get better organized. How do you tell your superior that you have better ideas on how to run the firm? The golden question. I don't know. I'm going to have to work on that if I'm going to stay here much longer. Hell I'm going to have to work on it if this place is going to stay in business. Anyway... Its time for lunch. Bossman is out and I'm taking a long lunch at perkins. I'm sure I will continue a similar diatribe in a later post. Ciao
posted by Kent at 8:05 AM
1 Comments:
It amazes me (it really shouldn't, anymore) how idiots like your boss get to be in the positions they are in! We are supposed to be professionals, yet there are so many of these guys running around, cursing in front of clients, screwing over their staff, and just generally running a bad business!
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