Moonlighting
July 10, 2017![]() |
Photo Credit: ABC Television |
Moonlighting, or outside professional practice, is prohibited by the firm for which I work. It has never been a problem for me, as I never felt like I didn’t have enough to do in my day job. That is not to say that I have not been asked for help by friends or family. The closest thing I have done to moonlighting is writing about my experiences as an architect, but that is a far cry from providing architectural services.
There are certain liabilities that comes with working for friends or family (not to mention the risk of losing such friends…). I am not insured for such activities – at least that is an excuse I can use that won’t hurt someone’s feelings. I don’t really think I want to work for friends or family. To me, that sounds about as good an idea as loaning your dead-beat uncle some cash. It probably won’t end well, and it will make Thanksgiving dinner really awkward if you expected that money back.
Cue television flashback harp music:
My parents were set to build a house in New Mexico a few years after I graduated from college. I had only seen the land in pictures, and it wasn’t really pretty. It was rocks, sand and scrub. My step father had this grand idea that he wanted a log cabin. In the desert. No amount of logic from a kid in his mid-twenties would sway him. “Where are you gonna get the trees, Al?” “How’s that log cabin gonna do in 120 degree heat? – I don’t care if it is a dry heat, that’s actually worse!”
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This is either a view from the Viking Spacecraft or a view of my mother’s lawn. (Photo credit: NASA) |
This is an actual view of my mother’s home. The amount of green is deceptive from space. (Photo Credit: Google Earth) |
Oh well, they got their house, and it was appropriate to the climate and context. I am sure Thanksgiving dinner will still be awkward, just for different reasons.
This post is part of the ArchiTalks series (led by Bob Borson of Life of an Architect ) where a group of us (architects who also blog) all post on the same day and promote each other’s blogs. This month’s theme is led by Michael Riscica and is “Moonlighting”. A lot of other talented writers who also are architects are listed below and are worth checking out:
Bob Borson – Life of An Architect (@bobborson)
Should Architects Moonlight?
Jeff Echols – Architect Of The Internet (@Jeff_Echols)
The Ironic Blasphemy of Moonlighting and what Architects are Missing Out On
Lee Calisti, AIA – Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
moonlighting more than an 80s sitcom
Lora Teagarden – L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
Moon(lighting) changes with the seasons
Collier Ward – One More Story (@BuildingContent)
Moonlighting
Jeremiah Russell, AIA – ROGUE Architecture (@rogue_architect)
hustle and grind: #architalks
Michael Riscica AIA – Young Architect (@YoungArchitxPDX)
Moonlighting for Young Architects
Stephen Ramos – BUILDINGS ARE COOL (@BuildingsRCool)
Architects do it All Night Long
Brian Paletz – The Emerging Architect (@bpaletz)
Starlight, moonlight – tick tock
Jeffrey Pelletier – Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
Is Moonlighting Worth It? Probably Not, But We All Try.
Kyu Young Kim – J&K Atelier (@sokokyu)
Dancing in the Moonlight
Keith Palma – Architect’s Trace (@cogitatedesign)
The Howling
Tim Ung – Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)
An Alternative to Moonlighting as a Young Architect
Mark Stephens – Mark Stephens Architects (@architectmark)
Architalks 28 Moonlighting
Gabriela Baierle-Atwood – Gabriela Baierle-Atwood (@gabrielabaierle)
On Moonlighting
Ilaria Marani – Creative Aptitude (@creaptitude)
There is no moonlighting. It’s a jungle!
Jane Vorbrodt – Kuno Architecture (@janevorbrodt)
Crafted Moonlighting