How much does your company pay, Mr. Foster?

I could probably competently answer the original form of the question of which the title above is a parody; the structural engineer's task is more often than not aimed at designing buildings to carry weight and making their own weight as minimal as possible, but I am not turning this into an academic exercise of sorts.  It is a mere reflection on my new role at F+P just before I start my 7th week there (since, you know, 7 is the perfect number).

Sometimes it still feel surreal that I actually work within the studio of one of the architectural superstars of the 20th and even now the 21st century (albeit that Lord Foster himself is apparently very rarely in London let alone in the office).  In my undergrad days, I would flip through books, magazines and the net looking at Foster buildings for inspiration and even now that those days are long gone, the inspiration is surely a perpetual one.  After the last troubling years in academia, I am finally back to working in the real world, designing real buildings and all with the added advantage of being in one of the most exciting workplaces for any architect and/or engineer.  Starting a new day is something I look forward to (minus the waking up bit, of course) and even walking around the offices past all the models, pin-ups and drawings and sketches stuck to the magnetic walls and sometimes taped to the glazed external walls is inspiring.  A quasi communist atmosphere dominates the office - senior partner, intern and all are treated equally, their opinion valued and respected and everyone is on a first name basis where the only formality lies in the quality of the work produced.  That, in itself, is impressive, where even mere 'work in progress' type material for internal meetings is of supreme presentation calibre and no expense really is spared.

Speaking of expense, the payment I referred to in the title is beyond the financial one.  I am not much of a money fan but the real value I am getting from my job probably has no price tag: the experience and privilege gained from working in such a dynamic studio.  In my undergrad days, I would look at the Commerzbank or the Sainsbury Centre or the then newly built Gherkin in magazines and yearn to visit them.  In my postgrad days, I would walk around the City and see the buildings for real and recall peeping inside the Riverside studios, where all the magic happens.  Nowadays, I am a sorcerer's apprentice myself and I am part of the 1000-odd strong team of wizards who create the wonders which dominate the London skylines and beyond.