Basically this is an opportunity to share the stories of your beginnings with those leaving school soon. Obviously there are similar threads, but I want this to be more about the learning process of entering a new environment.
What were the different situations that people found themselves in post-graduation? Did they find any of their skills acquired in school marketable/useful? What was the most difficult part of the transition? Describe in detail the working environment at your first firm.
I think you'll be surprised at how much it depends on who you know. You may have worked w/ someone on a project, and they mention your name to someone in a firm--and you end up there. Maybe a professor puts in a good word somewhere--and there you are. This, after spending countless hours crafting letters, resume, and portfolio to send to those firms at the top of your list (who may very well have better use for your talents). Puzzling world sometimes.
Knowing people is important. But for me, equally as important has been being in the right place at the right time. For me the "new environment" i was entering was a new city, looking for work with no connections, no leads, and no idea where to start.
Sorry in advance for the long post.
My fiancée was planning on going to grad school in New York after we both graduated from college in Boston. So after leaving school, I also needed to leave the office I was working in and move to a city where I didn't know a sole. I ended up working 3 days a week in Boston and commuting to NY for the other 4. My time in New York was split between looking for work and volunteering at a community design build office. I found that gig by emailing them and asking if they needed a hand a few days a week.
In the mean time, I ended up landing an unpaid internship at a great firm, but because I was working for free I couldn't shake the feeling of being taken advantage of. This was another office I emailed with some work samples and resume just to see if they needed any help.
I wasn’t pumped about working for free but I thought that it was better than just staying put and waiting for something. In my mind I needed to keep moving. Even though I wasn’t moving up or down career wise, I was trying to move laterally to keep myself busy.
One day, I saw a job posting on archinect, and since the office was next door to the firm I was at, I thought to stop by and drop off my portfolio. Risky, I know. But it paid off. The owner was originally from Massachusetts and we seemed to hit it off right away. Because the firm was so small I ended up being handed a ton of really challenging work right away.
A year has past since then and I'm still at the firm. The work is great, but the pay is on the low side. I was able to supplement this income by teaching a studio at a small school in Brooklyn. I also found that gig by chance. An instructor was looking for critics on archinect, and I responded. She liked my interaction with the students and (since she was in charge of making the teaching schedule each semester) offered me a position teaching first year studio.
Before I moved to the city I was loosing my mind thinking that I wouldn’t have any connections to help me find work. Looking back, I see how a combination of luck and being in the right place at the right time (and a little bit of archinect) has actually been better than any connection I could have asked for. And I have a little added confidence for having done it on my own.
What were the different situations that people found themselves in post-graduation? Did they find any of their skills acquired in school marketable/useful? What was the most difficult part of the transition?
Well let's see, I made great use of the skills attained during grad. school to pack boxes, load a UHaul and move back home. Most difficult part of the transition? Living at home for 2 years without an income.
Basically this is an opportunity to share the stories of your beginnings with those leaving school soon. Obviously there are similar threads, but I want this to be more about the learning process of entering a new environment.
a learning process? on a thread? ok good luck with that, the op must be really young, college is the end all to everything it is not even a turning point.
graduated '02, spent summer scraping by and self-employed.
(during fourth year i had taken a one room apt. in the cheapest, dingiest apt complex i could find -- one room studios under 200sf apiece not freshened up in about 20-30 years of college students coming and going. They still had old, nasty shag carpet from the late seventies. I did this b/c i wanted to try renovating an apt on my own and i figured that in such a place no one would mind what i did so long as it was an improvement. So i started my fourth year. By end of fourth year, the property manager noticed, approved and offered to pay for materials for me to finish my apartment renovation. fast forward to end of thesis year and the apt. manager offered to pay me to renovate half of the rest of the units. I brought a friend in on it and that pretty much paid for the summer)
while doing renovation work, i was designing a house for somebody as that is allowed without a license in AL. As the summer's work wrapped, the architect for whom I had worked during my first internship got me a contract gig at a largish southeast E/a firm in Mobile, AL. It was a blast. The firm put me up in a cottage two blocks from Mobile Bay on the Fairhope side. It was a fun architecture dept. in the sense that the E/a firm had a few major clients in that city and as long as we dropped everything and serviced the needs of those clients and kept them happy, the arch. dept. was free to go after whatever projects they wanted with their remaining time. Needless to say, they did go after some very interesting work and got some of it, too.
Took my month's earnings as enough to pack up a trailer and move to Ithaca, NY where my wife was in grad school. We had already spent two years 1200 miles apart which was long enough. Work opportunities were horrible, it being the rustbelt and the post 9/11 slowness still casting its pall. Figured, I'm only here for a little while, why not do something I'll never again do in my pro career. There is a unique misc. metal fabricators there that works on everything from museum pieces to ceremonial stairs to fire stairs, structural steel and industrial parts handling equipment with mechatronics. Got hired as a detailer, assistant project manager and parts cutter. Really learned how to detail properly while there. Found I am fascinated with kinetics, actuation and factories.
After sixteen months, mostly due to seeing the work dry up, I moved on to my first arch gig and where I stayed the rest of my time in NY. A mid-sized, regional A/E firm doing mostly K-12 & higher ed with some other municipal and institutional work as well.
While in Ithaca, I participated in a student-run philosophy discussion club, deleuze and hegel reading groups, as well as attended lectures in the arch and philosophy dept's. I took full advantage of the wonderful independent and used book stores, read a tremendous amount, found my current interest in embodied cognition and started participating in competitions and attending conferences and a symposium or two. I also wrote many essays during this time, though nothing that is published.
That all led to defining my work direction, formulating research interests and ultimately to graduate school.
I will also add to the "who you know" comment that entry into the profession is also largely about luck and timing. Although this recession (or whatever you want to call it) has been one of the worst for architects, you can trace a pattern of peaks and valleys over the last couple of decades that have played a role in the career paths of the architects of that decade.
Many the thread that made note of "lost generation" architects you will find.
also, it seems what has figured most in defining what i do professionally with respect to architecture is derivative of all of the things that don't make sense on any sort of neatly crafted career plan, like taking a stint at a steel shop or participating in graduate reading groups when i was no longer in school or really overloading myself with reading and writing on the nights and weekends when i did not have to do so, etc, building my own furniture, etc.
that is, in some ways practice has come to be delineated by all of the extra-curriculars.
"If I told ya all that went down, it'd burn off both of your ears"
Garcia/Hunter
12 months unemployed in the Haight.
Yeah as I sat at my table working on skyscrapers at SOM SF, I had this notion that it was too good to last - it was - in 11/08, the bottom fell out out and I went down the tubes at 1 Front street. Yup - 10 months later, life savings gone, 100s of resumes. But during that time, I was also taking classes, and redoing my school projects with Revit 2010 learning the depths of the program until it became second nature - then I started getting temp jobs in 12/09 at firms in the city,1 month on, and 1 month off, and so far, I am still employed at a small office in North Beach. Was it worth it? If I really push myself to succeed, rise to the top 2 %, then in a year, I should be able to say it was - as it currently is, I have had to eat a lot of shit from a a lot of people. "you Fu**ed up when you switched from video game 3D artist to architecture." "Why don't you just be an astronaut or run for President - I mean if you are going to overreach, go all the way dude"
"never let those who gave up on their dreams discourage you from your dreams"
jmanganelli, I love that story of renovating a crappy apartment and then being asked to do more for pay! That's such an awesome way to make your way forward!
I was offered my first serious job out of school (after several combined years' worth of internships during school) because I knew how to do cabinet drawings. I was also relentlessly cheerful and willing to work on any project/type of work they asked.
A couple years into it our marketing coordinator took a 9-month leave of absence, and the firm asked me to step in as a temporary replacement. So I essentially stopped all drafting/project work except for finishing CO on a small public job and spent 9 months doing marketing - which ended up being a great experience. I learned a lot about how selection committees work, how to write a proposal, image management, and client's initial concerns.
So I guess my takehome from this was to never say no to something that might be educational, as well as an awareness that I can enjoy all aspects of architecture, not only the project/production work.
What comes after the degree?
Basically this is an opportunity to share the stories of your beginnings with those leaving school soon. Obviously there are similar threads, but I want this to be more about the learning process of entering a new environment.
What were the different situations that people found themselves in post-graduation? Did they find any of their skills acquired in school marketable/useful? What was the most difficult part of the transition? Describe in detail the working environment at your first firm.
I think you'll be surprised at how much it depends on who you know. You may have worked w/ someone on a project, and they mention your name to someone in a firm--and you end up there. Maybe a professor puts in a good word somewhere--and there you are. This, after spending countless hours crafting letters, resume, and portfolio to send to those firms at the top of your list (who may very well have better use for your talents). Puzzling world sometimes.
jeez phld... what comes after the degree? no comment.
pain and suffering, because we are all sallie mae's slaves now...
Knowing people is important. But for me, equally as important has been being in the right place at the right time. For me the "new environment" i was entering was a new city, looking for work with no connections, no leads, and no idea where to start.
Sorry in advance for the long post.
My fiancée was planning on going to grad school in New York after we both graduated from college in Boston. So after leaving school, I also needed to leave the office I was working in and move to a city where I didn't know a sole. I ended up working 3 days a week in Boston and commuting to NY for the other 4. My time in New York was split between looking for work and volunteering at a community design build office. I found that gig by emailing them and asking if they needed a hand a few days a week.
In the mean time, I ended up landing an unpaid internship at a great firm, but because I was working for free I couldn't shake the feeling of being taken advantage of. This was another office I emailed with some work samples and resume just to see if they needed any help.
I wasn’t pumped about working for free but I thought that it was better than just staying put and waiting for something. In my mind I needed to keep moving. Even though I wasn’t moving up or down career wise, I was trying to move laterally to keep myself busy.
One day, I saw a job posting on archinect, and since the office was next door to the firm I was at, I thought to stop by and drop off my portfolio. Risky, I know. But it paid off. The owner was originally from Massachusetts and we seemed to hit it off right away. Because the firm was so small I ended up being handed a ton of really challenging work right away.
A year has past since then and I'm still at the firm. The work is great, but the pay is on the low side. I was able to supplement this income by teaching a studio at a small school in Brooklyn. I also found that gig by chance. An instructor was looking for critics on archinect, and I responded. She liked my interaction with the students and (since she was in charge of making the teaching schedule each semester) offered me a position teaching first year studio.
Before I moved to the city I was loosing my mind thinking that I wouldn’t have any connections to help me find work. Looking back, I see how a combination of luck and being in the right place at the right time (and a little bit of archinect) has actually been better than any connection I could have asked for. And I have a little added confidence for having done it on my own.
Very inspirational post iheartbooks.
Well let's see, I made great use of the skills attained during grad. school to pack boxes, load a UHaul and move back home. Most difficult part of the transition? Living at home for 2 years without an income.
Graduated? Let the begging begin...
10/08/10 20:23
Basically this is an opportunity to share the stories of your beginnings with those leaving school soon. Obviously there are similar threads, but I want this to be more about the learning process of entering a new environment.
a learning process? on a thread? ok good luck with that, the op must be really young, college is the end all to everything it is not even a turning point.
ps. welcome to the unemployment line.
graduated '02, spent summer scraping by and self-employed.
(during fourth year i had taken a one room apt. in the cheapest, dingiest apt complex i could find -- one room studios under 200sf apiece not freshened up in about 20-30 years of college students coming and going. They still had old, nasty shag carpet from the late seventies. I did this b/c i wanted to try renovating an apt on my own and i figured that in such a place no one would mind what i did so long as it was an improvement. So i started my fourth year. By end of fourth year, the property manager noticed, approved and offered to pay for materials for me to finish my apartment renovation. fast forward to end of thesis year and the apt. manager offered to pay me to renovate half of the rest of the units. I brought a friend in on it and that pretty much paid for the summer)
while doing renovation work, i was designing a house for somebody as that is allowed without a license in AL. As the summer's work wrapped, the architect for whom I had worked during my first internship got me a contract gig at a largish southeast E/a firm in Mobile, AL. It was a blast. The firm put me up in a cottage two blocks from Mobile Bay on the Fairhope side. It was a fun architecture dept. in the sense that the E/a firm had a few major clients in that city and as long as we dropped everything and serviced the needs of those clients and kept them happy, the arch. dept. was free to go after whatever projects they wanted with their remaining time. Needless to say, they did go after some very interesting work and got some of it, too.
Took my month's earnings as enough to pack up a trailer and move to Ithaca, NY where my wife was in grad school. We had already spent two years 1200 miles apart which was long enough. Work opportunities were horrible, it being the rustbelt and the post 9/11 slowness still casting its pall. Figured, I'm only here for a little while, why not do something I'll never again do in my pro career. There is a unique misc. metal fabricators there that works on everything from museum pieces to ceremonial stairs to fire stairs, structural steel and industrial parts handling equipment with mechatronics. Got hired as a detailer, assistant project manager and parts cutter. Really learned how to detail properly while there. Found I am fascinated with kinetics, actuation and factories.
After sixteen months, mostly due to seeing the work dry up, I moved on to my first arch gig and where I stayed the rest of my time in NY. A mid-sized, regional A/E firm doing mostly K-12 & higher ed with some other municipal and institutional work as well.
While in Ithaca, I participated in a student-run philosophy discussion club, deleuze and hegel reading groups, as well as attended lectures in the arch and philosophy dept's. I took full advantage of the wonderful independent and used book stores, read a tremendous amount, found my current interest in embodied cognition and started participating in competitions and attending conferences and a symposium or two. I also wrote many essays during this time, though nothing that is published.
That all led to defining my work direction, formulating research interests and ultimately to graduate school.
get ready for a lifetime of getting f**ed in the a*s. (Not in a good way though)
I will also add to the "who you know" comment that entry into the profession is also largely about luck and timing. Although this recession (or whatever you want to call it) has been one of the worst for architects, you can trace a pattern of peaks and valleys over the last couple of decades that have played a role in the career paths of the architects of that decade.
Many the thread that made note of "lost generation" architects you will find.
also, it seems what has figured most in defining what i do professionally with respect to architecture is derivative of all of the things that don't make sense on any sort of neatly crafted career plan, like taking a stint at a steel shop or participating in graduate reading groups when i was no longer in school or really overloading myself with reading and writing on the nights and weekends when i did not have to do so, etc, building my own furniture, etc.
that is, in some ways practice has come to be delineated by all of the extra-curriculars.
"If I told ya all that went down, it'd burn off both of your ears"
Garcia/Hunter
12 months unemployed in the Haight.
Yeah as I sat at my table working on skyscrapers at SOM SF, I had this notion that it was too good to last - it was - in 11/08, the bottom fell out out and I went down the tubes at 1 Front street. Yup - 10 months later, life savings gone, 100s of resumes. But during that time, I was also taking classes, and redoing my school projects with Revit 2010 learning the depths of the program until it became second nature - then I started getting temp jobs in 12/09 at firms in the city,1 month on, and 1 month off, and so far, I am still employed at a small office in North Beach. Was it worth it? If I really push myself to succeed, rise to the top 2 %, then in a year, I should be able to say it was - as it currently is, I have had to eat a lot of shit from a a lot of people. "you Fu**ed up when you switched from video game 3D artist to architecture." "Why don't you just be an astronaut or run for President - I mean if you are going to overreach, go all the way dude"
"never let those who gave up on their dreams discourage you from your dreams"
jmanganelli, I love that story of renovating a crappy apartment and then being asked to do more for pay! That's such an awesome way to make your way forward!
I was offered my first serious job out of school (after several combined years' worth of internships during school) because I knew how to do cabinet drawings. I was also relentlessly cheerful and willing to work on any project/type of work they asked.
A couple years into it our marketing coordinator took a 9-month leave of absence, and the firm asked me to step in as a temporary replacement. So I essentially stopped all drafting/project work except for finishing CO on a small public job and spent 9 months doing marketing - which ended up being a great experience. I learned a lot about how selection committees work, how to write a proposal, image management, and client's initial concerns.
So I guess my takehome from this was to never say no to something that might be educational, as well as an awareness that I can enjoy all aspects of architecture, not only the project/production work.
thanks, donna
your point about being, "relentlessly cheerful and willing to work on any project/type...asked," is excellent.
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