I just finished my second year of architecture school in the US. Somehow I managed to get an internship for the summer at a firm near my hometown. I was really excited to get my foot out the door in the profession and get some of the hours that are needed for AXP, however, I just started and i feel very out of place with what I doing. My position is full time but I have next to nothing to do. Its a busy firm and they are always working on the various parts of the projects but I really don't have any education on the way real construction documents work or anything that pertains to actual buildings. They already have the cad technicians to do most of the extra work as well. I'm very good at using rhino and illustrator to do drawings (which the firm doesn't use) but not auto cad yet. I doubt any of the time I spend here can actually be put towards the hours either. I know they hired me so that I could learn but I feel like I'm more work than help. The guy who hired me also said that I should be walking around talking to people but I don't want to be annoying and disturb them more from their actual work. I'm naturally a quiet person so I'm still getting used to being more outgoing especially in a new place.
How do most architects feel towards student interns?
How the hell can you not know autocad? It'll take 30mins to pick it up.
Jun 6, 17 6:40 pm ·
·
eastcoast
I know the absolute basics that I've learned on my own but my school doesn't use it. Strange I know but there were nearly twice as many commands features on this CAD as the one i learned on.
You are, but don't sweat it. That will change. If they're not giving you something to do directly, ask to participate in meetings or site visits. Or better yet, use the time to learn CAD.
When we've gotten someone fresh, I always forget how much they don't know. It always takes some time to train up a new person to the way you like to work, even if they have experience.
When we've gotten someone fresh, I always forget how much they don't know.
Makes you wonder why anyone would spend a couple hundred grand on architecture school ...
Jun 6, 17 7:55 pm ·
·
proto
the whole apprenticeship thing is now the intern thing -- we're still responsible for training young architects...what school is for might be a different thread (maybe one that already exists )...if school were the place, we should kill the whole work experience prior to licensure part of the qualifications
Design process is only one part of architecture - much of the work is technical and administrative. My father said that success was if he got to spend 5% of his time doing design.
I've been in many firms where the summer interns had a lot of downtime. Your situation is not unusual in my experience.
1) send an e-mail to the whole office and simply explain your situation and you would like to sit in on meetings, site visits, etc, and when someone has time, could you discuss whatever they are working on and ask them some questions.
2) if your desk has a computer, invest in a tutorial book for AutoCad, Revit, Adobe Suite, etc. and work through the exercises. The office may have some laying around.
3) Find some extra sets of plans around the office and really look at them. Learn how architectural documents work.
Jun 7, 17 1:58 pm ·
·
archietechie
1) Bad advise announcing to the whole world you're basically free. If in doubt, use the chain of command.
If they're still doing multiple hard copies of shop drawings/submittals, offer to copy the marks to the extra sets. It gets you familiar with the pieces going into the building and the things the Architects are concerned about being correct.
If someone is redlining, offer to help look for typos. In the process of looking for typos, you will slowly familiarize yourself with verbiage.
Definitely offer to go to sites. Ask if you can listen in on conference calls about a project. Sit in on every meeting they will let you sit in on.
And feel free to pester people. Every office has people that don't want to be pestered, but for every one of those, there is another person who loves a good distraction. Find people who love distractions.
In short, you will feel disappointing to the firm, due to the lack of fundamental skills taught at some schools. However, don't worry about it. Just be eager to learn and try to get the tasks done asked of you and you'll be fine. It's normal
Approach a coworker and ask if it's a good time to ask them some questions and observe what they're doing, or if they have anything you can help with. Do this with each one. Repeat. If any of them seem particularly prickly on a regular basis then maybe avoid that one. Also avoid anybody who is struggling to meet an immediate deadline.
AutoCAD is pretty easy to pick up - I never had any formal training in it except a 1-week half-day crash course that my school used to offer to last-year students during winter or spring break. Ask your coworkers for AutoCAD tasks, and just learn it. Ask the CAD technicians for help when you get stuck. It's best to learn these things by doing actual tasks, so this is the best setting for you to learn in.
As for hours counting toward AXP: if this is an architecture firm and you're doing or observing the production of architecture then you should be able to count nearly all the hours. Even if you're alphabatizing the product library or checking the firm's contacts database you're doing things that should count. Now, if you're doing completely off-subject things like redesigning the firm's logo or painting their fence or vacuuming or some other busy-work of that sort because you're too shy for them to find anything else useful for you to do then that's another story - but if that's the sort of thing you're doing then force yourself to break out of your shell and assert yourself a little so that you're not
reflected ceiling plans can be a good way to get in and start to learn both CAD and how working drawings are produced without worrying about screwing up too much. They are usually produced when most of the design is already established and things just need to get done too so you can be effective. Then u can get into a set and study the rest of it and see how it goes together while feeling productive.
Since you have a lot of free time, I am going to assume you do not work for a very large firm. I work for a corporate firm of 300+ and we look forward to each summer and the influx of interns it brings. I have always enjoyed working with my interns: there is nothing better than an eager, bright young student to come in and help ease our workloads a bit. The fresh perspective and positive attitudes I've always found enjoyable to work with.
You should be asking a lot of questions and asking everyday for more work. If you are not proficient with CAD, this is the opportunity to learn. Ask for work in which you can improve that skill, it is an absolute bare necessity in the field that you must master. Do not worry about the uncertainty at the beginning, that is normal and will pass. Try to learn as much as you can and, if it is still not what you expected, hey, you can go back to school in the fall anyways.
Good luck
Jun 10, 17 1:32 am ·
·
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Summer intern
I just finished my second year of architecture school in the US. Somehow I managed to get an internship for the summer at a firm near my hometown. I was really excited to get my foot out the door in the profession and get some of the hours that are needed for AXP, however, I just started and i feel very out of place with what I doing. My position is full time but I have next to nothing to do. Its a busy firm and they are always working on the various parts of the projects but I really don't have any education on the way real construction documents work or anything that pertains to actual buildings. They already have the cad technicians to do most of the extra work as well. I'm very good at using rhino and illustrator to do drawings (which the firm doesn't use) but not auto cad yet. I doubt any of the time I spend here can actually be put towards the hours either. I know they hired me so that I could learn but I feel like I'm more work than help. The guy who hired me also said that I should be walking around talking to people but I don't want to be annoying and disturb them more from their actual work. I'm naturally a quiet person so I'm still getting used to being more outgoing especially in a new place.
How do most architects feel towards student interns?
Any advice?
I know the absolute basics that I've learned on my own but my school doesn't use it. Strange I know but there were nearly twice as many commands features on this CAD as the one i learned on.
Talking to more experienced people is part of how you learn in an office.
I feel like I'm more work than help
You are, but don't sweat it. That will change. If they're not giving you something to do directly, ask to participate in meetings or site visits. Or better yet, use the time to learn CAD.
When we've gotten someone fresh, I always forget how much they don't know. It always takes some time to train up a new person to the way you like to work, even if they have experience.
When we've gotten someone fresh, I always forget how much they don't know.
Makes you wonder why anyone would spend a couple hundred grand on architecture school ...
the whole apprenticeship thing is now the intern thing -- we're still responsible for training young architects...what school is for might be a different thread (maybe one that already exists )...if school were the place, we should kill the whole work experience prior to licensure part of the qualifications
Design process is only one part of architecture - much of the work is technical and administrative. My father said that success was if he got to spend 5% of his time doing design.
I've been in many firms where the summer interns had a lot of downtime. Your situation is not unusual in my experience.
1) send an e-mail to the whole office and simply explain your situation and you would like to sit in on meetings, site visits, etc, and when someone has time, could you discuss whatever they are working on and ask them some questions.
2) if your desk has a computer, invest in a tutorial book for AutoCad, Revit, Adobe Suite, etc. and work through the exercises. The office may have some laying around.
3) Find some extra sets of plans around the office and really look at them. Learn how architectural documents work.
1) Bad advise announcing to the whole world you're basically free. If in doubt, use the chain of command.
Sure, if you have a supervisor, ask them first.
If they're still doing multiple hard copies of shop drawings/submittals, offer to copy the marks to the extra sets. It gets you familiar with the pieces going into the building and the things the Architects are concerned about being correct.
If someone is redlining, offer to help look for typos. In the process of looking for typos, you will slowly familiarize yourself with verbiage.
Definitely offer to go to sites. Ask if you can listen in on conference calls about a project. Sit in on every meeting they will let you sit in on.
And feel free to pester people. Every office has people that don't want to be pestered, but for every one of those, there is another person who loves a good distraction. Find people who love distractions.
Approach a coworker and ask if it's a good time to ask them some questions and observe what they're doing, or if they have anything you can help with. Do this with each one. Repeat. If any of them seem particularly prickly on a regular basis then maybe avoid that one. Also avoid anybody who is struggling to meet an immediate deadline.
AutoCAD is pretty easy to pick up - I never had any formal training in it except a 1-week half-day crash course that my school used to offer to last-year students during winter or spring break. Ask your coworkers for AutoCAD tasks, and just learn it. Ask the CAD technicians for help when you get stuck. It's best to learn these things by doing actual tasks, so this is the best setting for you to learn in.
As for hours counting toward AXP: if this is an architecture firm and you're doing or observing the production of architecture then you should be able to count nearly all the hours. Even if you're alphabatizing the product library or checking the firm's contacts database you're doing things that should count. Now, if you're doing completely off-subject things like redesigning the firm's logo or painting their fence or vacuuming or some other busy-work of that sort because you're too shy for them to find anything else useful for you to do then that's another story - but if that's the sort of thing you're doing then force yourself to break out of your shell and assert yourself a little so that you're not
reflected ceiling plans can be a good way to get in and start to learn both CAD and how working drawings are produced without worrying about screwing up too much. They are usually produced when most of the design is already established and things just need to get done too so you can be effective. Then u can get into a set and study the rest of it and see how it goes together while feeling productive.
You should be asking a lot of questions and asking everyday for more work. If you are not proficient with CAD, this is the opportunity to learn. Ask for work in which you can improve that skill, it is an absolute bare necessity in the field that you must master. Do not worry about the uncertainty at the beginning, that is normal and will pass. Try to learn as much as you can and, if it is still not what you expected, hey, you can go back to school in the fall anyways.
Good luck
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