"Show me the Money !!!"

lol i'm with you on that!

how about ARE, IDP, and some degree of creative independence concurrently?

I use the title 'architect' when at bars picking up women. I'm not registered though, will that get me a lawsuit?

-increased sexiness (both perceived and real) of the architecture profession.

my vote is for concurrent IDP + ARE... but i feel very strongly that all architects need at least some construction experience before they get licensed - either CA or actual construction work.

also -

-professional development or lack thereof in various size offices
-the political impotancy of the AIA
-architect's fees and why they have gotten so low (related to compensation).
-why don't they teach management/leadership courses to architecture students? why are so many architects bad managers of their staff? what can we (as young professionals) do about it?

-to

If you look at "emerging professionals" as being beyond interns to young architects starting their own practice, I can tell you issue number one: health insurance. It is the one major barrier to me being a truly successful small practice vs. one that is scraping by with a lower quality of life than most of my carpenters.

Oh and maybe a business course in college would have been helpful.

why we get stuck drafting details for two months straight when our job title is 'designer'

I guess the bigger issue is titles and job descriptions in general - they don't seem to mean anything! Some employers outright lie about what you'll be doing, so that they don't scare you away. So you take the job, find out they lied, and are stuck there for at least a year because otherwise YOU look like the inconsistant shit that can't keep a job. Anyone else think this is an issue?

rationalist... yes

If you are in the field of architecture for fame or money than you might as well quit right now. I have been an “Architectural Designer” (a.k.a. B. Arch) for 6 years, and I hate this term. This is so frustrating and one of the reasons I am going back to grad school so I can get my license to really say I am an “Architect” at a bar. The other thing that is annoying is after working so long and having all this experience my boss still calls me an “intern”. Never mind the fact that I am really a Project Manager and do all his work for him. sorry just wanted to vent!!!

I'd like to hear more about how emerging proffesionals are dealing creatively with the business side of architecture. Innovation in actual architecture isn't as helpful to read about as how architects develop different business models. What business models are there? what works? what doesn't? how you end up starting a firm is significantly different and more challenging than 20 years ago. Also more information on legal issues. The legal issues around architecture and building are very vauge it seems. Couldn't this be organized or looked at in a more clear way?
It always seems to be the architecture of innovative architecture, and the business side of typical cookiecutter building. I want the business/legal side of innovative architecture.

titling is absolutely a relevant issue. (does the 'i'm an architect' line in a bar work in reverse - can women pick up men this way? hehe)

it seems there is also a lot of interest in the business side of architecture, and more specifically, starting your own firm.
definitely a topic that was neglected in school, and not neccessarily something you are exposed to in a firm environment if you're relegated to computer drafting all day.

these are really great ideas, i appreciate them all. keep them coming!

SH, george cotanza used to tell women the same thing

Florida, Texas, and a couple other states I can't recall off the top of my head don't require completion of IDP to begin taking the ARE. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to live in or even be in Florida or Texas to take their registration exams and become registered in those states. Once you finish IDP you can always apply for the NCARB certificate and become registered in your own state. I'm planning on doing it this way. I'm surprised this practice isn't more common. The only downside is that you may end up paying more fees, but a lot of architects are licensed in more than one state.

The only thing that was ever said about starting one's own firm at my school was: "Don't do it. There's too much potential for exposure to liability."

taking risks are apart of life bryan. why would any educator discourage advancement? don't listen to them. just be smart about how you move forward.

PlastiX....yes, it can work in reverse. Typically it results in some sort of weeding out process for you or the guy involved. Him: "so what do you do?" me: "I'm an architect". If the resulting reaction is positive with a little glimmer of respect flashed across his face, you're in business. If, instead, you are received with fear or insecurity, it's probably best you move along.

I'd say that one issue I've been thinking about lately is IDP-related, but marginally. Mainly I've been thinking about the learning curve you have to adjust to when you get out of arch. school and get into the working world. Honestly it should be more of an "apprenticeship" approach, as it used to be, but somehow it seems we've fallen into the expectations of modern employment, whereby it's frowned upon if you leave places too soon, etc. But there are some jobs where you just can't learn certain things that you need to learn. I wish there was more of an acceptance across the board of an intern architect's learning curve, and a willingness to mentor more. I realize that many firms mentor their young designers, but many more do not.

Just a thought.

what good does it do to get licensed in florida or texas if i don't live there? then i am only an architect in florida and texas, and can still get in trouble calling myself an architect in the state where i live. correct me if i'm wrong. it sounds like a way to pay even more money.

Strawbeary: it means you'd be able to receive your license in Florida or Texas at the point in any other state when you'd just be receiving permission to start taking the ARE. You still have to finish IDP to be granted the license in Florida or Texas even if you pass all the exams before completing IDP. If you applied for the NCARB certificate you'd still end up being licensed in your own state sooner than you would be otherwise. Basically it's a way to get your license earlier yet being able to take the ARE at a more liesurely pace. You're right about more fees though, but I think it'll be worth that if I can get a jump start on stamping my own drawings.

but you'd be able to call yourself an 'architect', legally ;-)

bryan, i see.

but trace, if i were an architect in florida (b/c i went bryan's route and took the exams, then finished the ARE), i still wouldn't be an architect in colorado, legally. so therefore, not an architect for what it is worth to me.

To the first poster, my feelings are that we take ourselves way to seriously.

bryan, i see.

but trace, if i were an architect in florida (b/c i went bryan's route and took the exams, then finished IDP), i still wouldn't be an architect in colorado, legally. so therefore, not an architect for what it is worth to me.

To the first poster, my feelings are that we take ourselves way to seriously.

double post - i trying to fix a boo boo while it submitted. the second one is correct.

PlastiX: I've been thinking more about the alternative career angle of this... I think it's a huge weakness of IDP that it basically forces you to go to work for a traditional for-profit firm. There are provisions for working in alternative types of situations, but there are a lot more hoops to jump through. Someone who fresh out of school goes to work in the construction trades or goes to Sri Lanka for a few years and builds emergency housing from sketches on the back of 2x4's is not going to have much to show for it in terms of IDP credit.

Strawbeary: It would do you a lot of good if you were trying to land a job at a firm in Colorado that happened to do a lot of work in Florida...

What is of most concern to me as a young professioanl at this moment is one hour before a very important meeting with a potentially huge new client I just attempted to pop an Andes mint in my mouth and instead dropped it in my lap, reflexively caught it between my legs, and now have chocolate smears on the thighs of my powersuit.

Dammit!

Can you not get reciprocity to Colorodo after getting your license in Florida?

Trace - Some states - I believe Nevada - don't even allow you by law to call yourself an Architect (or give away your business card) in that state unless you are licensed in the State itself. Just something to think about. I don't know how they monitor this.

Bryan, we actually do have work in Florida, it wouldn't be my stamp on those drawings anyways. I don't think it would make a difference at all.

I think it could actually backfire, because in fact I was not an architect here, as far as my state was concerned, therefore not able to hold that title. See where I'm going with this? if I tried to claim that title, I could get in worse trouble than just telling people at bars, yeh, I'm an architect.

There was a post here not too long ago about an instance involving someone refering to themsleves as an architect in California, but their architectural license wasn't in california, so no in fact they weren't and couldn't call themselves such. I don't remember the circumstances surrounding the statment and if the lic board was involved or not. But it opened my mind to the fact that I am not an architect except in the states I (will) hold that title, and those alone. Maybe this is not true and I am paranoid.

Well, let me think about this. (Now I'm thinking out loud on a thread, great.) I could get reciprocity in CO the DAY I complete IDP, because my ARE (thru FLA) is out of the way? I'm confused. May not to the day, there will be some lag, paperwork, etc.

Strabeary - If your state allows you to. You would in this case - complete everything in Florida, California, Texas, etc... get licensed in that state.

I had a friend who was going through the process in California. She had finished IDP and the AREs. Without even completeing the comprehensive exam in California, she had NCARB send her record to another state (where she was moving to), and got licensed in that state before setting foot outside of California.

I believe you can do the same in Colorado

PlastiX -

So, when's the article coming out - and where can we read it?

A

ensuring archinect stays online forever.

more great ideas.. kind of sad that we have to *worry* so much over whether we can call ourselves 'architects' depening on the state and timing, etc.

bryan4arch, interesting point about alternative careers and idp credit. and libertybell - i think you may have hit on the most pressing issue! that sucks!

archi-f: it's not so much one article, but rather i'm gathing topic ideas for the rest of the year for the newsletter that i edit. (if you are an Associate member of the AIA, then you receive it) it's great to get a perspective on what other interns and young architects are concerned/passionate about. i can look at what the AIA is doing and think about what I'm interested in, but there's nothing better than going directly to the source (i.e. other emerging professionals like you guys)

While I like the IDP + ARE concurrent program it still doesn't fix IDP. The simple fact is that IDP is a program rampant with fraud, very slow, little or no checks & balances and expensive. After an 'intern' completes it there still is no assurance they are any better prepared for the ARE. I think it's mostly a non-issue as the devoted in the profession will do what it takes to become an 'architect.'

The real issue is that 'intern' is a demeaning title that no other 'professional' occupation uses for college graduates. Architects are far too protective of their title in general. If you have a professional degree, you should be referred to as a professional. Instead we have thousands of 'interns' in the profession. We tell them they'll get sued if they represent themselves as an architect, while they do most everything but legally sign the drawings. Then we wonder why nobody wants to pay an architect anything? Why would I pay to have an intern (college studen in public perception) working on my building?

What is most important to me - what is most important to the PROFESSION - is loose the title INTERN! If we do nothing with IDP, we still would be doing the profession a huge service to reassign what we title the young in this profession.

Concering the thought of making IDP credits more easily obtained in alternative careers. While I agree if you are off doing some Architecture for Humainty project that experiece should more easily count. I'm just skeptical we would open the flood gates for non-architects with arch-degrees becoming architects. I have a friend who is a construction manager. Sure he knows a side of the profession, but not nearly the whole of it. Since he has a BArch degree, should he become a fully licensed architect. I know he'd love to, but not to become an architect. Only to further pad a resume and have more leverage against architects on his projects. Is that what we want? While I think we protect the profession too much from the 'interns' I do agree that some level of protection from the outside is necessary.

1. Streamline the IDP, NCARB, ARE, AIA maelstrom into some kind of one-stop shopping solution. Each organization has it's own rules & regs. and neither of them seem to talk to each other.

2. Increase fees (& salaries). Architects go through the same rigors as other professions that serve society (doctors and lawyers) through extensive education requirements, internships, and comprehensive exams to obtain licensure. However, architects' fees and salaries are substantially less than these other professions. Part of the problem is that architects are (typically) horrible business people. We spend too much of our academic life in the pusuit of creating great space, but we lose sight of the fact that architecture is also a career. Too many of us subscribe to the "being an architect is a lifestyle" and convince ourselves that being overworked and underpaid is what being an architect is all about.

3. Reduce risk exposure. I recently read that 3/4ths of the world's lawyers are in the US and 94% of the world's lawsuits filed are also in the US.

It's a vicious cycle: Architects cut their fee to get jobs, but then have to burn through all their fee to produce overly detailed drawings and specs to avoid getting sued or the contractor issuing boat loads of change orders (Have you ever seen a drawing set from back in the day? A Case Study House set was like 10 sheets max. It was a collaborative effort between the client, architect, and builder. Now it's us vs. them). Then we have to turn around and pay liability insurance premiums. I realize doctors also pay liability insurance and have extensive student loans, but they also get PAID.

4. Architecture as a commodity. Many in the public view architecture as something that is bought and sold, therefore the lowest bidder often wins. This is why you see such a preponderance of mediocre buildings going up. Architecture's image in society needs to be marketed as art that can uplift society, and should be worth the $$$.

hmm, more thoughts...

*I really want the AIA to do something that's visible. Lobby against the butthole engineers that try to make architecture a subset of engineering, and the contractors that convince states that you don't need an architect to put up a building. I'm sure there are local community-type benefits, but I'd really like to see architecture have a presence on those larger scale type issues. (I understand people will disagree with this as it is a very controversial topic. These are MY feelings and you're not going to convince me otherwise, because what I've seen in my (admittedly short) career at several different firms with many different architects has failed to do so, so some randomass I meet online isn't going to do any better!)

*er, how to get OUT of architecture now that I'm in it?

for a good time google "chocolate thighs" although there aint nothin about architecture on there....

apart from the usual complaints it might be interesting to look at the recent battle between ARB and RIBA in the UK.

i doubt anything similar will happen tween aia and ncarb, but the idea of what a licence actually means and who controls what and why (and where the authority lays) could start the debate moving in a dfferent direction than wondering why the beuracracy is so fkucin stupid...

my friend has a bar in his office ..its an arch firm.

since I cant get into his, I want one in mine too.

personally, i think the two biggest issues are 1) declining popular support and respect for what we do; and 2) chronic and destructive fee competition

obviously, these are related ... however, unless the profession comes together to address these problems and reach effective solutions, all other problems pale into insignificance

The most important problem facing the (young) professionals are the "Lack of Public awareness about the roles of Architects in a Society". This could solve a number a problems in our community.

Inside the community, its this growing trend to create symbolic buildings with every project at hand. Not needed.

Being relatively new to the professional field (two years of experience) I don't know as much as the other archinecters on here. In those two years I've noticed not only a lack of awareness by the general public, but also people from the construction field. At one time, I've tried to minor in construction management and had to drop it because of the ignorance and hatred by students that were planning to be construction managers, structural engineers, civil engineers, etc.

I thought this was an isolated case in the academic world, but now working directly with general contractors, engineers, and developers, the perception of architects seem to be worse.

the proliferation of dual degree programs and their effects on the graduates preparedness upon entering a multi-disciplinary field such as architecture