I have a question about the IDP. I am just beginning the process (e.g. reading the requirements, filling out the forms etc.) I have an opportunity to work with a retired architect - although retired; he still dabbles as a consultant for city and regional planning. He would essentially be my supervisor, and he would regularly assess the quality of my work. My role would be to work alongside him to gain experience in the areas of programming and design development.
My question is this - could the term "retired" possibly mean that this person is no longer certified and/or registered as an architect? This is obviously a big concern, especially if the IDP requires that you work alongside a certified and registered architect. I did a name search from the AIA site, and unfortunately, his name was not found in the database - but I do not know if this means that he is not registered.
Also, besides Archinect and the AIA / AIAS, are there other good resources to find work in an entry-level position (intern or other in the Portland, OR area) Although I have years of software engineering experience, I have limited architecture experience, and it seems as though every job requires a minimum of 2-3 years working in an architecture firm. Any comments / suggestions? I would especially be interested in hearing from folks that have made a successful transition from one career to architecture.
NCARB requires that all your work credits be under the supervision of a registered architect. He can be retired and still have his license however. I know many non-practicing architects who keep renewing their license even though they don't use it anymore. maybe this guy does the same.
If not, then perhaps he can find a friend or colleague who is registered who can sign off on your credits for you after he vouches that you actually did the work.
Also keep in mind that some architecture "related" work does not count towards your IDP or ARE requirement e.g. work for a developer. Im not sure about city consultant work. Might want to check the requirement on that.
That being said I want to throw in my own question to anybody out there. I worked at a firm for 1.5 years under the direct supervision of someone who was not registered, but was taking exams at the time. That was 2 years ago and he now has his license. I would rather he sign off on the work i did there rather than the principal of the firem just for the convenience and bc i am not exactly best buddies with the principal. is it legit if you are documenting your hours retroavtively and the supervisor was not registered at the time, but is now?
I'll ask if his license is current. If not, maybe another colleague can sign off (good advice). And I'll check up on the city consultant work. Thanks Dot!
On the issue of the retired architect: some states have a category of licensure for someone who is retired and no working professionally. Some don't. However, he needs to have a current, standard license to qualify for IDP purposes.
It's not ok to have someone else sign your forms. The person signing must be someone who works on the same premises and is a regular supervisor of your work. NCARB does verify the license info of the people who sign the forms.
Regarding dot's question: the person signing your forms must have been registered at the time that you earned those IDP units, so a person who was not licensed then will not count.
One other thing though: searching for him on the AIA website only establishes whether he's an AIA member. Only about 60% of US licensed architects are actually AIA members. The AIA is a professional organization - in other words a club - and has no authoritative/legislative powers.
Most state boards have license verification sites where you can look to see if someone is licensed in that state. You can find the web addresses for all of the boards at www.ncarb.org in the "reciprocity" section.
Yes, he is an AIA member. On his business card it states AIA "Emeritus", so it sounds like he has been a member for quite some time now. That's why I was curious why I couldn't find his name or firm in the AIA database.
Thanks for the info about the boards - I'll check it out...
Katze: "AIA Emeritus" is a category of membership that allows lower membership fees to architects who are retired. There are two situations in which someone can get emeritus membership:
1. The person is fully retired (in which case they could not supervise you for IDP) and over age 60.
2. They aren't fully retired - meaning they maintain a valid license and still practice - but they are over age 70 and have been an AIA member for at least 15 consecutive years.
In situation #2 it's possible that the person could be a supervisor for you - if they do still have a valid license.
But you should also be aware that your supervisor is supposed to work on the same premises and be your day-to-day supervisor. To count as fulltime, you must work at least 35 hours per week for 8 consecutive weeks. To count as part-time you must work at least 20 hours per week for no less than 6 consecutive months. Anytime you fall below the minimum hours or don't work for a few weeks you have to start counting over and count it as a new "employment experience". The reason I mention this is because your supervisor would be expected to be supervising you for roughly those same hours - meaning if he intends to maintain some sort of "semi-retired" status he wouldn't be a good candidate for an IDP supervisor.
Another thing you might want to consider is that if this job entails only programming and design development then you'll end up fulfilling your required IDP units in those 2 categories fairly quickly (there are only 10 days worth of programming experience and 40 days worth of design development experience required for IDP). You could count additional experience in those areas in the "floating" 235 elective units that you need to earn.
But in this job you would not accumulate units in some of the larger categories (there are about 6 months of units required in Construction Documents alone) and you wouldn't be getting experience in some of the hardest areas to fulfill - such as bidding, negotiation, and other construction observation. (You need a total of 70 units in CA).
More importantly, you voice the concern in your initial post that job opportunities are more prevalent for people with a year or two of experience. But those jobs generally assume a good amount of experience in developing construction drawings, good CAD skills, and general experience with typical firm procedures.
So, I'd advise considering carefully whether this job will give you the all-important first-job basics. And consider whether that's important to you.
As for other sources to check for job listings: check not only the national AIA board but also the local chapters - most have their own employment listings. Check e-architect.com - the site is pretty much abandoned but they still get new job listings. Check craigslist - some legitimate firms do advertise there.
how about his question: what if the supervisor does not have a license in the state you are working in, but has a license from elsewhere? e.g. my previous supervisor has a new mexico license but we were both working in los angeles.
"… be aware that your supervisor is supposed to work on the same premises and be your day-to-day supervisor".
This is a real concern for me – I really do not think he has the commitment I am looking for.
" Another thing you might want to consider is that if this job entails only programming and design development then you'll end up fulfilling your required IDP units in those 2 categories fairly quickly… and you wouldn't be getting experience in some of the hardest areas to fulfill - such as bidding, negotiation, and other construction observation".
Exactly! Another HUGE concern of mine.
" I'd advise considering carefully whether this job will give you the all-important first-job basics. And consider whether that's important to you".
What's most important to me is to work with a firm that gives me broad exposure to architecture so that I may gain comprehensive experience in many areas, i.e., programming, analysis, design, building cost analysis, code, and construction, specifications & material research, etc.
I was hesitating from the start if this was the right opportunity for me. I think I have convinced myself that this opportunity is not a good fit! I appreciate your commentary and guidance Aluminate, thank you.
As for my job search, I frequently visit craigslist – I will check out my local chapter and e-architect.com. Wish me luck!
Jul 23, 06 11:38 pm ·
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IDP and Internship Questions
I have a question about the IDP. I am just beginning the process (e.g. reading the requirements, filling out the forms etc.) I have an opportunity to work with a retired architect - although retired; he still dabbles as a consultant for city and regional planning. He would essentially be my supervisor, and he would regularly assess the quality of my work. My role would be to work alongside him to gain experience in the areas of programming and design development.
My question is this - could the term "retired" possibly mean that this person is no longer certified and/or registered as an architect? This is obviously a big concern, especially if the IDP requires that you work alongside a certified and registered architect. I did a name search from the AIA site, and unfortunately, his name was not found in the database - but I do not know if this means that he is not registered.
Also, besides Archinect and the AIA / AIAS, are there other good resources to find work in an entry-level position (intern or other in the Portland, OR area) Although I have years of software engineering experience, I have limited architecture experience, and it seems as though every job requires a minimum of 2-3 years working in an architecture firm. Any comments / suggestions? I would especially be interested in hearing from folks that have made a successful transition from one career to architecture.
NCARB requires that all your work credits be under the supervision of a registered architect. He can be retired and still have his license however. I know many non-practicing architects who keep renewing their license even though they don't use it anymore. maybe this guy does the same.
If not, then perhaps he can find a friend or colleague who is registered who can sign off on your credits for you after he vouches that you actually did the work.
Also keep in mind that some architecture "related" work does not count towards your IDP or ARE requirement e.g. work for a developer. Im not sure about city consultant work. Might want to check the requirement on that.
That being said I want to throw in my own question to anybody out there. I worked at a firm for 1.5 years under the direct supervision of someone who was not registered, but was taking exams at the time. That was 2 years ago and he now has his license. I would rather he sign off on the work i did there rather than the principal of the firem just for the convenience and bc i am not exactly best buddies with the principal. is it legit if you are documenting your hours retroavtively and the supervisor was not registered at the time, but is now?
I'll ask if his license is current. If not, maybe another colleague can sign off (good advice). And I'll check up on the city consultant work. Thanks Dot!
On the issue of the retired architect: some states have a category of licensure for someone who is retired and no working professionally. Some don't. However, he needs to have a current, standard license to qualify for IDP purposes.
It's not ok to have someone else sign your forms. The person signing must be someone who works on the same premises and is a regular supervisor of your work. NCARB does verify the license info of the people who sign the forms.
Regarding dot's question: the person signing your forms must have been registered at the time that you earned those IDP units, so a person who was not licensed then will not count.
Thanks Aluminate. I'll make sure his license is current before accepting the job:)
One other thing though: searching for him on the AIA website only establishes whether he's an AIA member. Only about 60% of US licensed architects are actually AIA members. The AIA is a professional organization - in other words a club - and has no authoritative/legislative powers.
Most state boards have license verification sites where you can look to see if someone is licensed in that state. You can find the web addresses for all of the boards at www.ncarb.org in the "reciprocity" section.
Yes, he is an AIA member. On his business card it states AIA "Emeritus", so it sounds like he has been a member for quite some time now. That's why I was curious why I couldn't find his name or firm in the AIA database.
Thanks for the info about the boards - I'll check it out...
Katze: "AIA Emeritus" is a category of membership that allows lower membership fees to architects who are retired. There are two situations in which someone can get emeritus membership:
1. The person is fully retired (in which case they could not supervise you for IDP) and over age 60.
2. They aren't fully retired - meaning they maintain a valid license and still practice - but they are over age 70 and have been an AIA member for at least 15 consecutive years.
In situation #2 it's possible that the person could be a supervisor for you - if they do still have a valid license.
But you should also be aware that your supervisor is supposed to work on the same premises and be your day-to-day supervisor. To count as fulltime, you must work at least 35 hours per week for 8 consecutive weeks. To count as part-time you must work at least 20 hours per week for no less than 6 consecutive months. Anytime you fall below the minimum hours or don't work for a few weeks you have to start counting over and count it as a new "employment experience". The reason I mention this is because your supervisor would be expected to be supervising you for roughly those same hours - meaning if he intends to maintain some sort of "semi-retired" status he wouldn't be a good candidate for an IDP supervisor.
Another thing you might want to consider is that if this job entails only programming and design development then you'll end up fulfilling your required IDP units in those 2 categories fairly quickly (there are only 10 days worth of programming experience and 40 days worth of design development experience required for IDP). You could count additional experience in those areas in the "floating" 235 elective units that you need to earn.
But in this job you would not accumulate units in some of the larger categories (there are about 6 months of units required in Construction Documents alone) and you wouldn't be getting experience in some of the hardest areas to fulfill - such as bidding, negotiation, and other construction observation. (You need a total of 70 units in CA).
More importantly, you voice the concern in your initial post that job opportunities are more prevalent for people with a year or two of experience. But those jobs generally assume a good amount of experience in developing construction drawings, good CAD skills, and general experience with typical firm procedures.
So, I'd advise considering carefully whether this job will give you the all-important first-job basics. And consider whether that's important to you.
As for other sources to check for job listings: check not only the national AIA board but also the local chapters - most have their own employment listings. Check e-architect.com - the site is pretty much abandoned but they still get new job listings. Check craigslist - some legitimate firms do advertise there.
aluminate, so full of knowledge you are.
how about his question: what if the supervisor does not have a license in the state you are working in, but has a license from elsewhere? e.g. my previous supervisor has a new mexico license but we were both working in los angeles.
Aluminate, you bring up many valid comments:
"… be aware that your supervisor is supposed to work on the same premises and be your day-to-day supervisor".
This is a real concern for me – I really do not think he has the commitment I am looking for.
" Another thing you might want to consider is that if this job entails only programming and design development then you'll end up fulfilling your required IDP units in those 2 categories fairly quickly… and you wouldn't be getting experience in some of the hardest areas to fulfill - such as bidding, negotiation, and other construction observation".
Exactly! Another HUGE concern of mine.
" I'd advise considering carefully whether this job will give you the all-important first-job basics. And consider whether that's important to you".
What's most important to me is to work with a firm that gives me broad exposure to architecture so that I may gain comprehensive experience in many areas, i.e., programming, analysis, design, building cost analysis, code, and construction, specifications & material research, etc.
I was hesitating from the start if this was the right opportunity for me. I think I have convinced myself that this opportunity is not a good fit! I appreciate your commentary and guidance Aluminate, thank you.
As for my job search, I frequently visit craigslist – I will check out my local chapter and e-architect.com. Wish me luck!
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